Interested in sponsoring a project? Or donating to help fund the Ashburnham Historical Society and 1791 Meeting House Museum for generations to come?
Below are our current artifact projects and donation programs.
If you have an idea for a project, artifact, exhibit or program, and would like to donate some or all of the funding to make it possible, please contact us so we can work together to bring your idea to life.
Or send a check to the Ashburnham Historical Society
PO Box 692, Ashburnham, MA 01430
1791 Meeting House Museum
The 1791 Meeting House Museum is in need of structural repairs and maintenance, and storage for its collections.
Please consider a financial donation to support the following projects:
updating the safety and accessibility of the basement level
repairing and restoring the museum’s broken and aging windows and doors
archival boxes for preservation of artifacts
The 1929 Ashburnham Fire Truck
The pump truck was one of Ashburnham's earliest fire trucks. It is good shape but is in need of repair and restoration.
Other Donation Opportunities
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The Foundation Project is an effort to reclaim the basement portion of the 1791 Meeting House Museum to provide handicap accessibility, updated bathrooms, a kitchen area and classroom space, as well as secure storage for artifacts. For more information, or to make a donation to the Foundation Project please contact Chris Eddy (508) 527-6426
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The Building Capital Fund will provide the money needed for the upkeep and maintenance of the historic 1791 Meeting House Museum. For more information, or to make a donation to the Building Capital Fund please contact Chris Eddy (508) 527-6426.
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Working with Edward Jones the Endowment Fund will be the vehicle to financial support the efforts of the Ashburnham Historical Society for generations to come. For more information, or to make a donation to the Endowment Fund, please contact Chris Eddy (508) 527-6426
Completed Project -
Civil War Cannon
The Cannon in front of the Museum was designed by then Captain John Dahlgren. The barrel is made of Navy bronze. Dahlgren, during the Civil War, was head of the Naval Ordinance Department and his fresh cannon design changed the manufacture of guns for the Navy.
John Dahlgren became a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy and was in charge of the famous siege of Fort Sumter. His son also served the Union and was lost in an attempt to assassinate then Confederate President Jefferson Davis thereby ending the Civil War. He and his men did not succeed and lost their lives in the attempt.
The Bronze 12 Pound Gun was called the 12b Boat Gun. It was designed with different carriages, one was what is called a sea bed type. The barrel sits in a wooden bed or flat carriage that can be swiveled to fire from multiple positions on the ship but is otherwise not mobile. The second carriage is what is called a field carriage which is the more well-known design with a steel frame and large wooden wheels. The third design was made with thin metal wheels which could be affixed to the gun and used onshore quickly and effectively. The wheels that are currently in need of replacement would have been used as a field carriage configuration. This type would have been landed on shore and fired from a gun battery alongside other cannons.
Our 12 Pound Boat Gun is classified as a Light Howitzer. The wheels currently in use have rotted to the point of being non-repairable. The National Park Service has been rebuilding their cannon wheels using metal instead of wood for many years now and we feel that this is the way to go.