by Charles Cost (Booklet #14)
Edna Dean Proctor, a Hennker native, was a well-known American poet whose work appeared in numerous editions and in leading magazines and newspapers during the Civil War when her poems advocating the abolition of slavery and appealing for a defense of the Union first appeared. She was widely known and respected for writing during an era when few women wrote for publication. She traveled extensively throughout the world and often spent her summers in Henniker. She left a gift of money to the town of Henniker for the upkeep of our scenic stone bridge.