Ellen Kok

Photographer and Writer

netherlight.org

Drewsville & Beyond

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Location: New Hampshire, USA

Nationality: Netherlands

Biography: Ellen Kok is a photographer and writer from the Netherlands, who combines photo essays with written stories. She builds long-lasting relationships with her subjects, often following them for years. Her photography is based on trust and intimacy.... MORE

Cold River.
Alstead, New Hampshire, USA. October 2014.

Cold River.
Alstead, New Hampshire, USA. March 2015.

The Common.
Drewsville, New Hampshire, USA. December 2013.

Voting for the Midterm Election... Hampshire, USA. November 2018.

Voting for the Midterm Elections.
Walpole, New Hampshire, USA. November 2018.

Midterm Elections, Ernie Vose, ... Hampshire, USA. November 2010.

Midterm Elections, Ernie Vose, Polling Station Chairman, leads members of the Counting Committee in taking the oath before counting votes. In daily life Vose is a poultry farmer who sells the eggs of 15.000 hens.
Walpole, New Hampshire, USA. November 2010.

Drewsfield.
Drewsville, New Hampshire, USA. December 2013.

Salesgirl of the Drewsville Gen...w Hampshire, USA. October 2011.

Salesgirl of the Drewsville General Store in Halloween costume.
Drewsville, New Hampshire, USA. October 2011.

Apple tree.
Alstead, New Hampshire, USA. Februari 2010.

Apple tree.
Alstead, New Hampshire, USA. August 2011.

Gilsum Garage, Mike and Michael...w Hampshire, USA. October 2010.

Gilsum Garage, Mike and Michael, father and son,installing a new catalytic converter.
Gilsum, New Hampshire, USA. October 2010.

The car graveyard of Gilsum Gar...New Hampshire, USA. July, 2013.

The car graveyard of Gilsum Garage.
Gilsum, New Hampshire, USA. July, 2013.

Grafton, Vermont, USA. October 2019.

Drewsville Cemetery. Most of th..., New Hampshire, USA. May 2021.

Drewsville Cemetery. Most of the grave markers are from the early to mid nineteenth century.
Thomas Collins Drew (1762-1843), an American Revolutionary War Veteran, and later colonel of the Twentieth Regiment of the New Hampshire militia, bought the land that would become the village of Drewsville in 1810. The power of the Cold River and Blanchard Brook allowed the hamlet to become a center of cotton and wool manufacturing through the mid 1800’s.
Colonel Drew is buried in the cemetery. His grave marker is the second one to the left of the large honey locust tree on the right.
Drewsville, New Hampshire, USA. May 2021.

Reading aloud to a friend from ... Hampshire, USA. November 2014.

Reading aloud to a friend from the book "Why We Broke Up" in the library of Fall Mountain Regional High School.
Langdon, New Hampshire, USA. November 2014.

Fritze and Niño. Dre...w Hampshire, USA. October 2015.

Fritze and Niño.
Drewsville, New Hampshire, USA. October 2015.

Drewsville, New Hampshire, USA. August 2019.

Alstead, New Hampshire, USA. May 2008.

Christina and her 4-H cow. Winc... New Hampshire, USA. June 2011.

Christina and her 4-H cow.
Winchester, New Hampshire, USA. June 2011.

The Prom of Fall Mountain Regio..., New Hampshire, USA. May 2011.

The Prom of Fall Mountain Regional High School.
Walpole, New Hampshire, USA. May 2011.

Balloons, filled with helium, c... New Hampshire, USA. June 2023.

Balloons, filled with helium, congratulating graduates, are floating against the ceiling of a Dollar Tree Store. They are for sale during the American graduation season.
Laconia, New Hampshire, USA. June 2023.

Ariel's and Eric&#3...ter, Vermont, USA. August 2015.

Ariel's and Eric's Wedding.
Chester, Vermont, USA. August 2015.

Beaver Pond.
Drewsville, New Hampshire, USA. October 2011.

Moonrise at Bascom Farm. Charle... Hampshire, USA. November 2018.

Moonrise at Bascom Farm.
Charlestown, New Hampshire, USA. November 2018.

After a night frost, ice crysta..., New Hampshire, November 2018.

After a night frost, ice crystals on the windscreen of a car. Drewsville, New Hampshire, November 2018.

Scott and his son Mitchell ice ...ld, Vermont, USA. January 2015.

Scott and his son Mitchell ice fishing in their self-build ice shanty at Hoyt's Landing, a cove of the Connecticut River.
Springfield, Vermont, USA. January 2015.

The catch of a day of ice fishi...ld, Vermont, USA. January 2015.

The catch of a day of ice fishing at Hoyt's Landing, a cove of the Connecticut River.
Springfield, Vermont, USA. January 2015.

Abandoned nest of an Eastern Ph... New Hampshire, USA. June 2011.

Abandoned nest of an Eastern Phoebe.
Drewsville, New Hampshire, USA. June 2011.

Dean and a bottle lamb at Basco..., New Hampshire, USA. May 2021.

Dean and a bottle lamb at Bascom Farm.
Charlestown, New Hampshire, USA. May 2021.

Memorial Day.
Alstead, New Hampshire, USA. May 2017.

Staffer on Joe Biden’...ew Hampshire, USA. August 2019.

Staffer on Joe Biden’s Presidential Campaign.
Hanover, New Hampshire, USA. August 2019.

Players of the rookies baseball..., New Hampshire, USA. May 2023.

Players of the rookies baseball team of Charlestown, NH, hanging out in the dugout while waiting for their turn on the field during an away game.
Alstead, New Hampshire, USA. May 2023.

Friends at Charlestown Middle S...New Hampshire, USA. April 2012.

Friends at Charlestown Middle School.
Charlestown, New Hampshire, USA. April 2012.

Cheshire Fair.
Keene, New Hampshire, USA. August 2018.

Swimming hole.
Walpole, New Hampshire, USA. July 2018.

Racing tracks on the Old Cheshi..., New Hampshire, USA. May 2021.

Racing tracks on the Old Cheshire Turnpike. Teenagers like to joy ride their cars here with bravado after sunset. This time the driver managed to avoid the edge of a wood and escape disaster. American youth can drive a car in the State of New Hampshire at the age of sixteen. I know at least four boys who crashed their cars soon after earning their license. One walked away unscathed, one was wounded and totaled his car, one was severely wounded but lived to tell the tale, and one had to bury his friend who was a passenger in his car.
Drewsville, New Hampshire, USA. May 2021.

A Native American mother braids... New Hampshire, USA. June 2023.

A Native American mother braids the hair of one of her daughters who will dance during the two-day Ko’asek Abenaki Powwow. A powwow is a gathering where Indigenous people socialize, dance, sing, and honor their culture. The family camps on the Powwow grounds. During the braiding session, mother and daughters watch cartoons on tablets.
Alstead, New Hampshire, USA. June 2023.

Blanchard Brook.
Drewsville, New Hampshire, USA. February 2020.

Over 350 children came on a Sat...r, Vermont, USA. December 2023.

Over 350 children came on a Saturday with their parents to the Allen Brothers Garden Center to be photographed with Santa.
Westminster, Vermont, USA. December 2023.

The Stoddard Congregational Chu... Hampshire, USA. December 2023.

The Stoddard Congregational Church, originally built in 1836, is having its original stone foundation replaced with a new concrete one. The building will also receive structural repairs to its timber-frame flooring, and an 8-foot basement will be dug beneath it. For all that, the 125-ton, 150-square-foot church needed to be lifted 40 inches from the ground. It also houses an organ that cannot be removed, adding a lot of weight. The work is being done by Granite State Building Movers from Atkinson, NH. This restoration project is made possible by a $200,000 matching grant from the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program that was awarded in 2022. Prior, the church had been fundraising for more than a year. Stoddard, New Hampshire, USA.
December 2023.

A snow-covered forest trail bet... Hampshire, USA. November 2021.

A snow-covered forest trail between two walls of stacked stones. These were built when the land was cleared by the first European settlers in this part of New England. They felled the trees to create pasture and assembled the many ice age boulders on the land into walls, which followed the property lines and kept the animals in. These were usually sheep. When the wool market collapsed, the farms were abandoned. The woods have grown back, but the stone walls can still be found everywhere.
Walpole, New Hampshire, USA. November 2021.

Several species of moss grow on... Hampshire, USA. December 2023.

Several species of moss grow on the remnant of a wall of stacked stones. The stone walls were built when the land was cleared by the first European settlers in this part of New England. They felled the trees to create pasture, and assembled the many ice age boulders on the land into walls, which followed the property lines and kept the animals in. These were usually sheep. When the wool market collapsed, the farms were abandoned. The woods have grown back, but the stone walls can still be found everywhere. Later, barbed wire took over the task of keeping in livestock, often following the old stone wall but attached to newly grown trees.
Drewsville, New Hampshire, USA. December 2023.

PLAY

STOP

GRID

FULL

LOVE

Thumbnail of Cold River. Alstead, New Hampshire, USA. October 2014.

Thumbnail of Cold River. Alstead, New Hampshire, USA. March 2015.

Thumbnail of The Common. Drewsville, New Hampshire, USA. December 2013.

Thumbnail of Voting for the Midterm Elections_w Hampshire, USA. November 2018.

Thumbnail of Midterm Elections, Ernie Vose, P_w Hampshire, USA. November 2010.

Thumbnail of Drewsfield. Drewsville, New Hampshire, USA. December 2013.

Thumbnail of Salesgirl of the Drewsville Gene_ew Hampshire, USA. October 2011.

Thumbnail of Apple tree. Alstead, New Hampshire, USA. Februari 2010.

Thumbnail of Apple tree. Alstead, New Hampshire, USA. August 2011.

Thumbnail of Gilsum Garage, Mike and Michael,_ew Hampshire, USA. October 2010.

Thumbnail of The car graveyard of Gilsum Gara_ New Hampshire, USA. July, 2013.

Thumbnail of Grafton, Vermont, USA. October 2019.

Thumbnail of Drewsville Cemetery. Most of the_e, New Hampshire, USA. May 2021.

Thumbnail of Reading aloud to a friend from t_w Hampshire, USA. November 2014.

Thumbnail of Fritze and Niño. Drew_ew Hampshire, USA. October 2015.

Thumbnail of Drewsville, New Hampshire, USA. August 2019.

Thumbnail of Alstead, New Hampshire, USA. May 2008.

Thumbnail of Christina and her 4-H cow. Winch_, New Hampshire, USA. June 2011.

Thumbnail of The Prom of Fall Mountain Region_e, New Hampshire, USA. May 2011.

Thumbnail of Balloons, filled with helium, co_, New Hampshire, USA. June 2023.

Thumbnail of Ariel's and Eric&#39_ster, Vermont, USA. August 2015.

Thumbnail of Beaver Pond. Drewsville, New Hampshire, USA. October 2011.

Thumbnail of Moonrise at Bascom Farm. Charles_w Hampshire, USA. November 2018.

Thumbnail of After a night frost, ice crystal_e, New Hampshire, November 2018.

Thumbnail of Scott and his son Mitchell ice f_eld, Vermont, USA. January 2015.

Thumbnail of The catch of a day of ice fishin_eld, Vermont, USA. January 2015.

Thumbnail of Abandoned nest of an Eastern Pho_, New Hampshire, USA. June 2011.

Thumbnail of Dean and a bottle lamb at Bascom_n, New Hampshire, USA. May 2021.

Thumbnail of Memorial Day. Alstead, New Hampshire, USA. May 2017.

Thumbnail of Staffer on Joe Biden’s_New Hampshire, USA. August 2019.

Thumbnail of Players of the rookies baseball _d, New Hampshire, USA. May 2023.

Thumbnail of Friends at Charlestown Middle Sc_ New Hampshire, USA. April 2012.

Thumbnail of Cheshire Fair. Keene, New Hampshire, USA. August 2018.

Thumbnail of Swimming hole. Walpole, New Hampshire, USA. July 2018.

Thumbnail of Racing tracks on the Old Cheshir_e, New Hampshire, USA. May 2021.

Thumbnail of A Native American mother braids _, New Hampshire, USA. June 2023.

Thumbnail of Blanchard Brook. Drewsville, New Hampshire, USA. February 2020.

Thumbnail of Over 350 children came on a Satu_er, Vermont, USA. December 2023.

Thumbnail of The Stoddard Congregational Chur_w Hampshire, USA. December 2023.

Thumbnail of A snow-covered forest trail betw_w Hampshire, USA. November 2021.

Thumbnail of Several species of moss grow on _w Hampshire, USA. December 2023.

Public Story

Drewsville & Beyond

Copyright Ellen Kok 2024

Date of Work Oct 2010 - Ongoing

Updated Sep 2021

Location USA

Topics Community, Documentary, Elderly, Landscape, Photography, Rural, Youth

In 2010 I came to live in the hamlet of Drewsville, New Hampshire, USA, to finish my photo book The Other Farm, and stayed. This is my ongoing exploration of my personal connection to this specific place, the small town communities in the southern rural part of the state, and in neighboring Vermont, on both sides of the Connecticut River.