USA > New Hampshire > Sullivan County > Goshen > History of Goshen, New Hampshire : settled, 1769, incorporated, 1791 > Part 28
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40
The library of 450 volumes was placed in a front room of the square house opposite the store, vacated a short time before by John V. Gunnison, but then the home of Mrs. Emerette (Smart) Powers, who was engaged as librarian at a salary of $10 yearly. The official opening came Jan. 1, 1890. The subse- quent removal of Mrs. Powers necessitated the transfer of the library to L. S. Chamberlain's store, where his eldest daughter, Viola, was appointed librarian and paid for her services $5.50 yearly during 1896 and '97. Eventually, needing the shelf-room occupied by the library, Mr. Chamberlain asked for relief and the books were removed to the dwelling-house of H. Byron Russell on the Brook Road. December 6, 1901, the Russell house was destroyed by fire, with its contents. Only about thirty loaned volumes were saved. Gone were the bulk of the newly- acquired books, the wonderful stories of J. T. Trowbridge, the "Elm Island" series by Rev. Elijah Kellogg, the Henty books, the books by Oliver Optic, beloved of boys.
Libraries were being built and equipped at that time by the Carnegie Foundation, creation of the great steelman and philan- thropist, Andrew Carnegie. The question was seriously con-
325
HISTORY OF GOSHEN, N. H.
sidered whether, in this crisis, application to the Carnegie bene- factors might not be to the best interests of the town, but the legal steps required were slow and uncertain and meanwhile a few friends had rallied to the rescue of the imperiled library, gave freely of books from their homes and invited others to do likewise. With community encouragement the Russells rebuilt and Mrs. Russell again assumed care of the rapidly multiplying books. The result is best told in a catalogue issued in 1905 con- taining the titles of over 500 volumes.
In the summer of 1906, Henry H. Halladay of Brookline, Mass., son of Mrs. Deming, formerly Mrs. Halladay, suggested building a library. The idea met with skepticism, but Mr. Halla- day had an infectious optimism and gradually it won support to his cause. Making an offer himself of 800 new books and some financial assistance, Mr. Halladay immediately circulated a pa- per for public subscriptions, and secured a building-lot just south of the town house. The movement thus inaugurated by him was carried on by others, and as soon as subscriptions and collections seemed to warrant, a building committee of three was appointed, consisting of Fred W. Pike, Orra S. Lear and W. R. Nelson. Mrs. Althine F. Lear was treasurer of the fund, and to the in- defatigable efforts of both Mr. and Mrs. Lear, the library owes much. Timely aid was also received as the result of several en- tertainments put on locally, with lavish costuming and support- ing features by Mrs. F. W. Pierce of Pawtucket and Mrs. Winter of Providence, R. I., sisters of Mrs. Deming. Able assistance was also given by Alonzo B. Stewart of Washington, D. C., and other summer friends.
A far more desirable site than the one tentatively chosen by Mr. Halladay was now made available through the generosity of Elias W. Pike, then living at the present Mcclellan place. The site of the burned house, owned by him, where first the library had been quartered had not been improved and this Mr. Pike practically donated to the building committee, the sum of $25.00 passed being infinitesimal compared to its real value, considering that the foundation-walls, on three sides, were ap- parently undamaged and therefore at once available.
326
A LIBRARY EMERGES
During the following winter 9,186 feet of spruce and hemlock logs were cut and drawn to the saw-mill as donations by inter- ested townsmen, and in the spring building was begun under the direction of John S. Smart, our local carpenter. who was noted for his fine workmanship and the extra nail he insisted upon driving.
Funds collected for the library building were listed by Orra S. Lear in a report dated 1908, as follows:
Cash received on subscriptions,
$407.73
Cash received, town of Goshen, 300.00
Cash received from entertainments,
222.40
Cash received from sale of surplus supplies,
12.27
Value of work given,
46.50
Value of logs donated, @ $10. per M,
91.86
Fund raised by J. S. Smart, for bookshelves, mirror, etc., 42.00
Total cost of library building, $1,122.76
The above sum, which may safely be termed the irreducible minimum, was made possible only by the self-sacrifice of those who labored for days upon end without pay.
The basic design was adapted from a rural library of similar surroundings in Maine. The building is 24 x 28 feet in dimen- sion, with heavy, colonial porch columns. Inside casings of door and windows, as well as wainscoting and bookshelves, are done in Oregon pine, with floor of natural maple. The staining and tinting was done by John J. Richardson, a former resident. A most attractive feature of the pleasant, high-ceilinged reading room is the large open fireplace, the gift of Mr. Halladay, who also provided a large library table with six chairs in mission green.
Electric lights had not been brought into town at that time and a matching pair of handsome, four-light brass chandeliers bearing kerosene lamps were donated by Newport friends. A large oil portrait of Mrs. Pettis was given by one of her sons, Edwin N. Pettis.
Brief formalities were held at the town hall one afternoon in early fall, when Fred W. Pike, for the building committee, presented the library keys to Mr. Burk Booth, chairman of the
327
HISTORY OF GOSHEN, N. H.
board of selectmen. Mr. Booth's voice was choked with emotion as he made reply.
On November 18, 1908, the library was opened to the public, with Mrs. Emma Sholes as librarian. Withdrawals totalled 400 volumes in the ensuing two months. The reading room, a nov- elty, proved to be well patronized. At the beginning of the year 1909 there were over 1500 volumes on the shelves, beside a large collection of magazines and pamphlets. The library com- mittee consisted of Emma A. Sholes, Walter R. Nelson, Wil- liam T. Thissell, Althine F. Lear and Dr. Fred P. Jones.
During the progress of the work, as with all projects of a similar nature, there were some who criticized and objected, but in the main it had been a time of sharing and mutual esteem among the promoters of the work. This was later commented upon by Mr. Halladay, who at every turn had proven himself not only modest and unassuming, but a man of integrity and a good salesman. In an open letter to Mrs. Althine Lear* he wrote:
"It is with much pleasure that I have seen your library completed and turned over to your town. I must say that the townspeople gave me their hearty suport and co-operation. The only opposition I received was from . those who did not understand the situation.
I could have never done my mite without the support of you and Mr. Lear. When things looked the darkest ... you always came forward with something encouraging to go on. Now what little I have done was small. I feel all the credit is due to Mrs. Althine Lear, who was alone working to the success of the Library.
Mrs. Lear, I give you credit for your splendid work, and far-sightedness, in establishing such a beautiful library for the town of Goshen.
Sincerely, Henry H. Halladay."
An uncle of Mr. Halladay's, Edwin N. Pettis of Providence, R. I., his mother's brother, had maintained the Parker farm in Goshen as a summer home for many years. Indeed, to the major- ity of the family the freedom of the Goshen hills and byways was deeply appreciated and all vied in their attempts to prove
*In the fall of 1935, a "Scrap Book of Library Facts," from which the above letter was taken, was presented to the library by Mr. Halladay in person. Matters he thought should be preserved were entered in this volume. However, some time after his death, it was withdrawn by his widow and presumably has been lost. That his mother's basic contribution might also be remembered and given due acknowledgment in years to come, the Sarah H. Halladay Fund was created by a bequest from his estate, 1951.
328
A LIBRARY EMERGES
their affection. Mr. Pettis died in 1917, having willed $1,000 to be made available as a capital fund for the library at Goshen, upon condition that the name be forever perpetuated, "The Olive G. Pettis Library."* Legalities connected with the settle- ment of his estate consumed much time and it was not until Aug. 28, 1931, that the fund became officially established.
An earlier fund had been made available April 6, 1923, by Miss Marilla ("May") Z. Parker, a successful teacher in Chicago schools for many years. Though residing in the Silsby district of Newport, her father, Oliver H. Parker, was an honored dea- con of the Goshen Baptist Church until his removal to Brod- head, Wis. She was a person of forceful character even from childhood and friends loved to tease her with the rejoinder she once made when asked her name before company. "Marilla Zeroyda Parker," she parroted. "Named for my two grandmarms - and that's all." Over 300 volumes of reference and text-books at high-school and college level had accumulated during her teaching years and for them she desired a new usefulness in the inspiration, if this might be, of the young people of her native New Hampshire. Setting up a fund of $300.00 for the benefit of the Goshen Library, Miss Parker contracted for the construction of an extra book-case and forwarded the large portion of her personal library thence, from Chicago. Overhung by a portrait of herself, it furnished a quiet spot for students. She was a graduate of Colby Academy, New London, in the class of 1884 and in 1914 contributed $1,000 to a memorial fund for the school.
Nov. 23, 1951, the Sarah H. Halladay Fund was established from the estate of her son Harry. This consisted of two $1,000 U. S. "G" Bonds and $500.00 in cash.
For practical reasons librarians have been chosen from resi-
*The question of a name had been a more or less potent source of discussion from the library's earliest days. Apace with the construction of the new building the old argument had continued. To this democratic interchange Mrs. Carll, daughter of Mrs. Olive G. Pettis, provided a conciliatory note in a letter included in the Scrap Book of Library Facts, before mentioned. Dated at Kingston, Oct. 14, 1908, she wrote:
66 . . I don't really like just the word 'Library,' for that gives it no individuality. Why not Goshen Free Library, or Town Library, which in my opinion would be better. Now I do not wish to seem at all lacking in respect or affection for the best Mother that ever was or could be. but I think that if an appropriate Tablet is placed in the interior of the library it will be all that is necessary, but, mind you, that must be! . . . Hastily,
Aunt Anna (Mrs. Carll)"
329
HISTORY OF GOSHEN, N. H.
dents of the Village. A brief survey of names of these unassum- ing servants of the reading public includes: Mrs. Cora M. Nel- son; Mrs. Emma A. Maxfield, who died in Oct., 1913; Mrs. Leona Whipple, who was librarian and obliging substitute dur- ing the years until 1927; the Misses Maud Mitchell and Carolyn Snowman, both teachers in town schools; Mrs. Lillian (Jones) Smart, 1918; Mrs. Georgia Gocha, 1919-20; Mrs. Alice E. Nelson, 1924; Miss Doris C. Nelson and her sister, Ruth I., 1927-39; Mrs. Elizabeth M. Nelson, 1940-41. The present librarian, Mrs. Helen A. Brigham, was appointed Aug., 1943. The library is open each Saturday P.M., from 2:00 to 8:30.
Auxiliary service is provided by the Bookmobile from the N. H. State Library, at intervals of three to four weeks. Advance notice of date of arrival is mailed to the local librarian and interested persons are thereby enabled to obtain scarce or hard- to-get books from this supplemental source.
CHAPTER XVII
The Eventful Later Years
Public Occasions of Bygone Years
E NTERTAINMENT was not lacking in earlier days. Possibly there was a zest to home-produced dramas lacking in these days of television and movies. It might be "The Peak Sisters," a musical comedy put on by an all-female cast of the Ladies' Circle (1888), featuring an hilarious display of old-fashioned gowns and accessories, in the midst of which "Betsey got lost at the fair." The claim was plaintively made in an oft-repeated refrain that "One would sure know it who once looked upon it (Betsey's poke-bonnet) - O, where can our Betsey be?"
Or, of a radically different stamp, there were the Kickapoo Indian medicine-shows at the town hall (one of the troupe was undeniably an Indian!), at which town-youngsters were intro- duced to their first glimpse of ventriloquism and legerdermain. An unnecessary coarseness tarnished what would otherwise have been a rather creditable show.
Saturday night dances all too frequently ran over into the "wee, sma' hours," and were of unsavory character in general. A witty belle of the era parodied the popular song-hit then be- ing sung by everyone, "Ta Ra, Ra Ra, Boom De Ay," with equally nonsensical verses, one of which ran:
"See the boys go 'round the hall! Don't they look most awful tall! Smell the whiskey on their clothes --- Where it comes from no one knows."
Excitingly cosmopolitan were the town fairs, with their dis- plays of livestock, fruit, vegetables, pastry, rugs and fancy- work; with Sullivan Pike as Marshal, a fine figure as he guided his mettlesome horse up and down through the crowd.
The years immediately following 1900 were made notable by Grange Auxiliary fairs, held in August under the leadership of Mrs. F. W. Pierce. With her contagious enthusiasm and the
330
331
HISTORY OF GOSHEN, N. H.
help of summer people, sums of $400 and $500 were annually realized.
In 1901 and '02 the young men of the town staged Fourth of July picnics at Rand's Pond, with athletic events, during one of which Uncle Almon Tandy was heard to ejaculate at the broad-jump, "I never would have believed it; he jumped seven- teen rods and ten feet!" - then hastily reduced his table of measures to feet and inches. Boating and swimming were also enjoyed and a tub of lemonade was kept iced and refreshing in the grove where the Y.M.C.A. Camp Soangetaha now stands.
The Day of the Talking Machine
The Nineties, with their very real "hard times," were drawing to a close in what has come to be remembered as gayety, when the "talking machine" arrived in Goshen. That it was soon to be dwarfed by those greater marvels, radio and television, could not be realized the night of the phonograph-concert at the town hall. The concert was put on by Alfred E. Dow, a stocky, black- haired young man who had reportedly invested about two hun- dred dollars in machine and records with the express purpose of holding concerts for pay.
The phonograph occupied the center of the stage, resplendent with its colorful, widely-flared amplifying-horn. The records were wax cylinders that were slipped into the machine while poised delicately upon the operator's two fingers. Mr. Dow came out from the wings to change records and re-wind the motor, then retired from view while the phonograph rendered its arias and occasional humorous? dialect-stories with great fidelity.
Similar concerts were held during fall and winter in adjoin- ing towns, within a twenty-mile radius, but it is doubtful if the initial investment was returned, owing to the fact that other talking machines, of cheaper make, began to appear in the homes.
Old Home Day, 1919
By 1919 the get-together occasions had become Old Home Days. A hard-working committee, consisting of Arthur W. Nel- son, Willard R. Whitney, George B. Bartlett, A. W. Maxner and
332
THE EVENTFUL LATER YEARS
Frank A. Butler, put on an outstanding program, Aug. 22, 1919, during which a memorial tablet was dedicated at the grave of Benjamin Rand and other early settlers, on the slope of the Captain's old farm at Rand's Pond. It was the 150th anniver- sary of their coming and an impressive historical pageant was presented that evening at Camp Soangetaha, by the camp girls.
An original poem was read by Mrs. Althine F. Lear ....
Slipping past the gleaming milestones of a century and a half, We see, as in a vision, those brave, sturdy pioneers
Who first cleared the mighty forest, making smooth for us a path.
Honor to those noble heroes who in battle fought and died! To the mighty men of valor whom the world delights to know! Honor also to these heroes, and we speak their names with pride, Who with courage, strength and patience, labored here so long ago.
Not a costly shaft of marble, towering proudly toward the sky, Keeps their names in our remembrance, tells what mighty deeds were done;
But the church spire pointing upward, and the schoolhouse standing nigh,
With green fields and fruitful orchards smiling in the summer sun.
Happy homes where little children play about the cottage door; When the hearts of men and women are made strong through sweet content;
This the heritage they left us, can we ask or wish for more? This the fruitage of their labors, this their living monument.
The Soldiers' Memorial, 1923
Devotion to the ideal of providing a fitting Soldiers' Memorial was crowned with success on Aug. 25, 1923, when fine weather and a record attendance combined to make the accompanying Old Home Day exercises an event long to be remembered. The memorial consists of a fine, bronze tablet 32 by 48 inches, bear- ing the names of all men from Goshen who served in wars from the days of the Revolution, to and including the First World War. The tablet is mounted upon a monument of native field-stone, eight feet in height. The bronze was designed and cast by Wm. Highton & Sons Co., Nashua.
Bushnell's Boys' Band of Springfield, Vt., furnished music throughout the day.
At 10:30 A.M. five veterans of the Civil War were seated on
HONOR
ROLL. RO
Dedication of Monument to Soldiers of All Wars, 1923. Library in background. Veterans of the Civil War are seated at r .; l. to r., Hiram A. Gregg, Oren E. Farr, W m. Wallace Hall of Unity.
CLOVER RIDGE CREAMERY
Clover Ridge Creamery, 1918
Chimney Rock, landmark on the Province Road.
-
Old Rand house, about 1900, when owned by Thomas Teague, who stands on door-rock.
m EEE
------
=====
------
-
---
--
Sunapee Mt. Grange Hall
-
-
Dedication of the new Goshen-Lempster Cooperative School, June 8, 1957. E. H. and M. K. Hunter, Hanover, architects; contractors, Lull and Prescott, New Lon- don. Credit extended to the Harriet Spaulding Charitable Fund for $3,500 for equipment and grading; Lempster Parents' Club for floor tile and hot lunch equip- ment; Silver Mt. Grange, grading, walks, flagpole, refreshments; American Legion, flags; Goshen Parents' Club, freezer, movie projector, hot lunch equipment; John Rowe, Robert Onella and Fred Carman, bulldozing.
333
HISTORY OF GOSHEN, N. H.
the library lawn, near the monument, taps were sounded and the memorial was unveiled by Harold Hewson, Jr.,* then but four years old, son of a navy veteran. A semicircle of town girls strewed flowers at the base of the monument. Capt. Charles Howard, who served overseas in the Argonne, followed with a most stirring and able oration, after which there were athletic events in the square.
Dinner was served in the Grange Hall to about three hundred persons. At one o'clock baseball-fans journeyed over to the "Ba- sin," a natural amphitheater, for a close game between Goshen and Unity, won by the latter, 8 to 6. Formal speech-making took place at 3:00 in the Community Church. Following prayer and welcome by the pastor, Rev. Matthew Francis, addresses were delivered by Sen. George A. Fairbanks, Rev. David Lewis Yale, Rev. Sheridan Bell, Capt. Howard, Rev. D. M. Cleveland, a former pastor, F. P. Rowell and Dea. Oren E. Farr. A letter was read from H. F. Gunnison, publisher of The Brooklyn Daily Eagle and an original poem by Geo. E. Brown of Rockland, Mass., a former resident.
A group of exceptional amateur actors had been drawn to- gether by the enthusiasm of Mrs. Maude (Wing) Brown, school teacher and natural dramatist, and during the following evening the play "Valley Farm" was presented to a capacity audience in the town hall.
Memorial of World War II, 1953
While the war was in progress, a scrap-drive for metals was promoted, in which all shared and $75 realized toward a second memorial. One of those largely instrumental in this and suc- ceeding efforts was Fred E. Teague, long a selectman of the town and owner of Brentwood Farm, which was, in its own right, a
* Harold Francis Hewson has made the army his career. Stationed at the Navy Depot in Hawaii from April, 1943, to Nov., 1944, he was inducted into the Armored Corps at Fort Knox, Ky., proceeding overseas to Saipan, Mariannas Islands, May, 1945. Was at- tached to the 27th Inf. Div. at Saipan for the invasion of Japan, which was rendered unnecessary by the Japanese surrender. ("Never did get to use our tanks on Saipan," he grumbled, "it was all foot-work.") He was re-assigned to the 307th Heavy Ordnance Co., on Tinian, as company-clerk; promoted to 1st Sgt., Dec. 5, 1945. Re-enlisted in the month following and was returned shortly to Saipan. Returning to the States in May, 1948, he was assigned to Military Police Co. of 9th Inf. Div. at Fort Dix, N. J .; later, same branch, to Fort Hancock, then to Fort Sam Houston, Tex., Brooks Gen. Hospital, for course in Psychiatric Social Work. Received promotion to 1st Lieut., Military Police, while stationed in Germany, 1952.
334
THE EVENTFUL LATER YEARS
summer-boarding place famous for its lavish country meals. As the years passed, it was Mr. Teague who largely carried the bur- den of the delayed project and at the March meeting in 1953 he was officially authorized to oversee the procurement of a suit- able memorial. The fund had been increased by private sub- scriptions to somewhat over $200 and out of this meager sum John Fortune, a mason famed throughout the region, built a field-stone monument at the south of the librarry, matching the one at the north.
The talent that had produced those admirable amateur plays of the past for town benefit, seemed lacking. A survey of the situation plainly showed that without an appropriation (blocked by failure to enter a formal request in the town-warrant) funds were insufficient for a conventional bronze tablet. In this dilemma Yankee resourcefulness came to the rescue. J. Leighton Russell, of Russell's Boat Shop at Mt. Sunapee, fashioned a strong, cedar frame about a plaque of prepared masonite and this was lettered in gold-leaf by artist Clarence C. MacTavish. The resulting tablet is conspicuous for its pleasing appearance.
The dedication of the Memorial occurred Nov. 11, Armistice Day, 1953. A unit of Brewster-Gould Post, American Legion, of Newport, paraded, led by Col. Leslie M. Pike. The Goshen troop of Boy Scouts and Goshen school children also were in the line of march. As the procession reached the monument, a flag donated in memory of Joseph G. Berger, former town treasurer, was raised by two Boy Scouts. A pledge of allegiance to the flag was followed by the national anthem sung by Miss Valderese Goyette. School children then sang "America the Beautiful." Following the unveiling of the memorial by Mrs. Mary Johnson* and Mr. Teague, a Legion firing-squad fired a salute and the entire assemblage sang "God Bless America."
Bert Teague, a native of Goshen and then administrative as- sistant to Gov. Hugh Gregg, was principal speaker at the exer- cises. He told his former townsmen that he was proud to have been invited to participate in honoring the community's heroes.
"The least we can do is to pay tribute to them and be thank-
* Mother of John Pikielney, killed in action.
335
HISTORY OF GOSHEN, N. H.
ful for the sacrifices they made which make such tributes as this possible in all the towns both large and small, throughout America," he said.
Plane Tragedy
On Sunday, Nov. 20, 1949, as night was falling, residents at the Center, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur W. Nelson, Jr., and Maurice Richardson, saw a small, single-engined plane flying due east toward Blood Mountain at a low altitude. It banked in fog clouds atop the mountain and seconds after its disappearance, the watchers heard an explosion and flames reached up into the sky. Immediately reporting the crash, state police, conservation officers and volunteers were directed as closely as possible toward the scene of the disaster. The all-night's search, aided only by flashlights, proved fruitless.
During the following morning the wreckage of the plane was spotted from the air by Harold W. Buker, Jr., veteran pilot with the 8th Air Force in Europe during World War II, and the ground party was directed by him to the scene of the tragedy.
The victim of the crash, John M. Moses, 18, Harvard College freshman, had apparently wandered off course while en route from Bridgeport, Conn., where he had attended the Harvard- Yale football game on Saturday, to Logan International Airport in Boston. His light, war-surplus Navy SNJ plane had failed to clear the suddenly-looming barrier and crashed into the moun- tainside less than two hundred feet below the summit. The plane nosed over and caught fire. Young Moses was thrown clear of the wreckage and instantly killed, his body being found 150 feet higher on the slope.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.