The RVMA would like to heartily thank everyone who joined in helping during the yard sale, clean-up, and walking tour. Thanks to the many customers, generosity of donors, and walking tour participants, we are closer to our goal of glazing the windows and painting the trim of the HTH.
Clap Your Hands for the Hand Tub House
Kudos to the Rocks Village Memorial Association and their preservation of the Hand Tub House! Essex Heritage Trustee and Haverhill City Councilor Tom Sullivan invited Essex Heritage CEO Annie Harris to visit the restoration project last Friday where she was impressed to see how much has been accomplished by this entirely volunteer organization. They raised over $80,000 to restore the historic tub house and meeting hall dating from the 1830s, but there is more to be done. The goal is to create a museum on the first floor of the property and restore the meeting room on the second floor.
Save the Date: Big Doings in the Village on Saturday, October 15, 2016
8:30-3:00 Yard Sale – all sales go towards restoring and preserving the Hand Tub House. Contact Cindy@rocksvillage.org.
9:00-2:00 Fall Clean-Up – Get your hands dirty with preparing Hand Tub House Park for Winter. Contact Christine@rocksvillage.org
10:30-11:30 and 1:00-2:00 Historic Walking Tour – Register Here
6:30 -8:30 Annual Fall Feast – Enjoy a festive pot luck in one of the Village Houses. Contact Cindy@rocksvillage.org.
September 18th. The annual meeting of the RVMA will be held at 3:30 PM at The Hand Tub House. Exciting things are happening in the village, the HTH landscaping has made great strides, and an electrical upgrade has been done to the HTH. Peek in and see the new lighting. Upcoming projects for the HTH will be discussed as well as events for the coming year. This is your village, please join us.
Save the Date: Big Doings in the Village on Saturday, October 15, 2016
Taking into account everyone’s busy schedule the RVMA has decided to group the Fall activities together on one day this year.
8:30-3:00 Yard Sale
9:00-2:00 Fall Clean-Up
10:30-11:30 and 1:00-2:00 Historic Walking Tour
6:30 -8:30 Annual Fall Feast
Yard Sale: Item Donations are being accepted now. Please contact one of the RVMA members to open the Hand Tub House for your drop off. Some of the activities to assist in preparation for the yard sale are: Signs and flyers distribution and table set up. Volunteers are also needed during the yard sale. Please contact Cindy@rocksvillage.org to volunteer.
Fall Clean-up: The work that has been going on over the summer on the HTH grounds is a must see. Work needs to be done to prepare the area for the winter season. Please contact Christine@rocksvillage.org to volunteer.
Historic Walking Tour: We are repeating the walking tour this fall. Let your friends, families, and colleagues know so they can learn about the history of the village. If you have any historic information you would like to contribute to the tour please contact Lydia@rocksvillage.org or Susan@rocksvillage.org. Click Here to register.
Annual Fall Feast: The fall feast will be held at 59 Wharf Lane. It is Potluck and BYOB. With the number of villagers attending each year increasing, a head count earlier rather than later is helpful. It is not necessary to decide what you will be bringing at this time. Please contact Cindy@rocksvillage.org.
Any amount of time that can be contributed to any of the activities is a great help and very much appreciated.
*** Save this date, too: September 18th. The annual meeting of the RVMA will be held at 3:30 PM at The Hand Tub House. Exciting things are happening in the village, the HTH landscaping has made great strides, and an electrical upgrade has been done to the HTH. Peek in and see the new lighting. Upcoming projects for the HTH will be discussed as well as events for the coming year. This is your village, join us. ***
Check us out at our website: www.rocksvillage.org and the Rocks Village facebook page.
Thank you. Hope to see you on Sunday, September 18th and Saturday, October 15, 2016.
The Rocks Village Memorial Association cannot thank The Home Depot enough for all that the team did for our project.
On June 29th, a team from Plaistow New Hamphshire’s Home Depot worked on the Hand Tub House project.
New Plants/trees donated to RVMA from Home Depot are:
Plum tree
Cherry tree
Regal Oak Tree (2)
River birch tree (2)
Flowering Pear (2)
Cercus Rising Sun (2)
6 2 gallon rhododendron
3 5 gallon rhododendron
10 2 gallon ornamental grasses
3 5 gallon willow shrubs
A note of THANKS to everyone that helped make the yard sale a huge success! Between the sale, financial donations and the Walking Tour we earned over $2,500.00 this weekend. Pretty amazing!
So many people contributed to this effort, from the Village and beyond. We cannot thank you enough.
Another Yard Sale is planned for the fall – stayed tuned for a date.
On Saturday June 11th, Historic New England and Rocks Village Memorial Association lead two tours through the Rocks Village Neighborhood.
What’s a Hand Tub House?
a) A bath house for sailors coming up the river delivering goods from Europe and the West Indies.
b) A building to house the Fire Fighting Apparatus called a Hand Tub.
c) A place where neighbors of Rocks Village gather for celebrations and to resolve community issues.
Answer: b and c.
Although the hand tub itself no longer is housed here, the building continues to be a place for neighbors to gather to discuss issues and enjoy celebrating.
Saturday, June 11, 10:30 AM or 1:00 PM
Rocks Village, Haverhill, MA
Discover the riverfront neighborhood of Rock’s Village, once a bustling community of stores, taverns, and wharfs. Hear tales of merchants, shipbuilders, an alleged witch, and more.
Travel through the centuries looking at more than just the architecture of the buildings but the stories of those who lived, loved, and worked here.
Presented in partnership with Historic New England and Rocks Village Memorial Association, dedicated to fostering a sense of community through events, education, and historic preservation of the Hand Tube House.
Parking Available at 366 Amesbury Line Rd (follow signs down the hill to the Hand Tub House) or on the street at the corner of River Rd. and East Main St. Haverhill, MA
$10, Open to Public
Registration recommended. Please call 617-994-5970 for more information.
June 11 from 8:30 to 3:00 pm.
Making a donation to the yard sale is a way anyone can help keep the village a lovely place to live in or visit.
Please contact one of the RVMA committee members to open the HTH for a donation drop off. Contact Christine or me to volunteer to sort, price, hang signs, set-up, sell or take down. Anytime is appreciated.
**Electronics will no longer be accepted for donation.**
Thank you in advance for your help.
Join us on May 15th at 4pm at 28 River Road
We’ll be discussing Yard Sale, Memorial Day Brunch, Electrical Upgrade, Hand Tub House Park.
Refreshments will be served.
The theme for Haverhill’s Annual Earth Day Cleanup was ‘Do Good in Your Neighborhood’, something the people of Rocks Village willingly do on a regular basis. Villagers participating in this year’s cleanup included:
Susan Bailey (worked on Bob Welch Memorial Garden)
We were joined by Tammy Loosian & her son from the Hilldale section of Haverhill. The Loosians wanted to volunteer in a part of the city they weren’t familiar with and choose Rocks Village because the name of our neighborhood intrigued them. They can be seen at the far left of the photos. We thank them for their help and enthusiasm!
