USA > New Hampshire > Merrimack County > New London > Mirror to America : a history of New London, New Hampshire, 1900-1950 > Part 20
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Fourth in order among local fraternal groups was the Crystal Rebekah Lodge, No. 68, instituted in New London on January 28, 1896.18 Serving as an auxiliary to the I. O. O. F., using the same building for their lodge activities, and open to men as well as to women, the local organization of Rebekahs has been an uplifting force in the Town. In the spring of 1950 the Lodge awarded eight fifty-year membership jewels to those men and women in its ranks who had been members for at least a half a century.19 Noble Grand of Crystal Rebekah Lodges in 1950 was Mrs. Corinne Todd.
The last of the local fraternal groups to be formed was that of the Eastern Star. Martha Chapter, No. 34, O. E. S., was organized in Elkins, N. H. on August 8, 1899. The first Worthy Matron was Mrs. Sarah J. Elkins. The society has had purposes and objectives similar to those of King Solomon's
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Lodge F. & A. M., and since 1910 has shared the same build- ing with the latter group. The New Hampshire Masonic Grand Lodge permits men to belong to the O. E. S., and many local men have affiliated with the society. Martha Chapter, O. E. S., observed its fiftieth anniversary on October 25, 1949, with a presentation of three fifty-year pins to three of its members.20 Like the other fraternal groups in Town, the Eastern Star has been a source of stimulation and help to the community. Its Worthy Matron in 1950 was Mrs. Helene Lenz.
3. Patriotic Societies
Anthony Colby Post, No. 85, of the Grand Army of the Republic, Department of New Hampshire, was organized in New London on September 15, 1885.21 Twenty-two men were charter members, and others joined in subsequent years. The local G. A. R. Post for decades was in charge of the Memorial Day program, and, like their compatriots all over the North, its members marched again as "the boys in blue" on each thir- tieth of May. They were instrumental in raising the funds for the Town Monument, as previously set forth in Chapter Two. With the passage of time, and the thinning of their ranks by death, their responsibilities passed to younger groups. In the 1920's Anthony Colby Post disbanded. The last surviv- ing G. A. R. man in New London was Alston Brown, who died on April 20, 1937.22
As the veterans of the Civil War passed away, the Sons of Union Veterans assumed the duties of their fathers. Stephen R. Swett Camp No. 32, Department of New Hampshire, Sons of Union Veterans, was formed in Wilmot shortly after 1900. After the Wilmot G. A. R. Post disbanded, the Sons of Veterans Camp moved to New London in 1908. For forty years this organization was an active force in the Town. It was principally concerned with Memorial Day activities, and, working closely with the G. A. R. and with other patriotic groups, made that anniversary one to be remem- bered. For a long time the Sons of Union Veterans gave a dinner on each Memorial Day to the men of the G. A. R.
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Their meetings were held in Liberty Hall in Elkins, a build- ing which was razed in the late 1940's.23 In 1949 the Stephen R. Swett Camp No. 32 formally disbanded and its members were instructed to transfer their allegiance to other Camps.24
As the memories of the Civil War faded more deeply into the past, and as the great World Wars of the twentieth century exerted their influence on American life, it was but natural that among patriotic societies the American Legion should become the foremost in the field. The American Legion Post No. 40 was organized in 1920.25 It was composed in the beginning of World War I veterans from New London, Sutton, and Wilmot; but, after World War II, from Spring- field also. With vigorous leadership over the years, the local American Legion sponsored the Boy Scouts in Town, furnished scholarships for deserving high school graduates, aided needy members and their families, and cooperated in many community projects. As World War II drew closer, the Legion membership took the initiative in organizing blood donor squads, in working in civilian defense, and in participation in patriotic holidays. These activities were con- tinued in the years after 1945. On September 1, 1939, the Legion Hall was dedicated. It was the former Low Plain School House. Commander M. Roy London presided at the exercises.26 Over the years this building was enlarged and im- proved, and used for such other purposes as Boy Scout meet- ings. In the post-World War II years the Legion sponsored on each Fourth of July an elaborate carnival on Main Street, which drew thousands of people to Town. Several years dur- ing the winter months, the Legion revived the custom of holding a military levee.27 Commander of American Legion Post No. 40 in 1950 was Lawrence R. Spaulding.
The first effort to organize a local American Legion Auxiliary in New London was in 1925.28 Shortly thereafter it became inactive, and was not revived as a New London organi- zation until 1939. Since the latter date, as New London Unit No. 40, American Legion Auxiliary, it has been a vigorous force in the community. The members concentrated much of
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their effort on "Poppy Day," observed annually in May throughout the nation in honor to the war dead and in service to the war disabled. In this endeavor, beginning in 1947, the organization sponsored an annual "Poppy Festival," which raised several hundred dollars.29 The New London Auxiliary ranked high among its sister organizations in New Hampshire, winning state awards from time to time for its activities; among these was the maintenance of an annual scrapbook. President of the local Auxiliary in 1950 was Mrs. Lawrence R. Spaulding.30
4. Youth Organizations
Subscribing sincerely to the dictum that "America's future lies in its youth," the people of New London have been zealous in their support of youth organizations. On February 8, 1910, the Boy Scouts of America were incorporated. Within four years a local unit had appeared.31 Sponsored by the New London Baptist Church and Pastor Ira M. Baird, the Boy Scouts were active for a number of years. One of the early scoutmasters was Earl Smith. On January 31, 1924, again under the sponsorship of the Baptist Church, the Scouts were reorganized as Troop No. 71. This time the sponsoring committee was composed of the Rev. James K. Romeyn, William M. Kidder, Frank D. Andrews, Eugene Wheeler, and T. O. Parker.32 Scoutmasters during the ensuing quarter of a century were Gilbert Wiggins, Victor Smith, M. Roy London, Guy F. Williams, William Sterling, Kenneth M. Rich, and Robert G. Sawyer. Enthusiasm for the Scouts ran in cycles through the years, but never did it flicker completely out. In 1931 a troop of mounted New London Scouts escorted Governor John G. Winant on his visit to the Eastern States Exposition at West Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1950 Roland Wiggins represented the local troop at the Boy Scout Jambo- ree at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Beginning in 1945 the American Legion Post No. 40 took over the sponsorship of the Boy Scouts in New London. In 1950 the troop was at a high level of interest, and competition for merit badges, hikes,
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overnight camping trips, and similar endeavors were the order of the day for many boys in Town.
The Campfire Girls, like the Boy Scouts organized na- tionally in 1910, came to New London under the leadership of the ministers' wives during the pastorates of Ira M. Baird and James K. Romeyn. The Campfire Girls stimulated the interests of many young women in New London, including girls at Colby Academy, but did not put down permanent organizational roots in Town. In somewhat the same way the State organization of the Y. M. C. A. and the Y. W. C. A. made an important contribution to the thinking of many of New London's youth, but the Town did not develop any local "Y" groups.33 Colby Academy had students who were in- terested in "Y" work, and Colby Junior College always num- bered among its student groups a strong Y. W. C. A. organiza- tion. The Girl Scouts, organized on a national level in 1912, first appeared in New London in 1944. Leaders then were Mrs. Charlotte D. Meinecke and Mrs. Kenneth M. Rich. In 1949-1950 Anita Colby, a senior in the New London High School, organized for the first time in Town a troop of "Brownie Scouts," i.e., girls under the regular Scout age. This group, along with its older sisters was active in community affairs and participated in the Memorial Day parade.
There were other youth groups over the period since 1900. Among these was the Kearsarge Hiking Club, active in the years shortly after World War I, and composed chiefly of young men from Elkins. There were religious groups in the Baptist Church, notably the B. Y. P. U. during the first quarter of the century, and the Baptist Youth Fellowship in later years. These organizations had regular local meetings, and partici- pated in state and national gatherings of denominational and interdenominational interest. On April 19, 1950, the Order of Rainbow for Girls was instituted at the Masonic Hall in Bradford, N. H. Ten New London girls were charter members of Bradford Assembly No. 17, the Order of Rainbow for Girls, as the new group was officially called, and four of these were among the corps of officers.34
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5. Women's Groups
One of the oldest women's organizations in Town in 1950 was the Pleasant Street Helpers. On April 16, 1893, the "Fast Day" of that year as proclaimed by the Governor of the State, thirteen women assembled in the home of Mrs. Solon Cooper and organized the Pleasant Street Helpers. Formed for the purpose of promoting social intercourse and extending aid to those needing assistance, the organization was destined for a long and useful existence. On December 1, 1915, it was in- corporated under the laws of New Hampshire, and on Febru- ary 15, 1916, the old Pleasant Street School was purchased from the School District to be used as the meeting place for the society. In the years since, Mrs. Herbert D. Swift has kept the building in repair in memory of her grandmother, Maria Bunker Messer, who had attended school in the building. The Pleasant Street Helpers have worthily discharged their origi- nal objectives, and have, in addition, contributed to many constructive community projects.35 President in 1950 was Mrs. Herbert Hayes.
The New London Woman's Club was organized in 1911 with Mrs. Bertha Kidder (Loney) as the founder and first president. The next year it became federated with the state organization of Women's Clubs, and in 1934 it affiliated with the General Federation of Women's Clubs. Eighteen women were charter members, eight of whom were still living in 1950. Its motto, as chosen in the beginning and adhered to through- out the years, was: "Good the more communicated, the more abundant grows." Well did the New London Woman's Club exemplify this statement. It contributed to all the Federation and to many local projects. For years, the Club gave fifty dollars annually to the New London Hospital, but in 1936 it assumed the furnishing and maintenance of the maternity ward. For this endeavor it won a State Federation award. In 1949 the Woman's Club instituted an essay contest at the New London High School,36 and in 1950 aided in the formation
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of the troop of Brownie Scouts above mentioned.37 President in 1950 was Mrs. Marion O'Neil.
The New London Garden Club was organized in October, 1928, with Dr. Anna M. Littlefield as the first president. It has taken an active role in community beautification through- out the period since its formation. Many notable summer flower shows were sponsored by the Garden Club, as well as visits to some of the gracious gardens of the Town. The Roadside Improvement Committee of the Club on several occasions sponsored "Clean-up Week" for the Town roads, and won a State award in 1948 for a poison ivy eradication project on a stretch of Highway 11. Among its most useful community activities have been the landscaping of the grounds in front of the New London Hospital, caring for the triangle at Crockett's Corner, and helping to beautify the gardens behind the Library. President of the New London Garden Club in 1950 was Mrs. John Reid.
6. Other Groups in New London
The Elkins Fish and Game Club had its beginnings in the 1890's in an informal group of summer residents and local men who lived near Pleasant Lake. On August 16, 1909 it was incorporated, Charles H. Hastings and Charles A. Cross of Lynn, Massachusetts, A. Val Woodruff of Brooklyn, N. Y., P. H. Killelea of Leominster, Massachusetts, and Ransom F. Sargent, Frank M. Robinson, and Dr. Charles A. Lamson of New London, N. H., being the incorporators. By 1950 the Elkins Fish and Game Club was the oldest such organization actively functioning in New Hampshire. Its original purpose was to build a dam and make a pond for the rearing of fish with which Pleasant Lake could be stocked for the benefit of the sportsman. This objective was successfully carried out. As late as July 23, 1932, a new rearing pool on Chandler's Brook, built by the Elkins Fish and Game Club, was officially opened in the presence of Governor John G. Winant and the Governor's Council. In subsequent years, however, the stock- ing of the lake was taken over by the N. H. Fish and Game
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Department. The local Club sponsored a pheasant-raising project in 1949-1950. The organization in 1949 also expended $1,500 to rebuild the dam at the outlet of Pleasant Lake in Elkins, thereby assuring a higher water level for the lake, a better bathing beach, and better fishing in the lake. President of the Elkins Fish and Game Club in 1950 was Merle C. Gay.38
The New London Branch, American Red Cross, as will be explained in Chapter Thirteen, had its origins in the stir- ring war-time days of 1917. In all national emergencies since then the local organization, affiliated with the Franklin Chap- ter, ARC, has played an honorable and useful part. Its home service work, its assistance to families in disaster emergencies like fire and hurricane, its ministrations at Christmas and at Thanksgiving, and all its manifold activities have been well discharged. Beginning in 1947 it sponsored a program of swimming instruction and lifeguard supervision at the com- munity bathing beach on Little Lake Sunapee and on the beach at the foot of Pleasant Lake. President of the New London Branch, ARC, in 1950 was Kenneth M. Rich.
The Scytheville Technical Society was formed in the winter of 1932, with two dozen charter members, chiefly from Elkins and the Pleasant Lake portion of Town.39 Found- er and chief mover in the Society was Herbert D. Swift. The object of the group was the study and discussion ". . . of any topic concerned with science, whether mechanical or other- wise." Really an experiment in adult education, the Scytheville Technical Society led a useful existence until 1940, when the approach of the war caused its relapse into inactivity. The place of the meetings was Liberty Hall in Elkins or in the old store at the foot of the lake. For a year or so in the middle 1930's the Society sponsored regular Friday night movies in Elkins, which were a pleasant feature of village life.40
In 1931 Mrs. Randolph Coolidge was instrumental in founding the League of New Hampshire Arts and Crafts.+1 Designed to encourage creative expression and build a larger degree of economic security, the League of New Hampshire Arts and Crafts was destined to play an active and useful
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part in the life of the State. In 1938 the League opened a shop in New London for the sale of native craft products, and that autumn the New London Branch of the League was formed.42 During the first years of its existence the New Lon- don Branch sponsored courses of instruction in wood carving and rug making. The local store was opened again in 1939 and for several summers thereafter. Among the women in charge of the store - which leased the lower floor of the Grange Hall for its needs - were Mrs. Frank Mastin, Mrs. Joseph Graves, and Miss Florence Barbiers. On October 19, 1939, the annual meeting of the League of New Hampshire Arts and Crafts was held in New London, with Mrs. Coolidge, the founder, in attendance.43 The local organization was in- active in 1950.
On June 6, 1899, Governor Frank W. Rollins of New Hampshire took the initiative in forming the New Hampshire Old Home Week Association. Calling upon all communities throughout the State to observe Old Home Week by appro- priate exercises some time during the month of August, Gov- ernor Rollins thus launched what has since become one of the cherished institutions of New Hampshire life. From the beginning the Granges of the State have been active in the leadership of Old Home Week. The first such observance in New London was held in the summer of 1900 under the direc- tion of a committee appointed by the New London Grange, No. 95. In 1941 a local Old Home Day Association was organ- ized by Herbert D. Swift, and it was this group, in conjunc- tion with other interested persons and organizations, which sponsored the Old Home Day observances since that time. President of the New London Old Home Day Association in 1950 was Dura P. Crockett.44
One final form of activity of New London may be noted, the political. Since New London people in general were high- ly articulate and outspoken in their thinking, it was but natural that they should coalesce into political groups. In the early decades of the century there was an active New London Republican Club and an equally alert Democratic
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Club. The former was headed by William Sanborn, and the latter by Charles E. Shepard. As the years went by, some of this intense spirit of partisanship was dulled, and the local Democratic Club became inactive. The Republican Club of New London, however, was still in existence in 1950, with M. Roy London as its president. It was desirous primarily of stimulating public interest in Town affairs, and only second- arily sought to be partisan in the narrow sense of the word. In 1936 there was organized a New London Republican Wo- men's Club,45 but this group did not survive the disastrous presidential defeat of Alfred M. Landon.
NOTES FOR CHAPTER TWELVE
The quotation at the head of this chapter is from an article by Mr. Beston in The Progressive, October 6, 1947.
1Consider the many implications of this American trait as set forth by A. M. Schlesinger, "Biography of a Nation of Joiners," American Historical Review, October, 1944, pp. 1-25.
2Supra, the Dartmouth -- Lake Sunapee Region, Ch. 2; the New London Fire Company, Ch. 3; the 4-H Club and the Outing Club, Ch. 6; The New London Hospital Aid, Ch. 7; the New London Band and the "Boys Club," Ch. 8; the Mission Circle, the Woman's Aid, and the Baird Class of the New London Baptist Church, Ch. 9; the Ladies Benevolent Society of Elkins, the Guild of the Church of Our Lady of Fatima, and the King's Daughters, Ch. 9; and the American Education Fellowship and the Parent Teacher Club, Ch. 11.
3Among these might be mentioned Mrs. Tracy's informal club which used the "Baker Place" in the West Part of Town for its meetings during the early 1900's; the Soo-Nipi Park Yacht Club (1911); the Pike Brook Club (1912); the Camp Alaria Association (1912); the World Wide Guild in the 1930's; the Harvard Club of New London (1939); the New London' Rifle and Pistol Club (1941); the New London Chapter of the United World Federalists (1948); and sundry philatelic, numismatic, and card clubs over the years.
4Adapted from an organizational scheme recommended by D. D. Parker, Local History: How to Gather It, Write It, and Publish It, New York, 1944, p. 117.
5F. J-T., July 19, 1906.
Bibid., September 27, 1906.
Tibid., March 12, 1914.
8ibid., April 24, 1930.
"There is a full-page summation of its work during the 1930's in The Speaker, May, 1939, p. 8.
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10Schlesinger's study has been cited, supra, Note 1; see also Charles Merz, The Great American Bandwagon, New York, 1928, especially the chapter entitled, "Sweet Land of Secrecy."
11Lord, History, pp. 706-714. In 1950 King Solomon's Lodge was the second oldest Masonic group in the State with a continuous existence.
12Information from Elmer E. Ruggles to the writer, August 17, 1950.
13The date for regular meetings of King Solomon's Lodge in 1950 was on the Wednesday night before the full moon. This was a traditional result from horse and buggy days, when it was easiest to be out on those nights when a full moon aided the driver in finding his way to and from the Lodge building.
14Lord, History, pp. 715-718.
15 The writer is indebted to the late Mrs. Elmer Messer and to Miss Julia E. Todd for a fine historical summary of the local Grange from its establishment to 1950. There is a fine tribute to the work of the Grange in rural New England in R. E. Gould, Yankee Storekeeper, New York, 1946, pp. 153-159.
16Lord History, pp. 719-722. Of the eleven charter members, only Charles E. Shepard was still living in 1950.
17The writer is indebted to Eugene L. Lorden for the above data on the history of Heidelberg Lodge since 1900.
18Lord, History, pp. 723-725.
19 Manchester Morning Union, May 24, 1950.
20Newport Guardian and Kearsarge-Sunapee Sun, October 27, 1949. The writer is indebted to Mrs. Edith Thurston for a succinct historical sketch of the local Eastern Star group from 1899 to 1950.
21Lord, History, pp. 718-719.
22Manchester Union, April 21, 1937. Alston Brown had enlisted in the First N. H. Volunteer Cavalry in 1864 at the age of 16. He lost an arm in the bitter fighting in Virginia in June, 1864. Although a native of Wilmot, he settled in New London after the war, and lived in New London for over sixty years. He was a charter member and the last survivor of Anthony Colby Post, G. A. R.
23This structure was so named, not because of liberty in the abstract, nor because of liberty as a patriotic ideal, but because its owner had in- sisted that it was the right of young Americans to dance on his premises, if they so desired.
24 Three of its members between 1908 and 1949 rose to the rank of State Commander of the G. A. R .: Evarts Messer, Ralph Colby, and Percy M. Thurston.
25T. C. Records, Vol. 8, p. 551.
26 The Speaker, September, 1939. Prior to possessing their own build- ing, the Legion held its meetings in the Fire Hall, in old Colby Hall, and in the North Sutton Community Hall.
27In 1858 the McCutchins Guards had been organized in New Lon- don as a volunteer military company. In 1865 the company was re- organized as the Messer Rifles. This latter organization instituted the
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custom of holding the annual "military levee" during the winter months.
28F. J-T., May 21, 1925.
29The 1950 Festival is well summarized in the Newport Guardian and Kearsarge-Sunapee Sun, May 11, 1950. Mrs. Della Spiller, child welfare chairman of Unit 40, American Legion Auxiliary reported that during 1949-1950 the local group spent $260 on coordinated child welfare pro- grams. These included food, clothing, dental care, eye correction, and hospitalization; the Concord Monitor, August 30 1950.
30New London did not develop any local chapters in such patriotic societies as the D. A. R. and the S. A. R. But a number of its citizens be- longed to the State units of these organizations, and held responsible positions therein.
31The F. J-T., April 15, 1915, contains a sketch of the local organiza- tion to date.
32The Highlander, September 1, 1928. The sponsoring committee in 1950 was Lawrence R. Spaulding, William F. Kidder, and Kenneth M. Rich.
33For example, in 1935 the Town was represented at the 28th annual Older Boys Conference of New Hampshire, held in Keene, by Lester Marshall, Burt Gay, and David Crockett. In 1936 at a similar meeting in Laconia the New London delegation included Robert Messer, Harold W. Buker Jr., Burt Gay, Maurice Messer, and David Crockett. See A Community Survey of New London, N. H., Written by the Social Science Class of the New London High School, 1936-1937, pp. 17-18; and J. Duane Squires, A History of the YMCA in New Hampshire to 1944, Concord, 1944, pp. 10, 14-15.
34Information in a letter from Dorothy Colburn to the writer, July 16, 1950.
35The writer is indebted to Mrs. Herbert Hayes for a fine summary of the work of the Pleasant Street Helpers from 1893 to 1950.
36A president of the New London Woman's Club, Mrs. Catherine T. Squires in 1947 tied for first place in the Atlantic Monthly prize essay contest for that year. This contest was open to all 6,000,000 club women in the nation. Mrs. Squires' essay was printed in the Atlantic Monthly, September, 1947.
37The writer is indebted to Miss Julia E. Todd for a fine summary of the history of the New London Woman's Club from 1911 to 1950.
38The writer is indebted to Herbert D. Swift for a photostatic copy of the charter of 1909.
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