P.  Jane Bergeron – Wilton Historical Society Curator/Archivist

From time to time the Wilton Historical Society receives a little piece of town history. Somebody has to give it a number, catalog it, and then find a place to store it where it will be accessible to researchers. That person is the Society’s Curator/archivist P. Jane Bergeron. “The P is Priscilla,” she said recently. “That’s how I sign things and some people know me as that."

But to most people, she’s Jane, a Wilton native, a graduate of Wilton High School in 1953. She was one of those many students of Florence Rideout and one of the last to spend 12 years in the old building. She developed an interest in accounting when she attended U.N.H. prior to her marriage, 

She lived in Greenville and New Ipswich for 40 years where she raised her seven children. She spent her working years in various banks, she said, “including the Wilton National bank where I worked part time in high school.”

She joined the Historical Society in 1990 and was the Society treasurer from 1993-2016 before becoming the archivist. “I was recruited by (long time members) Helen Ring and Phyllis Talarico. “They knew I was interested in history, and my mother was a member.”

Her mother was Mildred Peters, a long-time teacher at Lyndeborough Central School and a member of the Wilton School Board. “I love history,” Jane said. “I read more history books and historical novels in school than my English teachers wanted.”

Her biggest problem right now, other than the Historical Rooms being closed by the virus, is finding a place to put their growing collection in their current space. The Society had occupied rooms on the top floor of the library since it was built in 1908. “We lost a whole year (while the library was being renovated). Everything was packed and moved, and we still haven’t caught up. The renovations were a good thing,” she said. “It really needed it.” They have a new wall of lockable glass-fronted storage shelves. But they lack space for their growing collections. “We don’t have room to accept large pieces. We’ve been offered furniture we can’t accept. I’d like a place where we could expand and be more accessible.”

“They still gratefully accept papers, pictures, and small items connected with Wilton.” “I love history,” Jane said. “I do this because I like doing it.”

The Society is currently not holding monthly meetings and programs because of the virus, and the rooms are closed to the public, but they will be open again as soon as possible.

You can get further information at the Wilton Historical Society webpage  HERE.