Acworth (N.H.) Congregational Church
— Photo by John Phelan
Acworth Post Office in 1907
“Tables of books line the walk by the library.
He remembers their wedding day.
Children play next to the clapboard school.
The old man stares at the steeple.’’
— From “Old Home Week in Acworth, 2008,’’ by Betsy Snider, a New Hampshire-based poet and retired lawyer.
Old Home Week or Old Home Day originated in New England and is rather similar to a harvest holiday or festival. In its beginning, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it involved a municipal effort to invite former residents of a village, town or city—usually individuals who grew up in the municipality and moved elsewhere in adulthood—to visit the "Old Home", the parental household and hometown. Some municipalities celebrate the holiday annually, while others celebrate it every few years.
