Morison Library & Archives
The Morison Library & Archives preserves over 1,100 manuscript collections, 30,000+ photographs, maps, architectural plans, and non-print media that document the history of Peterborough and the Monadnock Region. Materials range from family collections to business papers to the records of community and cultural organizations dating from the 18th century to the present.
Research in the archives is free of charge but a research appointment is required so that we can best assist you. We are not able to accommodate research on a drop-in basis. Research appointments can be made by calling 603-924-3235 or contacting us.
Research from a Distance
If you live too far away to visit the archives for research, the Monadnock Center can conduct research for you. An initial payment of $35 covers the first hour of research. Most requests can be fulfilled in an hour. If additional time is needed, the Monadnock Center will contact you to authorize the added cost. The research fee is be paid through an electronic invoice that we will email to you. Email us at assistant@MonadnockCenter.org or call us at 603-924-3235 to discuss your research needs.
Photograph Reproduction
Items from the Monadnock Center's museum and archives collections may be reproduced for commercial purposes upon payment of a $50 reproduction fee. The fee covers one-time use. Contact us at assistant@MonadnockCenter.org or call us at 603-924-3235 to discuss your reproduction needs.
Collections Highlights
The Smith Family Papers
The largest collection in the archive, the Smith Family Papers provide a rich record of one of the town’s founding families and represent in microcosm both the history of Peterborough and New Hampshire. The papers include business and household accounts, correspondence, and journals. Dr. Albert Smith’s papers include 50 years of household accounts, records of his medical practice, and materials collected for his 1876 town history and genealogy.
The Governor John Hardy Steele Papers
John Hardy Steele (1789-1865) was born in North Carolina and settled in Peterborough in 1811. He became involved in manufacturing and installed the first power looms in New Hampshire at the Phoenix Factory in 1817. Steele served as NH Governor in 1844 and 1845. The collection largely consists of letters to Steele, and copies of letters to friends, relatives, political acquaintances, and newspapers.
The Charles Wilder Factory Collection
Spanning the years 1860 to 1903, this collection is a fascinating record of the Charles Wilder Thermometer and Barometer Factory. The collection includes catalogs, accounts payable, accounts receivable, ledgers, sales logs, and correspondence for each year Wilder manufactured thermometers and barometers in town.
The Robert Swain Morison Photograph Collection
A descendant of one of Peterborough’s founding families, Robert Swain Morison (1847-1925), was a Unitarian minister and photographer. A graduate of Harvard College (1869) and Harvard Divinity School (1872), he served as the librarian for the Divinity School from 1889 to 1908. He spent each summer at the family home in Peterborough and it was here that he took up photography in 1883. Over the next 42 years, he a created a remarkable body of 2,400 images recording family and community life and the natural world as well as the family’s travels including a notable journey through pre-revolutionary Mexico.
