At the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance's annual ceremony on May 12, 2026, Jennifer Goodman stood before a room of restorers, historians, and community leaders with a remarkable announcement: the organization had tied its all-time record for awards in a single year, honoring 14 preservation efforts across the state in its 37-year history.
The achievement speaks to a quiet revolution happening across New Hampshire—one building, one farmhouse, one chapel at a time. Some of these properties had been on death's door. The Military and Veterans Campus at Webster Farm in Franklin, now transformed by Easterseals New Hampshire into a vibrant residential and service hub for veterans, once appeared on the National Trust's Most Endangered list. The Lisbon Area Historical Society's acquisition of the former Lisbon Congregational Church Parish House in 2021 followed years of uncertainty; today it serves as a museum and research center with full accessibility. Two other honored projects had been flagged on the Alliance's own Seven to Save endangered list, threatened by disinvestment, uncertain futures, or possible demolition.
The 2026 honorees represent four distinct categories of preservation work: rare and iconic properties, community gathering places, affordable housing creation, and forward-looking research. The American Independence Center in Exeter earned recognition for restoring the Ladd-Gilman House, a National Historic Landmark dating to the early 18th century. First Parish Church UCC in East Derry was honored for its ongoing stewardship of the 1769 Meetinghouse. The New Castle Congregational Church received an award for the restoration and care of its 1828 structure. Each of these properties remains in active use—churches still holding services, historic sites still welcoming visitors—which was a central criterion for selection.
Four individuals were celebrated as movement leaders. Stephen Bedard has rescued and restored dozens of historic buildings spanning from the late 17th century through the 1930s, while offering practical and inspiring counsel to hundreds of others. Colin and Paula Cabot have anchored their preservation commitment at Sanborn Mills Farm in Loudon while supporting work across the state. Thomas Ahern, owner and lead craftsman of Steppingstones Masonry, was recognized for both his exceptional craftsmanship in historic masonry restoration and his dedication to preserving the knowledge embedded in the craft itself.
The diversity of honored projects reveals what preservation actually means in contemporary New Hampshire. The town of Hebron transformed the Memorial Chapel and Grange Hall into an expanded Town Library and accessible Community Hub. The Chesterfield Historical Society rehabilitated the Stone House Tavern Museum. Avery and Eliza Woodworth restored Cheney Farm in Tuftonboro. Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth earned recognition for pioneering work on sea level rise—research, education, and adaptation strategies that position historic preservation as essential climate response.
"These awards represent very exciting growth in the preservation movement," Goodman said. What makes this growth remarkable is not nostalgia but vitality. These aren't properties frozen in amber. They're libraries, community hubs, museums, homes, and farms that have been brought back into the fabric of daily life, often serving populations who desperately needed them—veterans seeking stable housing, rural communities needing gathering spaces, researchers studying how climate change affects historic sites.
The 2026 awards suggest that New Hampshire's preservation movement has matured beyond restoration for restoration's sake, embracing instead a vision of historic stewardship as a tool for community resilience and equity.