As a part of their winter semester service project, a group of 10 students lead by teacher Abby VanderBrug spent a sunny crisp morning at the Meeting House. Students were tasked to find things that inspired them about the building and history and then create artwork, photography or poetry for an 18 month Calendar.
Bill Huckins, Tom Smith and Blair Folts were on hand to work with the students and answer questions about the history of the Meeting House. Thanks to Nick Brown, the students didn’t have to wade through snow to reach the building but it was still winter and they were humbled to imagine ancestors attending an all day meeting without central heat.
Following an hour exploring the buildings and grounds, sketching, writing, photographing and musing, the students met at the New Hampton Fire Station where Tom Smith treated them to historic stories and photos from the early Meeting House years. One such story he shared was about the Baptismal Pool which also inspired a poem by Holderness student, Clara Peschel.