The Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce was pleased to work with the New Hampshire Farm Museum’s (NHFM) Executive Director Jon Hotchkiss, and Program Director Janet Hotchkiss, and the Board of Trustees to conduct a Groundbreaking Ceremony announcing the move of the historic 1801 Plummer Ridge School House, to the New Hampshire Farm Museum. This ceremony was held on Wednesday, August 20, 2025 at the Jones Homestead, located at 1305 White Mountain Highway, Milton, New Hampshire.
The move of the 1801 Plummer Ridge School House by the Museum, coupled with the full support of the Town of Milton’s Board of Selectmen, is a unique opportunity to continue the Museum’s mission of keeping New Hampshire’s history alive!
Of special interest is that Robert Edmond Jones, born in Milton in 1887, attended this same one room schoolhouse before going on to further his education at Harvard. Upon graduation in 1912, he launched his career in drama and set design. His highly successful career spanned four decades that focused on Europe, New York (Broadway), and California (Hollywood). His book, The Dramatic Imagination, is highly regarded as “the definitive work on modern stage design in the first half of the twentieth century.” Robert Edmond Jones returned to Milton upon retirement and spent his remaining years at the family farm on Plummer’s Ridge with his sisters, Alice and Elizabeth. He died at home on Thanksgiving Day, 1954, and is buried in the Plummer and Jones Cemetery adjoining the Plummer Homestead.
After full necessary repairs and renovations, the Plummer Ridge School House will be utilized by visitors and school groups to present and interpret the evolution of education in rural New England. Currently, Program Director Janet Hotchkiss is researching education in 19th century New England with special emphasis on activities, methods of instruction, community support, materials, and recess activities. These will form the core base for the newest New Hampshire Farm Museum program, appropriately named “Little School House on Plummer’s Ridge. “
At the groundbreaking ceremony, opening remarks were provided by Joseph Bailey, President of NHFM Board of Trustees, with remarks from Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce Chairman of the Board Caitlyn Turgeon of HBL Insurance, Caroline Plummer Butler, Trustee and descendent of Joseph and Hannah Plummer of Milton, Andrew Rawson, Selectman from Town of Milton, and Jon Hotchkiss, Trustee Emeritus, Executive Director of the NHFM.