Welcome!

      I am an amateur historian who has multiple aspects of New England ingrained in both my heritage and my interests. I was born and raised (and still live) in New Hampshire, surrounded by history and heritage, visiting cemeteries and reading those infamous green plaques that dot NH. My interest in Traditional New England Social Dances ignited unexpectedly. I sort of accidentally stumbled into it via my odd interest in learning to play the fiddle at 17 years of age. 

     Flash forward to now, when I am designing this website, the traditional music and dances of New England have changed my life. Now, I am a traditional New England dance musician (fiddle, button accordion, and I am learning some piano), and I am apprenticing to call dances under Dudley Laufman. Along with my main historical interests, I also have a deep love for the history of medicine and the people who have been a huge part of its development here in New England. Really, it's the entirety of what New England and more specifically, for me, what New Hampshire stands for-It’s people’s culture, accents, and idiosyncrasies that just bring happiness and joy to me. 

     My main vision for this website is to be a place of learning, wonder, and knowledge. To be able to put my research and writing (maybe some of my poetry, we’ll see) in a place where people can read it, learn, and think. To have a place to put my archival footage and items of note on an online source, where people can see them. People need to be exposed to and experience the incredibly rich cultural way of life that is quickly disappearing from our everyday lives. 

     At any rate, I hope that Checkerberry Place brings you some information, some thoughts, perhaps some nostalgia, and most hopefully, a smile.

Welcome one and all, to the one and only, Checkerberry Place.

Granite-born and woodsmoke-raised,

-Rivkah Valley