Who was Henry M. Baker?

The History Behind the Baker Heritage Room

About Henry M. Baker

Henry Moore Baker was born on January 11, 1841 to Aaron Whittemore Baker and Nancy Dustin Baker. He was born in Bow, NH, just outside the state’s capital, Concord, and was the youngest of four.

Baker attended Dartmouth college and graduated in 1863 with a Master of the Arts. He became very active in politics, first as a lawyer for the Supreme Court, before becoming a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from NH from 1893-1897.

In 1912, Baker donated $10,000 and the land next to his family home on South Street to the Town of Bow for the creation of a public library. The Baker Free Library was dedicated in 1914 and still stands at its original site today.

The information provided above was compiled by Kate Kenyon, and can be accessed in more detail at Henry Baker Collection

Rules when visiting the Baker Heritage Room

Review the guidelines below before scheduling an appointment

No person is allowed to remove any book from its location in the above shown book cases without a member of the Bow Heritage Commission being present at said time.
No person shall remove any book, document or piece of historical data from this room.
If any copies of any material so in contained in this room is to be copied, it must be with the permission of the Bow Heritage Commission and said item must be carried to the copier location by a Bow Heritage Commission Member.
No Documents or any other item shall be removed from this room by any person unless they are authorized by the Bow Heritage Commission to do so.
The only authorized writing instruments allowed in this room are pencils, no ink utilities are allowed.
No one is allowed in this room without an authorized Bow Heritage Commission member or the Baker Free Librarian Director, or a designated library staff member.
Gloves are available to be utilized when handling historic documents and items.