Viewing Nature Through History

Recently we debuted a new outreach program at the Tin Mountain Conservation Center.

Entitled “Viewing Nature Through History,” it is one of many free outreach programs offered by the Conway Public Library’s Henney History Room to schools and community groups.

Some of the other topics we can cover include the Abenaki, barns, early New England architecture, NH and its polar explorers (including Chinook - our NH State Dog), maple sugaring, maps and map making, mills and manufacturing, ice harvesting, Redstone quarry, tone walls and cellar holes, and art of the White Mountains.

We can tailor the programs to your group’s time frame, academic level, curriculum needs, etc. We are pretty flexible schedule so please contact us if you are interested. We can present programs at most any facility, we offer field trips to local history spots, and welcome tours here at the library.

Our new program explores the ways in which different cultural groups have used local natural resources at different times over the years. In the image above are some examples from the Abenaki site in Intervale.

For example, basswood (whose leaves are seen in the foreground) were used by Native Americans for a wide variety of reasons including making cordage. Hemlock bark was used by early settlers to tan leather in nearby Pequwaket Pond and used in the leaning building in the background for leather work.

The program covers many other trees and plants, as well as wildlife, rocks, sand, mud and tools used to process natural materials into useful objects. To learn more about this program or any of our program offerings contact us at the library or send us a comment in the box below.