Belknap Mill 100: Membership drive kicks off this month

LACONIA — After a long 12 months, there’s reason for optimism in downtown Laconia. Winter is giving way to spring, the pandemic is showing signs of receding, and the renovation of the Colonial Theater, thought to be an economic spark for the city, is nearly complete. The Belknap Mill is looking to the future, too, and starting a membership drive to invite members of the community to help shape the next chapter in the organization’s storied history.

“I really believe that Laconia is turning a corner,” said Karen Prior, executive director of the nonprofit Belknap Mill organization. The mill was already positioning itself for a new era prior to the pandemic, undertaking a capital campaign and a historically sensitive restoration of the 1832 building, considered to be the oldest unadulterated textile mill in the country.

The mill represents an important element in the city’s history, as the hosier mills and other manufacturers that supported them, were what drew thousands of French-Canadian immigrants to resettle in Laconia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The mill produced hosiery until 1969, but was slated to be demolished, along with so many other buildings, during the downtown’s Urban Renewal period, until a handful of determined community members led by Peter Karagianis got the building placed on the National Record of Historic Places.

Saving the mill was one achievement, keeping it going has proven another. Prior said that as recently as five years ago the organization was struggling to maintain the structure and its relevance in the city. Thus began a multi-year effort that has bolstered both the physical envelope and the programming that occurs within.

Jill Desruisseaux, marketing and communications coordinator, said the pandemic hasn’t stopped the mill’s programming. Instead, plans were shifted to enable social distancing if possible, or delivering the programming through virtual means.

“We have been working so hard here at the mill,” Desruisseaux said. But the small staff can’t do it alone.

Since Karagianis started the campaign to save the mill, memberships purchased by members of the community have been a critical source of support. There are currently about 75 members, Desruisseaux said, adding, “In years past, it was much, much higher.”

This March, the mill is embarking upon a two-month membership drive, with the goal of increasing its membership by 100. There are three levels of membership: Friend of the Mill costs $50, Legacy Advocate costs $75, and a family membership, “Famille du Moulin,” is $100.

“We have continued to offer great programming, almost free to the community. It would be great to get some support back, and members are the heart of our organization,” said Desruisseaux.

Tara Shore, operations manager, said members provide a financial contribution, yes, but their support goes beyond dollars.

“Community is the base of what we do, from the moment we reopened our doors as this nonprofit and function space to today,” Shore said. “Membership is the lifeblood. It really is what helps us to continue. When they reopened the doors in the '70s, membership is what got us through the 80s, 90s and 2000s.”

Members have the right to vote during the organization’s annual meeting, but often, Shore said, their influence occurs through more unofficial capacities.

It was a member who got the mill’s gift shop going. That gift shop brought local crafters and artisans in touch with the mill, and those relationships made possible the annual Holiday Bazaar, a shopping event that has become one of the organization’s Christmastime hallmarks. Another hallmark, the industrial education program for elementary students, also was started by a member. Members have helped with technical issues, such as IT or electrical consultation, and they also constitute a shortlist when it comes time to replace a director on the board.

Prior said that anything that the mill has been able to do – concerts in the park, art programs with Larry Frates, exhibitions at its museum – has been in part because of its members. And it's because of its member support that the mill can make these programs available to everyone in the community, often at no charge.

The next phase in the Belknap Mill’s renovation campaign will be a reimagining of how it uses its ground floor. What will it look like, and how compelling will its programs be? That will be, in part, up to the members.

“Yes, we write grants, we rent our third floor space, but it’s really the community investing in the community,” Prior said of the members. “What people need to understand is their membership is an investment in a better community.”

For more information about membership, visit belknapmill.org, attend the virtual annual meeting on March 17, or call 603-524-8813.