Dublin schoolchildren driving force behind newest NH Historical Highway Marker

The N.H. Division of Historical Resources is pleased to announce that a New Hampshire Historical Highway Marker recounting the story of a little girl who inspired multiple children’s books has been installed at the intersection of N.H. Route 25 and Swain Hill Road in Warren.

The marker is the result of a request by Holly Christensen’s class of first and second grade students at Dublin Christian Academy, who read the book “Sarah Whitcher’s Story” by New Hampshire author Elizabeth Yates and then gathered the signatures needed to propose the highway marker. 

The marker reads: 

“SARAH WHITCHER AND THE BEAR

“Three-year-old Sarah Whitcher became lost in these woods in June 1783 while gathering flowers. During a four-day search, Sarah’s footprints were found near Berry Brook alongside bear prints. A local man joined the search after dreaming three times that ‘Sarah would be found under a pine bough near Berry Brook guarded by a bear.’ His dream proved to be true: Sarah was found as he stated and she told her rescuers that ‘A great black dog had kept her each night.’ The lore of this little girl saved by a bear has entertained generations of people and inspired several children’s books.”

An official unveiling of the marker took place on June 3, with the students involved in proposing the marker in attendance. A reception was held afterward at Warren Town Hall.

“Sarah Whitcher and the Bear” is the 275th marker in New Hampshire’s Historical Highway Marker program. 

Any municipality, agency, organization or individual wishing to propose a historical highway marker to commemorate significant New Hampshire places, persons or events must submit a petition of support signed by at least 20 New Hampshire residents. They must also draft the text of the marker and provide footnotes and copies of supporting documentation, as well as a suggested location for marker placement.

New Hampshire’s historical highway markers illustrate the depth and complexity of our history and the people who made it, from the last Revolutionary War soldier to contemporary sports figures to poets and painters who used New Hampshire for inspiration; from 18th-century meeting houses to stone arch bridges to long-lost villages; from factories and cemeteries to sites where international history was made. 

An interactive map of all of the state’s historical highway markers is available at the N.H. Division of Historical Resources’ website, nhdhr.dncr.nh.gov. 

The New Hampshire Historical Highway Marker program is jointly managed by the N.H. Division of Historical Resources and N.H. Department of Transportation.

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