Celebrating 100 Years and Preparing for the Next Century

Sandwich Home Industries was the topic of the 107th Annual Excursion of the Sandwich Historical Society. In addition to recognizing the many individuals in the community who have contributed so much to the vitality of Sandwich Home Industries in the last 100 years, Nancy Starmer, Board Chair, provided a glipmse into the future about how the organization is evolving in a changing world. 

Thank you, everyone, for coming out to celebrate this milestone for Sandwich Home Industries. We’ve heard already about the important role the Coolidge family, and Mary Coolidge in particular, played in founding and inspiring us. Recently, with the support of the new leadership of the League and our shared history, we are recognizing an important piece of Mary Coolidge’s vision – to again evaluate the quality of local goods and sell them in our Community Gallery, even if the local artists aren’t yet juried. In exchange, we’ll let the local craftspeople know about the jurying process with the League so that they can expand their horizons to include other galleries and League events.

Sandwich Home Industries was the first organization in the State where local craftspeople, making things in their own homes (in the history books these were called cottage industries), were formally supported by a gallery. But as you know, Mrs. Coolidge’s vision didn’t stop with Sandwich. She helped to convince the Governor at the time to create the League, and the idea spread until there were League galleries all over the State. Even now, in our immediate area, there are galleries in Center Harbor, Tamworth, Plymouth, Meredith, and Wolfeboro, all of which not only sell crafts but, in many cases, offer classes.

When any organization makes it to 100 years, they face challenges. In our case, the internet has made it possible for area artists to sell their crafts on-line, competing with galleries like ours. Our location and seasonality are also challenges. And plenty of artists offer classes in their own studios.

So, what ideas have we come up with to help Sandwich Home Industries adapt to these challenges?

One, in process, is the renovation of our lower level to accommodate year-round classes and studios. We hope to have two new studio spaces in our renovated lower level by next spring and hope to be able to invite you all to a celebratory open house at that time.

A second is to expand the definition of fine craft. We’ve thought of expanding to include cooking, which can absolutely be a fine craft, and to reach local chefs who might want to offer classes. This spring we had a very successful and well attended talk on the craft of timber framing that local builder Rich Benton helped to organize. The new director at the League had the idea of expanding the definition of craft to include craft beers, and today League artists are pairing with craft beer makers to promote their crafts.

We’ve begun to think differently about our classes too. Many people world-wide are now using 3D printers for both practical and creative purposes and we recently received a suggestion from a former board member that we offer classes on that soon.

These ideas are in the early stages right now, but with the continued support of our community we are hopeful of our prospects. A visitor to Artisans on the Green commented on the Historical Society “Women of Sandwich” project a few years ago where he saw a poster of Mary Coolidge. People were asked to come up with a word or phrase that described the women on the posters and the result for Mary Coolidge was “Enthusiast, and she wore her enthusiasm like a banner.

We have been blessed with many enthusiastic individuals and groups supporting us throughout our 100-year history. If we can continue to wear our enthusiasm as a banner, I’m confident we can make it for another hundred. 

This article is an excerpt from Nancy Starmer’s Address at the Annual Excursion, Sandwich Old Home Week, August 9, 2026.