1929 Berlin Centennial Celebration
This past February, BCCHS received a call from the Berlin Recreation Department concerning an important discovery with regards to a milestone in Berlin’s history. While doing a major cleanup in the cellar of the recreation building, workers found a box hidden in a vault containing documentation and posters pertaining to the 1929 Berlin Centennial Celebration. The Berlin Recreation Department was originally built as the Berlin National Guard Armory in 1926 and was used for many local events. The “box” found in the vault contained large advertising posters that promoted Berlin’s centennial celebration as THE BIGGEST EVENT OF ITS KIND IN NEW ENGLAND. The celebration took place on July, 1-2-3-4-5-6, 1929.The remainder of the box contained about two dozen file folders from all of the individual committees involved with the celebration, e.g. : Parade committee, Logging Committee, Boxing committee, entertainment committee, etc. Even to this day, the 1929 Centennial Celebration is the biggest event in Berlin’s history. The detailed committee notes and posters showed that there was a two mile long parade with 100 floats and 5000 people, $5000 worth of fireworks, an air show, a pageant/play about Berlin’s history with 1000 actors, 50 rounds of boxing, a governor’s ball, bands playing every day and night, baseball games, etc. Of course, this all occurred just before the depression when Berlin’s economy was booming and had a population of 22,000. It was obvious that Berlin’s Citizenry was very proud of their community and many participated in making this the grandest event in Berlin’s history. It will not be long when Berlin will be celebrating its 200th anniversary. Hopefully, we will all party again like they did in 1929. Everyone is welcome to view these documents at the Moffett House Museum and Genealogy Center.
1829 CENTENNIAL POSTER 1929
BCCHS Computer Project
The Moffett House is coming into the 21st century big time! We have recently begun what will be an extensive, long term project to digitally bring the contents of the Moffett House on line to better serve the community, other museums, and researchers. The first phase began in January and we are excited to say that we have photographed and indexed the contents of 9 of the 22 rooms and halls in the Moffett House. All pertinent data associated with each item will be cataloged and cross- referenced for research purposes. We are at the data collection stage which will continue into this next year. We will keep you updated on our progress.
Pictured is Ray Daigle, Odette Leclerc and Jan Ely photographing one of thousands of items stored and on display at the Moffett House. They have been meeting weekly on this phase of the project. Walter Nadeau has applied for a grant to purchase an Apple MacPro laptop computer, a digital document scanner, camera and photographic equipment to make this project possible
BCCHS WEB SITE
There is a lot of activity on our web site. The Brown Bulletins have been especially very popular. It’s a great way to research relatives’s activitiies who worked in the mills. Some articles are very amusing while others are informative. You can now explore the many Berlin Neighborhoods. By clicking on a particular neighborhood, you read about its history. Check out our website at www.berlinnhhistoricalsociety.org.
Museum Hours and Things to See
The Moffett House Museum & Genealogy Center is open Tuesday through Saturday from 12 to 4 PM. The main floor displays artifacts, albums, and numerous memorabilia from the past. Upstairs, are three rooms jam-packed with records and books for those who wish to explore their roots in genealogy or to research historical documents. We encourage schools, home schools, civic, church, school reunion committees, nursing homes, or other groups and individuals to contact us for special visits, which may be arranged by calling (603) 752-4590 or (603) 752-7337.
E-mail contact is bcchs@hotmail.com. Admission is free.
Contributions and Membership
Because of the generosity of so many people, the museum has seen a great deal of growth since its establishment in 1997. To maintain this growth, financial aid is needed from various sources. Please remember the Society in your will and estate planning. Donations in memory of a loved one or direct contributions are received with appreciation. Gifts of artifacts and memorabilia are very important as well. We have a tax exempt classification of 501(3)(c). The Historical Society is a non-profit organization and it also relies on support through its membership dues. We sincerely hope you will remain a member by renewing your membership when it is due. If you are not already a member, we invite you to join to help support the preservation of the area’s rich heritage. The price for membership is $10.00 for individuals and $20.00 for family
Research
The Moffett House has seen a steady increase of activities in the genealogy and records departments of the museum. Many people are coming in to research their roots as are organizations and groups doing research for historical documentaries and other projects.
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