Gorham Historical Society & Railroad Museum

06/13/2026

New Story: Merci Trains from France!

Some visitors told us about this story, of the French sending over RR cars filled with gifts, apparently to each and every state, in the aftermath of WW2. The French and so many others in Europe and elsewhere welcomed the military help and massive amounts of aid that the US sent to many countries, during and after WW2.

Here's a YouTube clip of the boxcar that was sent to Manchester,NH and preserved all these years.

Did any readers know of this?

The West Side of Manchester, NH is home to a little-known and semi-...

06/11/2026

Another Great Shorey Photo: Copp Homestead

This was a second photo from Greg Berry that he took a picture of for us and the museum.

06/09/2026

Nice Shorey Photo from the Glen Rd.

Courtesy of Greg Berry.

This is just south maybe 1/4 mile from the bridge over the Peabody on Rt. 16. There is a pullout on the right at a slight L corner. Unfortunately, the vista is not what it used to be, with many trees that have grown up.

06/09/2026

Great Model RR Store: Trains on Tracks

I finally made it down to this incredible store, packed to the rafters, in Amherst, NH. If you have a model railroad or are thinking of one, go there. They also fix engines, etc. and have an excellent inventory of model railroad equipment of all types and gauges.

And their engine out front, is nice to look at.

06/05/2026

Old Photo Gorham Methodist Church

This is another photo of a photo that the Greg Berry family has.

06/05/2026

Gorham Methodist Church: Honor Roll

Greg Berry's family was a long time active member of the church, along with many others. When the church was sold, different items were taken by various members.

The Berry family once owned the Berry Farm on the Jim Town Rd., which was bought by the US Govt long ago to create the Moose Brook CCC Camp during the Great Depression. Later it became Moose Brook State Park.

Greg has taken photos of a number of church and area items that his family has and we will post them over time. Thanks Greg! Enjoy.

06/03/2026

Canadian National Railway Inspection Trip 1915

While cleaning out a corner in the Railroadiana exhibit I found a few crumbling stained newspapers, some water damaged signs, etc. And in the bottom of the damaged box I found this rough but interesting photo. I shared copies with the historical society where the photo was taken and with the CN Railway historical group.

North Battleford, SK, CA Inspection trip. President of CN and other leaders. August 25, 1915

06/03/2026

Old Methodist Church sign at the Depot Museum

Since we've been talking about the history of the grand old church and the recent owners and their ongoing renovation efforts, I thought about sharing this photo of the church sign that is at the museum.

06/02/2026

Mt. Crescent Hotel Randolph, NH

We just obtained a copy of this Shorey postcard.

I just heard from Jeff Parker that the grand old hotel used to sit right where his sugar house is on the Mt. Crescent Road.

I''m thinking that this photo was early 1900's but it might have been later.

05/28/2026

New Model RR Volunteers!

Joining a long list of GHS volunteers who built (over three summers apparently) and operated and repaired our unique model RR in an old Central VT boxcar, are Guy Wood V (L) and Jaxon Beaudoin (R), in the photo below. Two trains that they were running are in the foreground. on the GTR line and the B&M line.

The guys are big railroad buffs and both are quite knowledgeable about HO model railroad engines, cars and repairs and explain things very well to visitors. They both are GMHS students.

It's been fun working with them to set up and experiment with different engines and all types of cars. And the guys are adept at maintenance and repairs. Thanks guys!

The GHS owns many cars and engines, some of which have been generously donated by local model railroaders or their families. Others the Historical Society has bought over the decades.

Thank you everyone!