Tour: Keene and Hillsborough History Tour
August is Monadnock Month!
Date: August 20th, 10:30 am – 2:30 pm
In-person tour
How many GSAs can attend? 30
Eligibility: 50 volunteer service hours
Part 1 – Badass Women of Keene Walking Tour with Historical Society of Cheshire County
Meeting location #1: Central Square in Keene
Parking: Parking for the tour can be found at 2 public lots located on either side of Gilbo Avenue. Gilbo is a right turn off Main Street when heading south, away from Central Square. You must pay for parking at the kiosks. To help you locate the parking lots, use Lindy’s Diner located at 19 Gilbo Avenue. The lots are next to Lindy’s or across the street from the diner.
Description: In 1920, many women around the country won the right to vote with the passage of the 19th amendment. The Badass Women of Keene walking tour delves into the history of that occasion from a local perspective. This history-on-the-streets experience highlights empowered women from the community and shares one city’s involvement with a national movement.
The Historical Society of Cheshire County in Keene, NH, is committed to collecting, preserving, researching, and sharing stories of some amazing women from the Monadnock region. The research conducted to create The Badass Women of Keene walking tour provides visitors with an opportunity to link local history to national events, compare the past with the present, hear new perspectives on an issue taught in school, and to think critically about the history of women’s suffrage in all of its complexity.
This portion of the tour is 1 hour and 15 min.
Lunch on-your-own at places such as High Tide and Tooky Mills Pub, McDonald’s, Dunkin Donuts, Subway, the Sampan, Ming Du’s and Hillsboro House of Pizza, etc. There will be written materials provided.
It takes about 45 minutes to travel from Keene to Hillsborough
Part 2 – Hillsborough Stone Arch Bridge Tour
Meeting location #2: Meet in the parking lot of Tire Warehouse (288 W Main St) on the corner of 202 and West Main Street across from McDonald’s. The tour is by car so GSAs should plan to travel together from the starting point at Tire Warehouse. There will be driving to some sites. The bridge tour is 45 min – 1 hour.
Description: Travel by car to several of Hillsborough’s famous stone arch bridges located throughout the town on regularly traveled and back roads. Visit the Carr bridge named after Captain Carr, a notorious local character with friends in high places, who was imprisoned and released for counterfeiting. View beautiful falls underneath another bridge and learn about these fascinating engineering feats. Led by local historian and bridge expert Christina Chadwick.
Part 3 – Hillsborough Heritage Museum
Description: Then GSAs will travel to the Hillsborough Heritage Museum (5 Central St, Hillsborough) for a tour after the bridges. The museum is a “Blue Star” museum with all kinds of wonderful treasures. View restored painted theater curtains, one of which is of the twin bridges, as well as a large tool museum within a museum.
Level of walking: Keene Tour will include a decent amount of walking. Please plan to wear comfortable shoes. Hillsborough will be driving from location to location, but will include standing to listen at each site.
Uniform: GSA uniform required (green shirts, khaki pants). No purses please. GSA cinch sack, cross-body wallet, or waist bags only. Dress for the weather.
Please plan to bring a mask
Contact person in advance: Kelly Bryer
Contact person day-of: Gretchen Ziegler
