Peak into Peterborough, NH

FINALLY – the sun came out today after 2 days of mist and downpours. So we headed towards Peterborough, NH.
Today was the annual Peak into Peterborough event, which we learned about yesterday during a stop at the local Chamber of Commerce. This little car was parked on the main street.Peterborough is Hillsborough County, NH and has a population of 6,284 as of the 2010 census. The town is a popular tourist destination because of its quaint downtown and riverside location.Peak into Peterborough is a fall foliage tour, day-on-the-town and early holiday shopping experience. It featured town wide events, including a craft show, farmer’s market, hayrides and gallery showings.Peterborough was first permanently settled in 1749. The town suffered several attacks during the French and Indian War. By 1759, there were 50 families living there. Incorporated in 1760 by Governor Benning Wentworth, it was named after a prominent land spectator, Peter Prescott  of Concord, Massachusetts.
Since the 1930s, Peterborough has called itself “Our Town” since playwright Thornton Wilder used the town as a model for Grover’s Corners, NH in his Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Our Town. Wilder wrote the play while in residence at the MacDowell Colony, established by Peterborough resident Marian MacDowell. He reportedly named the fictional location after Peterborough’s main street, Grove Street.

The MacDowell Colony is a residence art colony in Peterborough founded in 1907 by Marian MacDowell, pianist and wife of composer Edward MacDowell. She established the institution and its endowment chiefly with donated funds. The colony has accepted writers, poets, playwrights, artists and composers. An estimated 6,000 artists have been supported in residence, including the winners of at least 61 Pulitzer Prizes
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We spent a wonderful afternoon at this event, enjoyed a dish of homemade soup at the Peterborough Historical Society.

And, made it back to the car before the rains came – AGAIN.