Page 4 - Nov 2 18

4 The Villager November 2, 2018 nhvillagernewspaper.com
The odyssey of the Deering Town Hall curtain

Welcome to Deering seen a picture of the Wolf
Hill Grange marching band
– they had uniforms!
By Aaron Gill So where the heck did
they meet? Where was the
This week I share the background of the Town Hall Wolf Hill Grange Hall? The
curtain, and the location of Wolf Hill Grange curtain, with the ‘PH’ logo
Hubert Scenic Studio, Buffalo, New York is painted in and Wolf Hill Grange No
the lower right corner of Deering’s stage curtain. The last 41 painted at the bottom
proprietor of Hubert Scenic was Joseph Hubert, who died strongly suggests they met
in 1938. To know Hubert’s story, we must first know the at the Town Hall and never
story of Anderson Scenic Company, which also operated built a separate building.
in Buffalo, New York, from 1902 through 1928. Founder Another clue pointing to
Hiram Anderson emigrated from Ontario in 1877, working this conclusion is in the
as a blacksmith and harness maker. By the turn of the Selectmen’s meeting room
century, he was a traveling stage curtain salesman. What a on the second floor. There is
career! a lectern there, innocuously holding random library books record of Hubert advertising to Grange halls, but this was
At this point in researching the curtain, I stumbled upon and the checkout card box. It is painted dull green with one Anderson’s primary market. Second is the timeline. Its likely
the answer to a seemingly unrelated but frustratingly long- of the following painted on each of the four sides, “W, H, Hubert – one of Anderson’s local artists, started poaching
running and unanswered question: Where was Deering’s G, 41.” I’m hoping you all agree, that’s Wolf Hill Grange Grange work from Anderson after his death in 1928. I’d
Wolf Hill Grange? The mystery is solved in the stage post 41! suspect he took the business over, but the town of Thorndike,
curtain. With the Grange location solved, let’s return to the curtain. Maine has an Anderson Scenic curtain from 1935!
You see, Hiram Anderson gave his curtains away for free Recall ours is signed by Hubert Scenic, but it was Anderson My hunch for a 1930’s origin is also based in necessity.
to local Grange Halls. He made money selling advertising Scenic that was hocking these curtains to Granges. The Deering Town Hall as we know it didn’t come to be
space to local businesses. This appears to be the case here Hiram Anderson was no artist. He hired various local until the early 1930’s, when the Deering Community Club
in Deering. The next time you’re in Town Hall, examine the painters instead while he conjured up demand. Anderson’s paid for an important expansion. Their work expanded the
4 curtain again. Look for these details: records indicate one of those artist’s last name was ‘Hubert.’ hall northwest, toward the town garage. Their addition was
The ‘PH’ grange logo is at the bottom center of the water Joseph Hubert in particular lived until 1938, and Hiram responsible for the stage we see today. There would simply
scene. PH stands for ‘Patrons of Husbandry,’ husbandry Anderson passed in 1928. I believe our curtain was painted be no need for a stage curtain without a stage!
being old-timey language for farming. The Grange is one by Joseph Hubert in the mid-30’s. Why? With two mysteries solved, I’ll leave you with this. Our
of the oldest nationwide fraternal organizations in the First let’s connect Hubert and Anderson a little better. We stage curtain was thrown away in 2004 during that year’s
country, formed to advocate for the economic and political already know both operated out of Buffalo New York, and massive Town Hall renovation. Deering historian Tom
well-being of rural agrarian communities; thus ‘Patrons of Anderson had an artist named Hubert on staff. Now, if you Copadis - knowing what it was, pulled it out of the dumpster
Husbandry.’ could see an Anderson Scenic curtain next to a Hubert Scenic and saved it in his house. A few years later, Deering was
Deering was originally a farming community and the curtain, you would immediately see not just a resemblance, contacted by a group of curtain restoration specialists
Wolf Hill Grange was one of the Country’s first Granges. but essentially a carbon copy. Both have the red curtains who offered their services for a limited cost (I suspect
This is why our Grange’s post number was so low at 41! with gold tassels painted on the sides, a center nature scene, this was Curtains Without Borders; their website is the
Chartered in 1874, the Wolf Hill Grange championed causes and a series of yellow, beige and white rectangular painted source of much of the information in this article). Deering
still prioritized by Deering residents today, including ‘the ads almost entirely with words. The fonts are identical. The appropriated some funds for this purpose, and the group set
protection of wild life and the conservation of Deering’s only stylistic difference is Hubert favored an arch over the about restoring our Hubert Scenic Grange curtain. Once
Cyan Magenta Yellow Black
natural resources’ (Welcome Home to Deering NH, pg. 83). painted scene while Anderson had none. their work was complete, it was reinstalled in the Town Hall
Our Grange closed shop in 1957, but it was very active in its Tying Hubert and Anderson together is important for as you see it today.
day. There were nearly 100 members at one point, and I’ve two reasons: One is the Grange connection, as I found no The next time you find yourself smiling at the advertising
for ‘Funeral Home, Ambulance Service’ (they’ll earn your
business one way or the other), you’ll now remember the
long journey that curtain took to get here.
Aaron Gill
Chairman, Board of Selectmen
Town of Deering, NH
Town of HILLSBoRoUGH

ABUTTER NOTICE AND
PUBLIC NOTICE
Notice is hereby given in accordance with RSA
676:7 that the Hillsborough Zoning Board of
Adjustment will hold a public hearing on an ap-
plication of Administrative Appeal of a “Denial
of a Certifcate of Approval” by the Historic Dis-
trict Commission, submitted by Kay and Steve
Bennett on at their property located at 1 North
Road, Hillsborough NH in the Historic District
(Tax Map 8 Lot 63).
The hearing will be held on Monday, November
19, 2018 at 7:00 pm. in the Town Hall Meet-
ing Room at 27 School St., Hillsborough, New
Hampshire.
Hillsborough Zoning Board of Adjustment
2018-08