As an Enfield native, Nicole Ford Burley has a special connection to the Upper Valley and its history. With a background in medieval art history and research administration, Nicole is well-positioned to serve as the Lebanon city historian, chair of the City’s Heritage Commission, and curator for the Lebanon Historical Society. Nicole’s volunteer and professional roles converged recently to inform the writing of her first book, Images of America: Lebanon (Arcadia Publishing, 2023), now available online through the Lebanon Historical Society website, at the Lebanon libraries, and at local bookstores.

William Bliss (1815–1853; standing at left) moved to Lebanon at the age of 7 and enrolled at West Point at 14.… Read More

By the time the ink had dried on the 501(c)3 paperwork declaring “Lebanon in Service to Each Neighbor (LISTEN)” an official nonprofit in 1973, the start-up activist collaborative had already racked up some significant accomplishments.

In the early 1970s, the conversation around town might have sounded familiar to modern ears: it centered on the shortage of quality, affordable housing for the people who lived and worked in the city. The city’s residents were in favor of the idea of public housing, but then – as now – the question had been about exactly where to put it. In late 1971, the City Council had rezoned South Main Street in West Lebanon to rule out anything other than single-family homes.… Read More

Wait! My older daughter was only 18 then? About to be a freshman at Northeastern? She’s 28 now and just got engaged. How could that be?

It seems like a lifetime has happened since I launched the inaugural issue of the Lebanon Times 10 years ago. In fact, many lifetimes have happened and we’ve been able to capture and share moments in time from those lifetimes. For ten years, four times per year, the Lebanon Times has had the privilege of getting to know the good people, good places and good things happening in and around Lebanon and then celebrating the stories in our pages.… Read More

Katharine Ogden made her presence felt as an All-American skier at Dartmouth College (Class of ‘21). Today, she is making a difference right down the road in Lebanon with WISE.

“WISE, as an organization, has a pretty broad mission statement in that the organization’s goal is to eradicate gender-based violence in the Upper Valley,” said Ogden. “My role involves working directly with survivors who are currently experiencing gender-based violence, usually helping them through the logistics of fleeing from an abusive relationship, or with processing what they had been through.”

Ogden is enrolled in a remote Master of Social Work program through Columbia University.… Read More

As long as humans have roamed the earth, we’ve been coming together around common interests. We’ve formed groups of all kinds – tribes, guilds, coalitions, communities, associations, and clubs, to name a few. At last count, the online database – Cause IQ – listed almost 32,000 community service clubs and organizations in the United States. This year, the Rotary Club of Lebanon is celebrating 100 years of community service, as it steadfastly maintains the Rotary tradition of “Service Above Self” while continuing to find ways to adapt to our changing times.

Fellowship, service projects, and leadership development are deeply embedded in the club’s priorities, and always have been.… Read More

From humble beginnings, she stays humble. Virginia Tech women’s basketball star Taylor Soule – who grew up in Lebanon – is officially on her way to the WNBA after being selected in the April Draft.

Soule was raised in West Lebanon alongside her sister Zoe, and together, the self-proclaimed “Soule Sisters” represented New Hampshire on a national level as members of their junior high track team. “(I’m) not sure if anyone ever called us that, but we did,” Soule says. At age 10, Soule won the national 9/10 girls 100-meter event while competing at the Hershey’s Track and Field Games North American Finals in Hershey, PA.… Read More

It’s easy to imagine a time when silver, streamlined diners speckled the granite landscape – but it seems only a few of these American relics remain open in Vermont and New Hampshire today. It’s one reason why there’s been so much buzz around the “For Sale” sign outside the Four Aces Diner in West Lebanon. The question on everyone’s mind seems to be: will it remain open? And, if so, will it stay the same diner we know and love?

Although the diner was likely named for the 1950s pop quartet – The Four Aces – its history is summed up by the contemporary singer-songwriter, Martin Sexton.… Read More

When career educators Jennifer and Carl Chambers first met in New York City twenty years ago, they shared a passion for an experiential style of teaching and for life’s great adventures. These mutual interests eventually led to their marriage and a move to the Upper Valley to continue their teaching careers in both public and private school settings – Jennifer in music and Carl in English and administration. Now the couple is dedicating themselves to an exciting new venture – realizing their dream of opening their own school on the mall in Lebanon this fall.

The New England School of the Arts (NESA) will offer an integrated curriculum of science, technology, engineering, math, languages, physical education, and humanities, all with an arts focus.… Read More

In 2021, the City of Lebanon commissioned the West Lebanon Revitalization Advisory Committee to make recommendations to the City Council on priorities for improvements in West Lebanon. West Lebanon has been thoroughly studied and surveyed over the years, so the committee built on this work with a plan for action. (Read the Action Plan for West Leb on the City’s website or at westleb.org). 

Out of this committee grew an informal collection of residents and business owners who work in an upbeat and positive way towards the goals outlined in the Action Plan. The West Leb Civic Action group began meeting a few months ago and we are excited about the possibilities for beautification and improvements in our neighborhood, and we’re committed to making those plans a reality. … Read More

The holiday season is upon us, and for millions of Americans, that means food, friends, and family – and sometimes uncomfortable conversations deftly avoided by offering another serving of apple pie. In Lebanon, the City government is bucking that trend: a recent visit to City Hall by Braver Angels – a nonprofit dedicated to bridging partisan divides and finding common ground – is part of a series of moves meant to help the City come together during a time of increasing polarization.

When former state legislators Doug Teschner and Patricia Higgins sat down with Lebanon’s City Councilors and other City officials in late September, it was as a part of an initiative called “Braver Politics.”… Read More