Tamworth Town Column — Ann McGarity: Rebecca Rule at Cook Memorial Library on Sept. 27

New Hampshire Humanities Council recently sponsored a program with the Tamworth Historical Society: "A Walk Back in Time: The Secrets of Cellar Holes". The library basement was filled to capacity and I cannot recall a similar event that engendered so much interest. Adair Mulligan described her experiences as an explorer of cellar holes, the abandoned remains of foundations of former dwellings, barns, or out buildings that may be located in forests and fields. She described her participation in a town led survey of cellar holes. They are sometimes elusive, and detective work may be needed to find them: trees that seem out of place such as apple trees or decorative plantings in the middle of a wooded area often indicate their presence.

We learned that cellar hole exploration should be undertaken with the same diligence as any other archaeological investigation, recovered artifacts should always be replaced in situ. I would like to thank Adair Mulligan for her excellent presentation, the New Hampshire Humanities Council for its sponsorship and the Tamworth Historical Society for hosting it, and of course Cook Memorial Library for providing the venue.