My daughter and I toured the Blake House in Fitzwilliam this fall, what a gem of a museum, so many interesting artifacts covering such a wide time period in the history of our town. Our guide Ryan, was very knowledgable and informative and we were so impressed with the exhibits on display. So much to see we could not take it in on one visit, and cant wait to return for another in the spring. I cant' encourage you enough to put this local attraction on your to do list if you haven't been there already. Wish I could give. more than five stars, certainly deserves it.
Sandra and Allison
Volunteered during their depot day - they were super great to work with! Friendly, knowledgeable, kind and fun! Had a great time learning and meeting people and explaining the history of the building and the town. so nice to be welcomed in and had a lot of fun meeting everyone
Amazing time, the staff is knowledgeable, had amazing stories to tell about the town and the people there and we had a great time! Love the postcards and how the staff dresses for the time period! Top notch!!
I am SO glad I decided to schedule a private tour while I was in town for work. I travel all around the country and this was one of my favorite historical tours I've ever taken. My tour guide, Karen, was incredibly passionate about the curation of the city's historical collection and so knowledgeable about each and every piece...and let me tell you...the collection is unique, memorable, and EXTENSIVE! There is something for every history buff at this museum from Revolutionary War to WW1 to Victorian heirlooms...this museum is a must see when in Fitzwilliam. Thank you to my tour guide for making my trip! This was such a cool tour and the historical society does such an amazing job respecting and celebrating the city's history.
The Blake House contains an amazing collection for town artifacts, maintained and inventoried by just a few member. This is the annual fundraiser, the fun run from Fitzwilliam depot to the Troy depot in conjunction with the Farmers Market. Volunteers can help and touch all this great stuff Fitzwilliam has a varied history not only as a colonial town but one of three granite producing towns.
We rarely come into town but on this day we decided to take a walk around the farmers market and got distracted by the open sign at the museum. What a surprise to see history just come alive walking through those doors. We spent so much time going through every room, talking to the very knowledgeable volunteers and "holding history" that we never made it to the market and I don't regret that at all. I immediately called other new families to the area and had them all come out to see. You all have done an amazing job.
I have been living in Fitzwilliam for about 6 years now and recently joined the Historical Society. It is such a warm and inviting enviroment. The people who are part of the board and are trying to keep Fitzwilliam history known and not forgotten are amazing. There is so much to learn about such a quaint town in New Hampshire. I recommend stopping by anytime for a tour!
What a delightful museum. You can feel and see the pride of the people of Fitzwilliam, NH in their town’s history.
There are display rooms highlighting the earlier trades, the schools, the local military involvement in the Revolutionary War and up through the 20th century. Also rooms highlighting local bands and the historical love of music. Several rooms feature past family life with the kitchen, children’s toys, a parlor, a dining room and more.
There are interesting signs and labels throughout the museum.
Lucky to have knowledgeable tour guide, and there were other people doing a self tour. It was fun listening to the different conversations going on.
I have worked with 3 historical societies so far (due to moves) and FHS, by far, has the largest collection of historical artifacts compared to its population size by far. This is a community that historically has valued its past and continues to do so.
During a holiday open house at Blake House, I played the old pump parlor organ. It felt like riding a bicycle while playing the piano -- I had to keep pumping, first right foot, then left foot, to get continual sound from the keyboard. I enjoyed the experience! People are so often surprised by live music -- they fully expect any music to be from a CD or radio. Since the Fitzwilliam Historical Society's Blake House details life before radio, CDs or television, live music is fitting there. I love how individual rooms depict schoolhouse experiences, military, culinary, business, social parlors and other aspects of long ago. Bravo, Blake House, and Fitzwilliam Historical Society!