# Event Details

- **Event Name**: Rediscovered 'Old Homestead' films to screen with live music on Saturday, Feb. 7 in Keene, N.H.
- **Event Start and End Date**: Sat, 07 Feb, 2026 at 03:00 pm
- **Event Description**: Rediscovered 'Old Homestead' films to screen on Saturday, Feb. 7 in Keene, N.H.

Unseen for more than a century, two early Hollywood adaptations of N.H. author's famous play to screen with live music at Colonial's Showroom venue

KEENE, N.H.— It was once one of the most popular stage plays in America. But a pair of early film versions of it haven't been seen for more than a century.

That will change when two recently rediscovered adaptations of 'The Old Homestead' are screened with live music on Saturday, Feb. 7 at the Showroom, 20 Commercial St., Keene, N.H.

An adaptation from 1915 will be screened on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 3 p.m., along with a new documentary by Slate Roof Films about 'The Old Homestead' and its author, Denman Thompson, a native of Swanzey, N.H.

Historians Larry Benaquist and Howard Mansfield will lead a discussion following the screening. 

In a separate program at 7 p.m., a longer 1922 version of 'The Homestead' will be screened. 

Live music for both screenings will be provided by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in accompanying silent films.

Both programs are free and open to the public, but separate advance tickets are required for each screening. For tickets, visit www.showroomkeene.org, click on 'Tickets,' then go to Saturday, Feb. 7 on the online calendar.

Both films were produced by Paramount Pictures; following their initial run, the films were never re-released or reissued. 

Like much of early cinema, copies simply were not available after the silent era ended in the late 1920s; an estimated 75 percent of films made during this time are lost and no longer exist.

But prints of each version of 'The Old Homestead' survived in foreign archives, which led to a six-year effort to have them repatriated to the U.S., restored, and shown once again on the big screen.

"The survival of one of these films would have been unlikely; the survival of both is near-miraculous," said Benaquist, retired Professor of Film Studies at Keene State College, who spearheaded the project.

'The Old Homestead' play was written in 1886 by Denman Thompson (1833-1911), a farmer-turned-actor-turned-playwright who grew up Swanzey, N.H.  

In writing 'The Old Homestead,' Thompson combined the lives of several people that he knew in Swanzey, taking the characteristics of each to make the unique character presented.

The play toured around the country for decades, seen by an estimated 20 million people, and helped to shape the image of the Yankee farmer for an entire nation.  

Thompson himself played the lead character, Uncle Josh, who must search for his son who has fled to New York City after being accused of a crime he did not commit. 

'The Old Homestead,' full of wit, song, and rural humor and pathos, came to the American stage at a time when young people were fleeing the rural life for work in the big cities.

The rural values featured in the play and subsequent filmed versions held a great appeal for the American audiences of the late 19th century. 

Following a fabulously successful career, Thompson returned to Swanzey, N.H. to live in retirement, a beloved native son, where he died in 1911.

Although Thomson's play eventually faded from the nation's conscience, an annual summertime revival of 'The Old Homestead' ran in Swanzey from 1939 to 2016.

The recently rediscovered silent films were both produced by Paramount Pictures—the 1915 version having been found in Paris and the 1922 version in Belgium.  

The 1922 adaptation was directed by James Cruze, who had worked with silent film comic Fatty Arbuckle just prior to 'The Old Homestead.' 

The next year, Cruze would direct Paramount's 'The Covered Wagon' (1923), a large scale Western and one of the defining epics of the silent era.

In collaboration with the Historical Society of Cheshire County, Benaquist raised the funds needed to return 'The Old Homestead' films to the United States and have them restored.

The restoration of the two versions of 'The Old Homestead' was accomplished in partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Royal Film Archive of Belgium, and the Library of Congress. 

The world "re-premiere" of two film adaptations of Denman Thompson's play 'The Old Homestead' will take place on Saturday, Feb. 7 at the Showroom, 20 Commercial St., Keene, N.H.

• At 3 p.m., the 1915 version of 'The Old Homestead' will be screened, along with a documentary by Slate Roof Films and a discussion about the project with historians Larry Benaquist and Howard Mansfield.
  
• At 7 p.m., the longer 1922 version of 'The Old Homestead' will be screened.

Live music for both presentations will be provided by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film accompanist.

Both programs are free and open to the public, but separate advance tickets are required for each screening. For tickets, visit www.showroomkeene.org, click on 'Tickets,' then go to Saturday, Feb. 7 on the online calendar.

Organized in collaboration with the Historical Society of Cheshire County, this event is generously sponsored by New Hampshire Humanities, Eppes-Jefferson Foundation, NH Charitable Foundation, Kingsbury Fund, Madelaine Von Weber, and the Steadmans.
- **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/keene/rediscovered-old-homestead-films-to-screen-with-live-music-on-saturday-feb-7-in-keene-nh/200029614667233
- **Event Categories**: entertainment, music, live-music, art, literary-art, theatre, nonprofit, calendar
- **Interested Audience**: 
  - total_interested_count: 128

## Ticket Details


## Event venue details

- **city**: Keene
- **state**: NH
- **country**: United States
- **location**: The Showroom, 20 Commercial St., Keene, N.H.
- **lat**: 42.93149
- **long**: -72.27969
- **full address**: The Showroom, 20 Commercial St., Keene, N.H., United States

## Event gallery

- **Alt text**: Rediscovered 'Old Homestead' films to screen with live music on Saturday, Feb. 7 in Keene, N.H.
  - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events9/banners/a4a82a9322a34927defe520d4358ae81e81a60035af1dbfeff192c98bf5283f0-rimg-w1200-h1898-dc2e2c2a-gmir?v=1770107595

## FAQs

- **Q**: When and where is Rediscovered 'Old Homestead' films to screen with live music on Saturday, Feb. 7 in Keene, N.H. being held?
  - **A:** Rediscovered 'Old Homestead' films to screen with live music on Saturday, Feb. 7 in Keene, N.H. takes place on Sat, 07 Feb, 2026 at 03:00 pm to Sat, 07 Feb, 2026 at 03:00 pm at The Showroom, 20 Commercial St., Keene, N.H., United States.
- **Q**: Who is organizing Rediscovered 'Old Homestead' films to screen with live music on Saturday, Feb. 7 in Keene, N.H.?
  - **A:** Rediscovered 'Old Homestead' films to screen with live music on Saturday, Feb. 7 in Keene, N.H. is organized by Jeff Rapsis, Silent Film Accompanist.
- **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me?
  - **A:** Rediscovered 'Old Homestead' films to screen with live music on Saturday, Feb. 7 in Keene, N.H. is ideal for music lovers, fans of all genres, and anyone who wants to celebrate the power of music - from intimate gigs and live sessions to festivals and cultural performances. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Keene, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. With 120+ people already showing interest, this is clearly an event worth adding to your calendar - don't miss out.

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