Meetinghouse 250th Birthday Celebration

On Tuesday, June 17th there will be a celebration of the 250th birthday of the Jaffrey Meetinghouse held at the Meetinghouse. Beginning at 5:00 PM The Little Red Schoolhouse and Melville Academy will be open to visitors. At approximately 5:30, in response to the cannon fire reportedly heard during the raising of the Meetinghouse from the Battle of Bunker Hill, members of the Lafayette Artillery Company will fire their brass cannon. At 5:45 John Eaton will re-enact a historic headstand first executed on that same day. A brief program inside the Meetinghouse will begin at 6:00 PM. Laban Ainsworth and Mary Minot re-enactors will deliver opening remarks. There will be a commemorative poem and the playing of the tune “Fisher’s Hornpipe”. Then those in attendance will “promenade” three times around the Meetinghouse, hopefully with some style.

At 6:30 the benches will be cleared for a contra dance, which will end no later than 8:30 though possibly sooner. There will be some light refreshments.z

This event is free and open to the public. It is being sponsored by six groups. They are: The Meetinghouse Committee, The Jaffrey Center Village Improvement Society, The Jaffrey Historical Society, The First Church in Jaffrey, the Amos Fortune Forum, and the Descendants of Laban Ainsworth.

Talk on the History of the Jaffrey Fire Department

At this year's Annual Meeting, held on August 8, 2024 at the Jaffrey Firehouse, Dave Kemp gave a wonderful presentation on the history of the Jaffrey Fire Department. His talk, along with the accompanying slides, can be found on the society's YouTube Channel Page.

Salute to Jaffrey Veterans

As part of the 250th Celebration of Jaffrey, A Salute to Veterans was held at the Jaffrey Meetinghouse.