Historic Wakefield NH

The Heritage Commission's season is in full swing  with lots of free displays and events!

Upcoming events

The public is invited to attend a special service at the restored Spinney Meeting House to be held on Sunday, July 22 at 11 a.m. The Rev. Mary James will preside. The beautifully restored Meeting House is available for weddings and meetings by appointment. To arrange a tour, or for more information, contact the Wakefield Heritage Commission chair Pam Wiggin at 603-387-3698 or email the administrative assistant at info@historicwakefieldnh.com.

Other events this season include a mock Grange meeting at the Lovell Union Grange/Heritage Centre of Wakefield Corner, to be held Thursday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m. at 26 Province Lake Road. The East Wakefield School, one of the last remaining one-room schoolhouses in the area, will be open for visitation in August.

Our origin

The official website of the town of wakefield heritage commission

The Wakefield Heritage Commission and the Union Village Community Association are co-hosting Wakefield Heritage Day this Saturday, July 28, at Heritage Park in Union. The celebration coincides with the first of a two-day outdoor exhibit of NH Garden Railway Society's train model layouts. The NH Garden Railway Society's exhibit continues to  Sunday, July 29.  The Freight House, Heritage Park Railroad Museum and Union Station will be open from noon to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday through Columbus Day weekend. The commission partners with the Union Village Community Association on this event. Tours of the Drew Mill dam will be available. Admission to all venues is free. Refreshments (hot dogs, burgers, chips, baked goods and beverages) are available for sale, as are numerous items in the Union Station gift shop, such as books, toys, mugs, and stationary.

​​Established in 1993, the Wakefield Heritage Commission has developed plans to restore areas of the community that reflect the importance of Wakefield in transportation, manufacturing, and farming. With the generous support of volunteers, financial donors, and grants, the first building constructed in the village of Sanbornville, the Garvin Building, was restored. Upon completion, the Wakefield Heritage Commission sold the Garvin Building. It remains a focal point and tribute to the history of the community. In recent years, the Commission, thanks to a small army of talented and generous volunteers, has restored Union Station and the Freight House in Union, the Lovell-Union Grange, and the Spinney Meeting House. In 2014, the Newichawannock Bridge and Canal, built in 1868, was designated as the town's second National Historic District and placed on the National Register of Historic Places.  

Heritage Day, Garden Railroad Society exhibit, mock Grange meeting and special church service at Spinney Meeting House highlight a month full of heritage activities

special church service at Spinney Meeting House

Union Station 

The original station was built approximately in 1854 and replaced by a new station in 1911. This station served as a passenger embarkation and debarkation point for local people, and for many years housed the Union Post Office. Today, Union Station houses numerous artifacts, photographs and antiques related to the region's manufacturing, ice harvesting and railroading heritage.  

Model Railroad Project

Make sure to visit the Heritage Park Railroad Museum this season and marvel at the HO scale model of the Boston and Maine Railroad as it served the five villages of Wakefield in 1909. The model was painstakingly researched for historical accuracy. A team of volunteer ferroenquinologists, which means "students of the iron horse," has dedicated countless hours and resources to the project, which has been in the works for nearly four years. Visitors of all ages will enjoy the craftsmanship!  Click on the link to the "1909 B&M Railroad Model" above for more information and photos.