Jaffrey: Vote Yes on 17
As our country prepares to celebrate 250 years of existence, Jaffrey residents can take pride in the fact that our town’s history extends all the way to the beginning of the United States and before. Every moment in American History, from the Revolutionary War through the Great Depression and up to the Age of Artificial Intelligence is methodically, carefully, and lovingly preserved by the Jaffrey Historical Society.
Since 1966 the Jaffrey Historical Society has had a home at the Jaffrey Civic Center at 40 Main St. There is a problem with the current location. It is not accessible, which means that school groups can’t visit, and older residents have trouble participating fully in Historical Society projects. The JHS runs on a lot of gray power. We are lucky to have many retired residents who donate their expertise and enthusiasm to such tasks as accessioning, storing, and preserving our archives, creating displays for public viewing, providing speakers, writing thank you notes, and offering “hospitality” (which usually involves cookies) for whatever we do. As our membership ages, accessibility becomes a larger and more complicated problem.
There is a solution. The town has offered to rent us the first floor of the old Town Office. Letting us move there would put the Jaffrey Historical Society in a central, easy-to-access space, but to have this happen we need the help of Jaffrey citizens.
Article 17 on this year’s Town Meeting warrant gives the selectmen the authority to lease town property in five-year increments. We need you to vote Yes on Article 17.
Jaffrey is a town rich in fascinating history. We are very different from the towns that surround us. Help us preserve and share the past. We hope you join us. We also hope you vote Yes on 17.