Monadnock offers a view into state's past at historic homes and sites

Amos J. Blake House Museum

On the Common Fitzwilliam, NH 03447 Phone: 603-585-7742

Open: Tours conducted Memorial Day-Labor Day, Saturday, 1-4 p.m.

Headquarters of the Fitzwilliam Historical Society features exhibits pertaining to area history and development. Admission is free.

Franklin Pierce Homestead Historic Site

Routes 31 and 9 Hillsborough, NH Phone: 603-478-3165

Built in 1804, this mansion was the childhood home of Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States. Open Memorial Day - Columbus Day. There is an admission fee.

Frye's Measure Mill

12 Frye Mill Road Wilton, NH Phone: 603-654-6581

The last water-powered measure mill remaining in the United States. Open April - December. The site also has a gift shop.

Historical Society of Cheshire County

246 Main Street Keene, NH Phone: 603-352-1895

The site features a genealogy research library and exhibits of local history including glass, pottery and household items.

Holocaust Resource Center

229 Main Street, Mason Library, Keene State College Keene, NH Phone: 603-358-2490

Dedicated to the study of the Holocaust, a tragedy unparalleled in human history. The center contains articles, books and multi-media resources on the subject. Admission is free.

Horatio Colony House Museum and Nature Preserve

199 Main Street Keene, NH 03431 Phone: 603-352-0460

Open: Museum tours offered May 1-October 15, Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m.- 4 pm.; winter hours by appointment

Built in 1806, Horatio Colony decorated his home with outstanding collections of furniture, artwork, books and silver. Admission is free. Nature Preserve, located on Daniel’s Hill Road, is three and one half miles of well-marked trails with numbered stops that point out dramatic geological features, historical ruins, and plant communities are located across the preserve. Admission is free.

Melville Academy Museum

Thorndike Pond Road Jaffrey Center, NH 03452 Phone: 603-532-5857

Open: July-August, Saturday-Sunday, 2-4 p.m. and by special request

Melville Academy has an excellent collection of Hannah Davis Bandboxes, scrapbooks documenting VIS activities, 19th century kitchen and agricultural tools, samplers made by local residents in the early 19th century, the old mailboxes of the Jaffrey Center Post Office (which closed in 1991), and other artifacts relating to life in 19th century Jaffrey Center. The upstairs has been maintained as a schoolroom, with information on Melville Academy. Cost: Admission is free.

Peterborough Historical Society & Museum

19 Grove Street Peterborough, NH 03458 Phone: 603-924-3235

Open: Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

This museum focuses on local history. Of particular interest are the early American kitchen display, the country store and the 19th century mill worker's home. Cost: Adults, $3, children under 12, free.

Wyman Tavern Museum

339 Main Street Keene, NH 03431 Phone: 603-352-1895

Open: June 1-Labor Day, Thursday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and by appointment.

Built in 1762, this museum is now furnished as a tavern and residence from that period. Historically, the first meeting of the Dartmouth College Trustees took place on the site in the 18th century. There is an admission fee.