TMS Buildings and Farmland Listed on NH State Register of Historic Places

The Meeting School's campus is located on an historic farm, where five generations of the Nathaniel Thomas family lived and worked beginning in 1770. Most of our buildings, including most notably our two farmhouses and our main barn, were built by the Thomases in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and retain significant historic value. We have just received exciting confirmation of independent recognition of this historic significance. Over the past three years, the U.S. History classes at TMS have been researching the history of the Thomas Farm, digging into state and local archives and historical society holdings, searching and assembling legal, probate, and census records, and most of all decoding the physical evidence around us in the buildings and landscape. The project began by focusing simply on the oldest house, but the state's historic preservation officer encouraged us to expand our research to the whole farm. In March, history teacher Frederick Martin submitted the final application to nominate the Thomas Farm to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places. The State Historic Resources Council listed the Thomas Farm on the State Register at its April meeting. In their notification letter, the state Survey Coordinator wrote, "The New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources would like to congratulate the school on the listing of the Thomas Farm (now The Meeting School) to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places. We very much appreciate your stewardship and commitment to preserving an important part of New Hampshire's heritage." Congratulations especially to all the history students involved in the research!

Excerpts from the press release and the NH Division of Historical Resources website appear below.

Historic Properties Honored

CONCORD, NH--- Twelve properties have been listed in the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places. The State Historic Resources Council met October 29, 2007, January 28, and April 28, 2008. The following properties were considered and listed: [see their website for the other eleven great properties]

Thomas Farm, Rindge. This property is comprised of 130 acres of woodland, pasture, gardens and orchards. Its buildings include the 1771 Nathaniel Thomas House, a significant example of Georgian style, and the 1839 George Thomas house. Five generations of the Thomas family lived on and farmed the property from 1771 until 1931.

The New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places is one part of the state's efforts to recognize and encourage the identification and protection of historical, architectural, archeological and cultural resources. These irreplaceable resources may be buildings, districts, sites, landscapes... that are meaningful in the history, architecture... or traditions of New Hampshire residents and communities. The State Register is administered by the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources (NHDHR), which is the state's Historic Preservation Office.

Listing on the State Register of Historic Places is one of several ways to acknowledge a property's historical significance, [and] can contribute to the preservation of historic properties in a number of ways. For more information, visit [the NHDHR] online at www.nh.gov/nhdhr or by calling (603) 271-3483.