A Snapshot of Rye Through Nearly 400 years

As an introduction to Rye's long history, the following primary and secondary sources offer a selective insight into the life of the town since the first European settlement in New Hampshire at Odiorne Point by David Thompson in 1623. These documents are but the tip of the iceberg of what may be found at the museum. In addition, the RHS website offers an exciting new collection of primary-source documents, such as letters and diaries, from 1850-1920 at our Access Rye History site.

A Timeline of Rye History

1600s

• Native Americans in the Rye area

• Brackett’s Lane Attack

• Odiorne Point

• David Thompson, NH's First Settler

• Slavery in Rye

• Founding Families of Rye, NH

1700s

• The Brooks of Rye

• The Mills & Cedars of Rye

• Early Rye Taverns and Inns

• Rye Becomes a Parish and a Town

• Revolutionary Rye

• Goss Farm: 1700s - 1900s

• A Harbor Emerges

• Rambling Roads of Rye

1800s

• Lifesaving Stations of Rye

• Late 1800s School Report

• The Great Atlantic Cable

• An 1879 Town Inventory

• Emma Foss Describes Her Childhood in Rye in the 1890s

• Trolley Comes to Town

• Diary Excerpt from Farmer George Lang (1899 & 1900)

• Rye Beach is Established

• Rye Central Cemetery Evolves

• Rye Central School

• Rum Runners

1900s