Keene, New Hampshire | Historic Photographs
Keene, New Hampshire, a town – some call it a city – tucked into the southwest corner of the state, may be most recognized for its annual pumpkin festival, but take a spin along its streets, and you’ll find the Elm City teeming with history. A few weeks ago, I settled in at the Keene […]
By Brenda Darroch|Feb 13 2015|
Keene, New Hampshire, a town – some call it a city – tucked into the southwest corner of the state, may be most recognized for its annual pumpkin festival, but take a spin along its streets, and you’ll find the Elm City teeming with history.
Credit: Courtesy of Keene Public Library and the Historical Society of Cheshire County
A few weeks ago, I settled in at the Keene Public Library with an armful of books chronicling its past, intent on unearthing the secrets that Keene and its neighboring towns may have been harboring. I read about how Keene ended up boasting the widest Main Street in the world (never verified), the identity of the Witch of Gilsum (an old lady named Mrs. Rice, accused of bewitching a neighbor), and the blizzard of 1888 (see photos of the storm).¹ But as I riffled through the pages of the reference tomes, I found myself repeatedly drawn back to the historic photos of Keene.
Thumbing through numerous volumes stuffed with old photographs, I mapped out a route I could explore on foot. The snow squall – which wasn’t part of the original plan – curtailed the tour somewhat, so what follows is a very small sampling of Keene’s notable buildings as they appear today, and how they looked in the late 19th to early 20th century.
Bank Block: The most noticeable changes in the Bank Block are the roof line and the presence of the bandstand, which was removed in 1913, in the middle of the street.
Location: East Side of Central Square
Credit: W.P. Allen | Courtesy of Keene Public Library and the Historical Society of Cheshire County
Credit: Bion Whitehouse | Courtesy of Keene Public Library and the Historical Society of Cheshire County
Credit: Brenda Darroch
Central Square Common: After being fenced in during the 1850s, the Central Square Common became a public park.²
Credit: Courtesy of Keene Public Library and the Historical Society of Cheshire County
Credit: Brenda Darroch
United Church of Christ: Keene’s fourth meetinghouse, raised in 1786, now anchors the top of Central Square. The building originally stood within the green, closer to the Civil War Monument.
Location: The north side of the square
Credit: Bion Whitehouse | Courtesy of Keene Public Library and the Historical Society of Cheshire County
Credit: Brenda Darroch
Cheshire County Courthouse: Built in the Italianate style, the appearance of the courthouse has changed marginally since it was built in 1859.
Location: Corner of Winter and Court Street
Credit: Bion Whitehouse | Courtesy of Keene Public Library and the Historical Society of Cheshire County
Credit: Brenda Darroch
Colonial Theater: The Colonial Theater opened its doors in January 1924 and continues to operate today.
Location: 95 Main Street
Credit: American Art Post Card Co. | Courtesy of Keene Public Library and the Historical Society of Cheshire County
Credit: Brenda Darroch
Wyman Tavern: Built in 1762, the Wyman Tavern was the gathering place for Keene minutemen before they soldiered on to Lexington and Concord.
Location: 339 Main Street
Credit: Courtesy of Keene Public Library and the Historical Society of Cheshire County
Credit: Brenda Darroch
The Ball Mansion: This Italianate home was built in 1870 and now houses the Historical Society of Cheshire County.
Location: 246 Main Street
Credit: J.A. French | Courtesy of Keene Public Library and the Historical Society of Cheshire County
Credit: Brenda Darroch
Cheshire House: Built in1837, Cheshire House was recognized as Keene’s most elegant hotel until it was razed in 1934.
Approximate location: 8 Main Street
Credit: Bion Whitehouse | Courtesy of Keene Public Library and the Historical Society of Cheshire County
Credit: Brenda Darroch
The Henry Colony House: Built in 1869, the stately example of French Second Empire architecture now houses the Keene Public Library.
Location: 79 West Street
Credit: Bion Whitehouse | Courtesy of Keene Public Library and the Historical Society of Cheshire County
Credit: Brenda Darroch
Planning a trip to Keene, New Hampshire? Visit the Keene Public Library and the Historical Society of Cheshire County to learn more about the Elm City’s history.
Special thanks to the Keene Public Library and Historical Society of Cheshire County for allowing us to use their historical photos. See more photos on their Flickr page.
1: A “Keene” Sense of History: Historical Sketches of the Monadnock Region by David R. Proper
2: Places I Remember: Keene, NH Celebrates 250 Years of History
I love this post, Brenda! It’s fascinating to see how much things have changed — and yet, they haven’t. Hard to picture an electric railway in quaint Keene! Love it.
always love to see the old photos of Keene, having been born and raised here, as where my parents and most of my grandparents. In fact, it was my grandfather Harper who ran the Keene Electric Railroad and then Cheshire Transportation bus company with Clarence Wyman. My dad worked there until starting a new company, Tire Warehouse.
I really enjoyed this article! I love seeing the before and after photos but I prefer the “before”…
Thanks, Aimee!
Thanks, Wayne! We love the historic photos, too.
Nicely done….great read…thank your for hard work…would love a few copied where can I get them?
Thanks, Suzan! I’m not sure if there are prints available of these photos, but you could contact the Historical Society of Cheshire County to find out: hsccnh.org/
Nice photo essay, Brenda! Makes me want to visit Keene. The only thing that will be missing is you. Nice work!
I was born and raised in Keene. My heart will be there always. I love researching the history and historical buildings. I have much fun opening one search engine to flickr and other sites to find the historic photos and alongside, a different search engine with maps open so that I can go back and forth easily and compare. So wonderful to find so many beautiful historic homes, factory buildings and downtown blocks so well preserved and thriving as well as some abandoned but still standing and hopefully awaiting repurposing/renovation. I was particularly delighted today to find an historic photo of the coal silos and then on the map street view find that as of 2012 they were still standing! Wow! I love this and I hope to return to my beloved hometown for the last years of my life. Smiles and best wishes.
I’ve been looking for a photo of a house that stood at the corner of West and School streets, 117 West St., which I lived in for 6 months in 1967/68, before it was torn down. It was a 2 story Victorian but I have no information on it. If you can get any information that I could research, I’d be thankful.