A group of veterans from around the Monadnock region, led by Susie Spikol of the Harris Center for Environmental Education, learned the little-known history of Hancock’s Jack’s Pond Sunday as part of the Harris Center’s veterans hiking program.

The program, which started in September 2023, was developed in partnership with the Keene Veterans Administration Center.

“We started last summer with the ‘Birds and Coffee,’ and the program has just been growing ever since. Folks really love it,” said Jennifer Whitney, an integrative psychologist at the VA center in Keene, who took part in Sunday’s hike with the group. “People are coming back, and the group is growing. We have some regulars now who come on every hike which makes it really special.”

Jack’s Pond, named for “Jack,” an African man who was able to purchase his freedom and live an independent life in Hancock in the early 1800s, is part of the New Hampshire Black Heritage Trail. In September, JerriAnneBoggis, director of the Black Heritage Trail, accompanied Spikol and Eric Aldrich, a Hancock writer who has been instrumental in uncovering Jack’s story, on a hike to the pond to celebrate the unveiling of a new marker commemorating the life of Jack and the Due family, a freed family of color who lived in Hancock at the same time. 

Aldrich noted that the history of people of color in 1800s New Hampshire is hard to come by. 

“What little we know about Jack and the Due family, we’ve learned from bits and pieces of history and from those diligent enough to keep digging and interpreting their stories,” Aldrich said at the occasion of the  unveiling of the marker for Jack and the Due family. “Communities like Hancock, Milford, Warner and others throughout the state are learning more about Black history, thanks to the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire and its encouragement of people willing to dig deep into these stories and to share them.” 

On Sunday’s hike, Spikol explained that the official marker of the Black Heritage Trail is placed at the Welch Family Farm and Forest on Route 123, near the former home of the Due family, to honor both Jack and the Dues.

“Jack lived at both places, but the Welch Family Farm provides much easier access for people, so that’s where the marker was placed,” Spikol said. “But for people who want to understand more about Jack and how he lived, this pond is part of the story.”

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Spikol said that while little is known about the freed man Jack’s life, Aldrich’s research has revealed that Jack had a a home in the woods near the pond.

“This pond is a special place; it’s not often you find a pond like this that is not accessible by car,” Spikol said. “We know Jack lived on this pond, in this beautiful, secluded spot, and also that he lived mostly in isolation.” 

Veterans taking part in on Sunday’s hike included a wide representation of the armed forces.  Frank Dolan of Londonderry, a Navy veteran, served on a ship in the Indian Ocean during the takeover over the Iranian embassy in 1980.

“Our ship served as the morgue for the people killed in the takeover, because we had refrigeration,” Dolan said. “We brought all those bodies home.” 

Virginia Moore of Peterborough served as a nurse in the Vietnam War, at a time when women were not officially recognized or acknowledged as veterans.  Stan Berdinka of Keene is a Vietnam vet who served in the Army, and Christine and Curtis Harvey are both Air Force veterans. Curtis flew KC-135 tankers, which refuel fighter jets midair.

Andy Mackey served as a Seabee around the globe, including tours in Vieques, a former Navy bombing range of Puerto Rico; and on Newfoundland, where his unit dissembled a World War II landing strip. Mackey also served in Vietnam. 

“There used to be a Seabee recruiting movie with John Wayne,” Mackey said with a laugh. “It wasn’t like that.”  

Chris Martino, who was a Marine for 10 years, served in Iraq and Somalia, just before the events of depicted in the movie “Black Hawk Down.”

“Somalia is just desperate poverty,” he said. “People survive any way they can.” 

Martino said he especially appreciated Sunday’ s destination, as he has visited many of the Black Heritage Trail sites around the state.

“A lot of people don’t know these stories, and they’re incredible,” Martino said. 

Berdinka, who has been to each veterans hike so far, said he plans to attend every one. 

“It’s just great to be out here,”  he said.

Mackey said he enjoyed staying active and meeting other veterans. 

“You just have to keep going and stay active,” he said. “You can’t just start sitting around.”

Hancock Police Officer Nancylee Greiner, a 30-year veteran of the Coast Guard, stopped by the hike with her canine companion, Lucy, to say hello to fellow vets.

“This is a really wonderful community outreach by the Harris Center. It is so valuable to provide opportunities like this for the veteran community,” Greiner said. 

Upcoming events for veterans include a moonlight stroll planned for May, and on June 10, a mushroom-finding hike with local mycologists.

For information about the Harris Center veterans hikes and other affinity group events, go to harriscenter.org/events.