Barbara Coles
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New Hampshire Magazine,
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Articles by Barbara Coles
New Hampshire Magazine
More than a year of crisis has created untold need in New Hampshire. The state’s nonprofits — many of them women-led — stepped in to help meet that need, all the while having to navigate the immense obstacles the pandemic posed. Here we spotlight the weighty and wondrous work of some of those women and their organizations.
Back to the Land
On his tree farm, Jean Stimmell moved the trees with a scoot pulled by oxen. Courtesy photo It was a time much like this time. The country seemed in shambles.
Sy Montgomery's Storytelling Adventures
With beautiful, whimsical illustrations by Rebecca Green, Sy Montgomery’s “Becoming a Good Creature” is both a joy to read and to look at. Question: Why was Sy Montgomery suspended by a rope high above an Amazon River tributary that was teeming with piranhas? The answer: She was looking for a pink dolphin. Of course. To say the least, Montgomery has not lived your average life.
The Perfect Blend
Interior designer Emily Shakra combined old and new with mid-century pieces to reflect her clients’ style. January 3, 2019 Barbara Coles, John W. Hession, Photographer, The column-flanked entryway leads to a family room that’s designed to accommodate large gatherings and do so comfortably. There are five ottomans in the room; one that’s fifty-two-inches round centers the room. The colorful zigzag pattern on the Alf Svensson mid-century chair sets the stage for the rest of the home.
New Hampshire Magazine
Suffragists stand on the steps of the New Hampshire Historical Society in 1915. The group includes a number of men who were a significant part of the movement. Photo Courtesy of nhwomenvote100.org It’s the perfect time — the 100th anniversary of women getting the right to vote — to give Armenia White some high-fives, though she wouldn’t have known what a high-five is. She was born more than 200 years ago, in 1817.
What Will Life Be Like After the Pandemic?
Red Cross nurses photographed at the Amoskeag Red Cross Carnival at Manchester’s Textile Field (now Gill Stadium) in 1918 • Photo Courtesy Manchester Historical Society The plague, the Spanish flu. We all read about them when we studied history in school. Such horrors seemed like artifacts of the past, long-ago tales of unimaginable death. But here we are, in the midst of another pandemic. Fortunately, with our contemporary medical knowledge, the toll is not likely to be as great.
Cities (and Towns) on the Rise: Littleton
Even here in the best state in the country (our opinion, but heartfelt) cities rise and fall over time. But some places don’t take the changes lying down and choose to take charge of their futures. Like Littleton (one of a five-part series). The stories are similar — once-vibrant New Hampshire downtowns, humming with commerce, decay into a place of empty storefronts, becoming shabbier by the day.
Cities (and Towns) on the Rise: Laconia
Even here in the best state in the country (our opinion, but heartfelt) cities rise and fall over time. But some places don’t take the changes lying down and choose to take charge of their futures. Like Laconia (one of a five-part series). The stories are similar — once-vibrant New Hampshire downtowns, humming with commerce, decay into a place of empty storefronts, becoming shabbier by the day.
A Dream Home For Retirement
The goal of architect Jeremy Bonin’s design was to make the home “country estate comfortable.” When this couple began to plan their retirement home a few years back, the first consideration was where it would be. Having traveled the world, the couple knew two things for sure: Their next home had to be on a lake in the mountains, and those mountains had to have snow on them in the winter. From the couple’s then-home base in Cincinnati, Ohio, they surveyed the possibilities—the Northeast among them.
A Guide to Christmas Events and Things to Do in New Hampshire
A holiday guide to NH’s wassail trail Cutting your own Christmas tree is a special experience at The Rocks Estate in Bethlehem. Photo by Matt Kalinowski “Wassail! Wassail! All over the town”— So goes the first line of a Christmas carol that dates back to the Middle Ages. The wassail bowl, decorated with garlands and ribbons, and filled with spiced ale or mulled wine, was carried from house to house on Christmas Eve to get all to join in the festivities.
A California-Style Home
Homeowner Cindi Owning (left) transported what she loved about living in California to her home in New Hampshire, including outdoor spaces for entertaining. Pictured here from the left are friends Natalie Lewis, her mother Nora Lewis, and Maureen Shambo. Talk about a transformation. Now: It’s a beautiful, exquisitely decorated lakeside home. Then: An abandoned, flooded mess with a yard strewn with old mattresses, garbage and fallen trees.
New Hampshire Magazine
Country music legend Dolly Parton with Dayton Duncan (middle) and Ken Burns Photo by Katy Haas No one has told the story this way before. That’s what PBS is saying about the soon-to-air documentary series “Country Music.” And no doubt it’s true, because the story is being told by the talented, nay legendary, team of Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan, whose work, lucky us, is based in the southwestern New Hampshire town of Walpole.
All About the View
Chuck Simpson designed an impressive landscape for a spectacular Amherst property. July 2, 2019 Barbara Coles, John W. Hession, Photographer, Sunrises are exquisite at the Plotskers’ hilltop home. The view. There are few like it in southern New Hampshire. A panorama of the horizon so wide you can see Fourth of July fireworks in dozens of towns. For a long time, centuries, the view was enjoyed by the occupants of the old farmhouse that sat on the crest of the hill in Amherst.
New Hampshire Magazine
Mary Ann Kristiansen started Hannah Grimes Marketplace on Main Street in Keene back in 1997, putting her at the leading edge of the Buy Local movement. Photo by Michael Moore It is said that Mount Monadnock is one of the world’s rare power centers, a sacred summit where the ley lines of Earth’s energies cross. Skeptics would scoff.
New Hampshire's Remarkable Women in Politics
When you walk the halls of the NH Statehouse, you’re surrounded by row upon row of impressive, gilt-framed portraits. Of the 200 or so, almost all are men. Just eight are women. Marilla Ricker, who ran for governor before women even had the vote, is one of them. Learn more about Ricker, who was the first woman admitted to the bar in New Hampshire.
New Hampshire's Remarkable Women in Politics
Fearless women like Marilla Ricker fought the status quo and launched women to the heights of the political and legal worlds in New Hampshire. Marilla Ricker’s NH Statehouse portrait “I’m running for Governor in order to get people in the habit of thinking of women as Governors… People have to think about a thing for several centuries before they can get acclimated to the idea.
Guide to Antiquing in New Hampshire
It’s August, and that means another NH Antiques Week (the 58th!), where people from across the country gather in NH to buy and sell antiques. To mark the moment, we’ve constructed a guide for newbies, those who have witnessed the joys (and addiction) of people who are antiquers and want to learn how to do it. Barbara Coles, our managing editor, who’s been an antiquer for years, puts you on the path. Let the game begin.
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