Looking Back on Forty-Six Years with the Rye Historical Society
Alex Herlihy August 2022
Over the years many people have shown a strong interest in the history of Rye. We know intuitively that early settlers, and those who came later, were well aware that the pieces of material culture they left behind were telling the tale of their town. Long before Langdon Parson’s wrote his History of Rye, NH, 1905, people were collecting artifacts and discussing earlier times, saving them for later generations.
Bill Varrell knew this so well, growing up in the 1940s and 50s and working at the Ocean Wave Hotel and the Salty breeze Snack Bar at Foss Beach. He collected and lived Rye history and his 1962 book, Rye on the Rocks: The Tale of a Town That Resorted to Resorting, is living testament to his love and passion for Rye’s past, as are his later two books and his three illustrated Rye history talks for RHS 25 years ago.
By the 1970s, the “Every Other Tuesday Club” had already sponsored house tours and started old house documentation. They were all steeped in Parsons and Varrell, so by the time planning for the Bi-Centennial began in 1975, club members Jessie Herlihy, Louise Tallman and others were primed to start a historical society which was established in February 1976. Becky Marden, Ralph Morang III and I are three charter members of RHS. Bonnie Goodwin was also there in the beginning and played a huge role in the society throughout her life. The nation celebrated its 200th birthday on July 4th, but all over the country it was also a celebration of each community’s heritage. Rye staged a great three-day event including a memorable pageant marking the 250th anniversary of the parish of Rye in 1726.
From the beginning the Rye Public Library has been a huge RHS supporter for programs, historical displays and storage. During its first fifteen years, growing membership to seventy -one in 1982, old graveyard documentation and restoration, old house research and house plaques were some of the projects. The society was led by many people in different roles such as Betty Sarni, Charles Tallman and Vicki Courts. Quarterly public programs were always well-attended in the library meeting room. In 1985 RHS sponsored a very successful town Bi-centennial by filling the Town Hall auditorium with a wide array of Rye history artifacts, documents and stories. In December 1985 the society sponsored a candlelight stroll through Rye Center. Owners of decorated historic houses welcomed the strollers into their homes and at the end there was revelry at the town hall with refreshments and live music. In 1986 the town loaned some space in the historic town hall auditorium for a town museum and RHS kept regular hours.
After RHS founder Jessie Herlihy died in 1989, the society struggled to find its way, but continued its search for a museum which culminated in 1997 with the library moving the cape style building to its present location for library expansion. Bonnie Goodwin’s steadfast determination to reign in all the sub- contractors finally achieved success with the museum opening in July 2002. The $74,000 required for the renovation of the former apartment building into a museum came mostly from five house tours RHS sponsored, four with the Driftwood Garden Club, from 1976 to 1998.
Archivist Susan Kindstedt, Bonnie Goodwin and I created the first formal museum exhibit in 2005: “Summering in Rye: Over a Century by the Sea,” and Susan archived many of the primary source documents, photographs and artifacts the town and others had donated. Treasurer Ellie Stewart, Margaret Carroll Mary McHue and others helped Bonnie Goodwin and I try to steer the organization on a new course, but with Bonnie’s passing in 2006, the focus of RHS was mainly on the museum and not growing the organization. Two very bright lights early in the century were the very generous bequests of John Adams (Seavey descendant) and Louise and Charles Tallman.
When Steve Cash joined the board as treasurer 2010 RHS gained stability and three UNH history and museum studies grads created exhibits and did much work to keep the society going. Starting in 2017 the board grew into its present make up with members possessing the skills needed to insure a bright future. I am stepping down from the board to finish my new history of Rye, but will remain as an active member and volunteer. We all know that volunteers are the bed rock of all non-profit organizations so I welcome any of you to join me and other volunteers in order to carry out our many projects. The Rye Historical Society owes much to all those who have served on its board, members, volunteers and all those who care about and are interested in the history of this four-century town. Carry it on!
