One of the most valuable research tools on the history of Stratham is a hand-colored engraving by Phinehas Merrill (1767-1815) made available in July of 1793. Merrill completed a similar Plan for the Town of Exeter in 1802 and one for Portsmouth in 1805. The Stratham native updated his hometown map in 1806. The research value comes not just in the layout of the streets but in identifying the name and location of each homeowner of the day and an effort to finely draw the architectural style and scale of each house. Some 150 dwellings are represented. Homeowners who did not occupy their designated homes in 1793 had their names underlined. You might recognize many early colonial names associated with Stratham including Wiggin, Hon. Paine Wingate, Deacon Samuel and other Lanes, Barker, Brewster, Chace, Clark, Foss, Jewell, Little, Merrill, Piper, Pottle, Rollins, Stockbridge, Thurston and Veasey among others. If you look closely, you can also hunt down four 18th century one-room schoolhouses and the then existing Baptist and Congregational Churches (both alternately titled meetinghouses). The siting of early mill buildings is also depicted.
All of this detail is even more impressive when it becomes known that the original engravings of the Plan of the Town of Stratham measured just 7.375” x 9.375”. Seven original engravings are known to exist at the New Hampshire Historical Society, Massachusetts Historical Society, the Library of Congress, University of Maine Orono, the Osher Map Library, Dartmouth College and the Clements Library. The Stratham Historical Society believes it has two original engravings displayed on its walls. One such map residing in the museum area of SHS has been enlarged to 39” x 45” and is ideal for those who mean to truly and accurately study Stratham’s history. If you don’t have time to study in the SHS area reserved for Stratham artifacts, 1793 maps enlarged to 17” x 22” are available to the public for purchase for only $5. A fully laminated version is only $7.
The 1806 version of Phinehas Merrill’s map captures 56 or more alterations to the 1793 map involving typical property transfers including his own acquisition of Major Dudley L. Chace’s house near the Congregational Church (and Meetinghouse) on what is now known as Emery Lane.
Phinehas Merrill grew up on Bunker Hill Avenue in the 18th century when it was known as Middle Road. He was known to be a teacher, mathematician, author, penman, civil engineer and surveyor. He additionally served our community as Town Clerk from 1799-1807 and Selectman in 1807. We very much continue to value his contributions to this day.
Postcards from Stratham are provided by the Stratham Historical Society. Our Museum & Library is now open on Tuesdays from 9 am to 11:30 am or by appointment. We hope to expand our open hours in the near future. Anyone with an interest in Stratham and local history is invited to stop by, become a member, donate or volunteer. We are actively seeking to expand membership and identify those with an interest in volunteering time to advance and share their learning of Stratham history.
The Stratham Historical Society is now looking for the oldest citizen of Stratham. Rich in tradition, the original Boston Post Cane is on permanent display at the Stratham Historical Society. Its symbolic replica and certificate are given over to Stratham’s oldest citizen to maintain. Many familiar Stratham family names have been keepers of the cane: 3 Jewell family members, Thompson, Barker, Cote, Lane, Foote Wentworth, Emery, Chase, Parkman, Breslin, Dolloff and most recently, Dottie Clemons of River Road, who held the cane at the age of 105.
Here is the backstory on the Boston Post Cane. On August 2, 1909, Edwin Atkins Grozier, Editor and Publisher of the Boston Post newspaper, sent letters and canes to the Board Chairs of the Select Boards of towns with a population exceeding 500 in most New England States. The letter asked the Select Boards to become trustees of the canes made by J.F. Bradley and Company of New York. The canes were then described as made from “carefully selected Gaboon ebony from the Congo, Africa” with the head made of “rolled gold of 14 carat fineness”.
The letter accompanying the cane to 700 towns stipulated that the cane was to be presented to the oldest citizen of the town and subsequently passed along to the next oldest citizen. The publicity tactic was not without controversy. A following letter clarified that the cane was to be presented to the “oldest male citizen of the town who was a voter”. In 1923, a Massachusetts town awarded the cane to a woman for the first time. In the following decade, the Boston Post granted permission for all towns to award the cane to qualified women as well as men. Stratham’s first female recipient was 96 year-old Hannah M. Barker in 1938.
As one can imagine, many Boston Post Canes have been misplaced over the years. Thankfully, many towns maintain the tradition in the same manner as Stratham. Over 400 towns were still handing out the cane in 1987 even though the Boston Post published its last newspaper in 1956. Many of those towns were and are known to hold the original 1909 cane in a secure place while the Select Board recognizes each successive awardee with a ceremony, a certificate and a handsome reproduction. Stratham’s Boston Post Cane was missing for a while, but the original can now be visited during open hours at the Stratham Historical Society.
This is a community tradition, and you can help! If you know someone, male or female, who is at least 92 years old and a citizen of Stratham, please reply to this Postcard (email) with a name and contact information.
