USA > New Hampshire > Sullivan County > Newport > Newport, New Hampshire, 1761-1961 : bicentennial celebration, Aug. 14-20, 1961 > Part 4
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
Towle High School
Page 26
SAID THE GOVERNOR OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
It is a pleasure as Governor to extend the greet- ings of the citizens of New Hampshire and my own personal warm good wishes to the citizens of Newport on the occasion of your Bicentennial celebration.
You, the citizens of Newport, can recall with great pride that your Town was originally settled by stal- warts who came from communities in Connecticut over two hundred years ago. Over the years your Town has grown and prospered and has contributed much to the economic growth of our State. Newport has produced leaders at the local, state and national level and they have served our people with honor and distinction. Their contributions will be long remem- bered and their records should be a source of continued pride.
Newport can also be proud of the great progress which has been made during the past two hundred years and I would like to take this opportunity to wish the citizenry of Newport continued success and prosperity.
With all good wishes,
Sincerely yours, WESLEY POWELL, Governor.
TO THE GOVERNOR OF CONNECTICUT
On behalf of the people of Connecticut, I extend the most cordial greetings to the Town of Newport, New Hampshire, on the occasion of its 200th Anniver- sary.
Connecticut feels that it may rightfully share in this happy celebration inasmuch as Newport was founded by a group of settlers moving north from Killingworth in this State.
Connecticut looks with pride both to the north and to the west - indeed, as far west as Texas - where her people established settlements that are flourishing today.
Two hundred years ago the journey from Killing- worth to Newport was long and arduous. Today, we are but a few hours apart, and thanks to this, Con- necticut people by the thousands enjoy the beautiful lakes and mountains of New Hampshire. Cars with New Hampshire registration plates are a familiar sight on Connecticut highways, too, and we want you to be sure that a friendly welcome always awaits you here.
May you have a most successful anniversary cele- bration. As Newport moves into its third century, our wish is that the community and all of its inhabitants will enjoy a happy and prosperous future.
JOHN DEMPSEY, Governor.
200 YEARS IS A LONG TIME
Page 27
THREE POST OFFICES . To Serve You
AN INTERESTING STORY OF THE MAIL IN NEWPORT
By WILLIAM F. TRACEY
Billowing clouds of dust rose front the hooves of fast running horses and the rumble and clank of the Concord coach rose to a roar as it hurtled into the valley. The shaken passengers breathed sighs of relief as the rush- ing wheels rattled across the loose boards of the wooden bridge. Turning on to Main Street the galloping team slowed to a walk and paraded up the thoroughfare to the tavern amid the shouts and cheers of the townfolk. The first regularly scheduled transporta- tion in the young and promising his- tory of the town of Newport had ar- rived safely after a long and arduous trip from Windsor Vermont. Along with the baggage of the travelers was a heavy leather pouch which con- tained the first official dispatch of letters for the citizens of the town. The year was 1818.
Rushing from one of the stores near the tavern a rather prosperous looking gentleman picked up the pouch and hurriedly returned. Soon his place of
GUILD POST OFFICE
Courtesy Georgianna Nichols
NORTH NEWPORT POST OFFICE
H. E. Mahoney Photo
NEWPORT POST OFFICE
L. R. Whitney Photo
business was filled to overflowing with people clamoring for long awaited mail. This busy man was Newport's first postmaster. His name was Arnold Ellis, a man of many talents, for in ad- dition to serving as postmaster, he was also the town's doctor as well as it's jeweler.
Previous to this time the mail, what there was of it, had been distributed and dispatched on a "catch as catch can" basis with customers in the stores and the travelers at the taverns serv- ing as messengers. The coming of the stage coaches changed all this however and soon there were routes at least twice a week running to Claremont, Bradford, Unity, Lempster, Alstead and Acworth, and surprisingly enough their schedules were seldom broken. For instance, a schedule, dated 1870 reads like this: Leave Newport daily 6 a. m .; arrives Bradford 8 a. m .; Leaves Claremont Daily at 4 a. m. and 2 p. m., arrive Newport at 5:45 a. m. and 4 p. m. These and many other lines came into being and year after year they plowed through mud and snow over unbroken roads, changed horses at top speed and made repairs with amazing dexterity to bring their mail and passengers through on time.
During this year a post office was established at North Newport and soon after another one at Guild. The popu- lation at this time numbered 2070. Since then the population has more than doubled and these three offices are still serving the town.
On November 21, 1871 the first train steamed and puffed its way into town bringing with it more mail from the outside world and in record time. Gradually the trains replaced the
coaches with their more efficient serv- ice and accordingly the mails began to increase until the small offices in the jewelry and grocery stores no longer could handle the volume. It was then that the office was established in the building at the corner of Main and Depot Streets. In the years before it had been located at various times on Maple Street and in several stores on Main Street. The move to the Cheney Block was made around 1867. By 1935 it was necessary to move into still larger quarters and the present build- ing on Park Street was built and oc- cupied.
Year after year the volume of mail handled has continued to increase and at the present accounting the office is processing mail for 23 satellite offices as well as the local mail. This operation requires the services of twenty three empolyees covering 14 hours each day of a seven day week.
In addition to being a first class office it is also a sectional center, one of the central distributing points which make it possible to deliver first class mail in twenty four hours anywhere in New England.
The following persons have served as Newport postmasters since 1810: Dr. Arnold Ellis, Erastus Baldwin, Lucy Baldwin, Aaron Nettleton, Jr., Bela Nettleton, Seth Richards, Colvin Wil- cox, John B. Stowell, Sawyer Belknap, David Watkins, Sarah Watkins, Sam Nims, George W. Nourse, Cyrus Var- ney, Edward Maley, Silas Newell, Robert E. Gould and the present Post- master, Orimer Bugbee. The present postmasters at Guild and North New- port are Mrs. Georgianna Nichols and Mrs. Martha Flint, respectively.
Page 28
THE LITTLE RED SCHOOLHOUSE
By NATALIE ANDERSON
The first school district meeting was held in 1835 under a maple tree. A seven article warrant was presented and the citizens of the area elected a moderator, clerk and prudential committee, voted money and adopted measures for the building of the school.
The school was erected in 1835 and remains today as it was then, except for the addition of a flag pole. The benches provided for the pupils sat three each. They were constructed of a single plank varying from 18 to 20 inches in width for the base and back of the seats. The original blackboard made from finished and painted wood still stands at the front of the room. The only heat provided came from an open stove.
Courtesy of Mrs. Nat Anderson
Newport's Little Red Schoolhouse today, exterior view, as restored by Reprisal Chapter, D. A. R.
Courtesy of Samuel H. Edes
Newport's Little Red Schoolhouse as it looked years ago when it was in actual use.
The school was maintained year round mostly because weather and traveling conditions prevented sessions during the winter. The summer session be- gan on the first Monday in June and lasted ten weeks.
The budget for the first years of operation ran slightly under $50 per year.
In 1885 the town of Newport adopted the union school system and the school was closed.
The school is now maintained by Reprisal Chap- ter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and is open to visitors on Sundays during July and August, and will be open during the Bicentennial Celebration. For hours inquire at the Information Booth or Bi- centennial Headquarters.
Courtesy of Mrs. Nat Anderson
The interior of the schoolhouse remains pretty much the same as it did when it was in use so many years ago.
Page 29
us
From "The Book of Old Newport"
SAMUEL CHURCH'S LOG CABIN
In 1780 Samuel Church came to Newport and soon after built the log cabin here represented. It stood on the east bank of Sugar River, between the present location of the Oak Street bridge and the railroad bridge. He also built a blacksmith shop and plied his trade there for some years. According to his grandson, Samuel Baldwin, the wolves used to come down from the hills at night and congregate around a pig sty which stood back of the cabin. A big elm tree
Don Eggleston Photo
nearby was nesting place for eagles. The drawing is by Henry E. Baldwin from descriptions and is sug- gestive rather than historical.
THE GEORGE CATSAM RESIDENCE, UNITY ROAD
It is a remarkable circumstance that among all the changes which have taken place since the days of the first settlers, what is believed to be the first frame house should remain practically as built. Deacon Jo- siah Stevens built it after he had succeeded in winning the Widow Giles, but adverse conditions came on and in 1793 he sold it to Captain Ezra and Sybil Parmelee. The Parmelee's had a small house on a knoll nearby and they moved it down and annexed it to the rear of the Stevens house, thus the salt box style.
(The salt box style usually came about because the owner often first built a one-room cabin and built, at his leisure, the more spacious house on the front, the cabin often remained as the kitchen.)
This house in which, later. Miss Ada R. Tenney and Mrs. Chester E. Pollard lived, in now the home of the George Catsams and is still remarkably the same as is attested by the present day picture to the left (The growth of the trees made it impossible to take the picture from the same viewpoint but is close enough to it to show the similarity)
Page 30
OUR TELEPHONE GIRLS
OLD TELEPHONE OFFICE
The local telephone exchange when it was in the Richards Block, sometime during the late '20's, shows Mary Mar- shall, chief operator, standing, and from left to right at the switchboard, Marion Morrow, Marie Nelson Bickford, and Katherine O'Leary.
Courtesy of Doris Cross
NEW TELEPHONE EXCHANGE
Taken through the window from the lobby of the present telephone exchange, the picture shows, from left to right, operators Welda Maxham, Katherine O'Leary, Celestine Wiggins, Marion Morrow, Betty Whittaker, Frances Em- erson and Martha Dodge, busily at work.
-
Courtesy N. E. Tel. & Tel. Co.
HONORED WITH CITATION
-
Courtesy N. E. Tel. & Tel. Co.
The girls at the Newport Telephone Exchange, collectively, were presented a citation by the Business and Professional Womens Clubs for courtesies extended in the performance of their duties, for their civic mindedness and for their work for charities. It was the first time the award was ever made in the state to other than individual women. Shown receiving the award from Mrs. Bea Butler, center, of the B.P.W., are Miss Katherine O'Leary, chief Operator, and Mrs. Bertha Blomquist, Federation chairman.
CONTRIBUTION TO LIBRARY
Don Eggleston Photo
When the local library was given an anonymous gift of $150, provided it could be matched, the girls at the local telephone office came forward with a check for that amount. Evan Hill, chairman of the library board of trustees, is shown receiving the check from two of the local operators, Dolly Gokas, left, and Betty Whittaker. The Library and the hospital are two institutions the girls work hard to support.
Page 31
THE TELEPHONE STORY in NEWPORT
Four years after the first tele- phone exchange in the world was established at New Haven, Conn., and three years after the first one in New England, Newport had its first telephones, for according to records of the New England Tele- phone & Telegraph Co., the first ex- change was established here in 1882, and the New England Com- pany was organized in October, a year later.
According to local historians, the first telephone exchange was in a furniture store, in the building now occupied by the Priscilla Sweet Shop. Fred Currier established the furniture store and was Newport's first telephone operator, attending to the calls between customers. He remained with the company for several years.
By July 1, 1884, there were thirty- five telephones served by the New- port Exchange. During this year also, a new magneto switchboard was installed in the new office across the street in the Edes Block, in the rooms now occupied by Dr. S. A. Montgomery. Stephen F. Rowell and Sadie Gunnison were two of the operators.
In either 1908 or 1911, when newer magneto switchboards were again installed, the office moved for a third time to the second floor of the Richards Block into what is now a part of the suite of offices used by Attorneys Kenneth D. Andler and John C. Fairbanks.
A fire in the block destroyed the main cables on April 18, 1917, but in less than twenty-four hours service was restored. Another fire in November, 1919, again destroyed the cables, and again they were im- mediately repaired.
Many will remember Chief Op- erator Mary Marshall who was then in charge, Lois Blaisdell and Pearl Marshall. Pearl Marshall resigned
in 1925, went to California and married Norma Shearer's father. She is still living there.
The office was made a Toll Cen- ter in 1925. Prior to that time, all of the toll calls were handled by the Concord office.
October 25, 1932, was a big day for both the telephone company and for its employees for on this date, the office was moved to its present location, in the new build- ing at the corner of South Main and Maple streets, and the then old- fashioned magneto switchboard was replaced with a #11 common battery type switchboard.
Personnel at the office, when the new quarters were opened, includ- ed: Mary Marshall, Bessie Gage, Nina Burpee, Nora Loverin, Mari- on Morrow, Doris Cross, Katherine O'Leary, Marie Bickford and Jim Collins.
Constantly improving its service and expanding its facilities, the company made another big change- over in November of 1949, the be- ginning of toll dial in the United States. Many thousands of dollars worth of new equipment was in- stalled in the building, allowing the new dialing machines to con- nect area calls directly with fifty- four other New England cities. Newport was really one of the "chosen few" exchanges when this system was inaugurated.
This greatly reduced the time and trouble in placing long-distance calls by connecting immediately and directly calls from Newport to all of the Boston exchanges, as well as other dial cities in New England, and some eight other cities extend- ing from Atlantic City, N. J., to the west coast. Newport was the first locale in western New Hamp- shire to receive this dialing system, and with Berlin and North Con-
way, was the first of three in all of New Hampshire.
The main feature of the system was the elimination of the previous- ly required point-to-point opera- tor toll calling, which had formerly required the long-distance opera- tor to hear other operators in the several cities relaying the calls vo- cally. At this time, there were twenty-seven Newport operators.
The Toll Center is now on what is known as the "Area Code" sys- tem, and right at the present time, can connect a customer with nearly any one by dialing the area code plus a seven-digit number.
Constantly progressing, the com- pany has made many improvements and in looking forward to the fu- ture, Newporters can expect by 1963, when the dial phones are installed, to do most of the calling themselves, dialing, station to sta- tion, to practically any point.
Today, Newport has a total of 1646 subscribers and a total of over 2100 telephones. There are present- ly employed, twent-eight regular op- erators and an additional ten girls are employed for the summer sea- son. Those now employed include the following: Katherine O'Leary, chief operator, Eleanor Morrow, Beverly Newton, Emily Osgood, Theresa Patnaude, Yvonne Rego, Lucille Rissala, Lorrane St. Cyr, Barbara Thayer, Mary Welch, Betty Whittaker, Estella Bushaw, Martha Cain, Marilyn Pike, Carol Racicot, Donna Sargent, Prunella Anastos, Jacquelyn Bell, Bertha Blomguist, Margaret Boutwell, Carolyn Brault, Karol Bushaw, Verna Connor, Doris Cross, Martha Dodge, Frances Emerson, Margaret Feltault, Ar- hontou Gokas, Cheryl Hoy, Nancy Jasinski, Arlene Kendall, Shirley Lord, Maureen Marcotte, Welda Maxham and Donna Morrill.
Page 32
NEWPORT TODAY
WINTER WONDERLAND
-
L. R. Whitney Photo
An early spring snow and lights at night make a winter wonderland of the post office, the Methodist church and the Newport House.
WINTER SKATING
Don Eggleston Photo
Newport floods its common in the winter for skating and hundreds of youngsters-and some oldsters-greatly enjoy it.
WINTER STREET
Photo by Ollie Turpeinen
A stop sign, paved streets and sidewalks, plus additional houses, are all that change this scene from one shown earlier in this booklet.
LITTLE COMMON
-
Don Eggleston Photo
Results of Newport's efforts to beautify the town are shown in this picture of the Little Common on Main Street.
COMMERCIAL SUNAPEE STREET
TRAVEL
AST US
Photo by Ollie Turpeinen
Sunapce Street has become pretty much commercialized in the past half-century as this view shows.
Page 33
LOOKING BACK ON MY BOYHOOD
By KENNETH ANDLER
KENNETH ANDLER, native of Newport, who has practised law here since 1932, has written two teenage novels, "The Stolen Spruce" and "The Signal Net" and has contributed articles to a number of magazines. His essay, "Surveyor in the Woods" in Harper's Magazine appears in a widely used au- thology for college English students, "Patterns in Writing."
It was fun to be a boy in Newport. New Hampshire. about 1910-1920. In fact. 1 doubt if this combination of time and place could be surpassed.
Our little world was so tightly bounded by the adjoining towns of Claremont, Croydon, Sunapee. Goshen. and Unity that we strayed into them but rarely and then only for some big event. We were such provincial, naive and eager youngsters! You would not find any like us today, search as you might, for the present day is no more like those times than Cape Canaveral is like Mark Twain's Hannibal. Mis- souri. Being impressionable beyond words, we found fun in everything.
Every Friday night during the sum- mer the local band, which was sup- ported by money voted by the Town, gave a concert on the Common, which in those days, boasted a tall wooden circular bandstand at the south end near the square. On band concert nights people drove to town from all the countryside and thronged the green. Some watched from their bug- gies with their horses tethered to trees, while others sat high up in their open automobiles now beginning to ap- pear a little less novel. People strolled about. gaily greeting their friends, or gathered into little groups and swap- ped news of the preceding week.
The band. looking brave and im- portant in their uniforms, sat on the built-in benches which encircled the high stand. above the crowd. Beneath a conical roof a string of bare, un- shaded electric bulbs poured down a stark light upon the players. Arthur Nelson. insurance agent and tax col- lector, stood out as the leader in the center of the band, playing a cornet, vigorously swinging it back and forth to keep the time. The men put their hearts and souls into the music which. being largely from brasses and per- cussion instruments, rose with a puls- ing oom-pah oom-pah into the tall trees.
Keyed up by the lively music. we boys chased each other over the Com- mon. darting here and there as we played tag or whatever it is that boys
play which requires them to run like mad. If we had a nickel or two we would dash down the street to buy an ice cream cone at Joe Bonaccorsi's store which he had named the Lucca Fruit Company in honor of his bithplace in Italy. Or if we preferred, we might buy peanuts or chestnuts from his wonderfully fragrant roasting machine on the sidewalk outside his store.
The band ended each concert with The Star Spangled Banner. Everyone stood at attention. This solemn mo- ment passed quickly. The band mem- bers descended from the bandstand, and the lights blacked out. The peo- ple dispersed, walking, driving off in their buggies, or chugging away in their touring cars, thus magically changing the Common and the side- walks of Main Street back to their normal, almost empty, appearance. As quiet seeped in you could hear the shrill whistle from Joe Bonaccorsi's peanut roaster resuming its usual im- portant role in our world of night sounds. Everyone had but one thought: it was a long time until next Friday night.
Nowadays when great orchestras wait at our fingertips and a flood of the best music pours through our homes from excellent radios, hi-fi and television sets, it is not easy to imagine how much we wanted to hear music then and what we would do to hear it. I recall riding with Si Newell, who later became postmaster, and his wife, in a sleigh to Claremont ten miles away to hear a glee club concert. Actually, having been such a small boy at the time. I recall the sleigh ride much bet- ter than the show - the jingling of the bells on the pair of horses, the welcome warmth of the fur robe, the glowing winter stars above us. the snowy fields and dim farm buildings with cheery lights in them on our way over but dark on our return, the faint bul- wark of the mountains against the night sky and then looking down from Claremont Hill on the twinkling lights of Newport as we came over the ridge into our own valley.
In the field of music we did have a
once-in-a-lifetime event: the best band in the United States came to town, Sousa's, of course. John Philip Sousa was a world-renowned composer - of The Stars and Stripe Forever among other pieces - and he was a dramatic and colorful leader. Our hall is no city auditorium. Hearing Sousa's Band play in it was a good deal like being subjected to an artillery barrage in- doors. The music surged against the walls as a wild sea against the shore. I can still see Sousa, impressive in beard and uniform leading that mag- nificent band; his music some forty five years later is still reverberating in my head.
Every summer how we thrilled when we saw the first flaming circus posters on the roadside barns! When the dawn of that red-letter day finally arrived we hurried down into Depot Square and watched the great unloading. Cages of lions and tigers drawn by big horses with shouting drivers, ele- phants ponderously pushing heavy equipment, roustabouts swarming about gilded wagons, all moved toward the circus grounds at the Interval. (An interval or intervale, as it is spelled and pronounced to the north of us. is a level space between the ubiquitous New Hampshire hills.)
We boys, in order to get passes, carried pailsful of water, ran errands. held ropes and in general overesti- mated our part in the magic raising of the tent. The parade at noon through Main Street with all its gilt and glamor, its steam calliope, the band perched high on the "band wagon," and the pacing restless animals roaring in their cages. whetted to fever pitch our ap- petite for the "main event under the Big Top."
Entirely different from the circus but one of the best things we ever had was Chautauqua. Once each summer for a week this traveling circuit of good lectures, Shakespearian plays, oper- ettas, fine music, and the best of na- tional entertainers, came to our town and performed in a khaki-colored tent as large as that of a circus. located on the Richards High School grounds.
Page 34
NEWPORT CADET BAND
WPORT
AND
From Collection of C. D. Johnson
A raised platform of rather rough lumber served as a stage and the audi- ence sat in rows of settees as in any auditorium. I remember how the grass looked between the seats, trampled down but still a healthy green, the pleasant warm smell of the canvas and how snug everything seemed on rainy nights when the side curtains were down.
Each morning there was a session for the young people - we boys had classes in tumbling, wrestling and other enjoyable activities under the leadership of able college men and girls from Swarthmore College, for our Chautauqua came from Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. At the end of the week we exhibited on stage what we had learned, made human pyramids, and performed Boy Scout tricks such as inaking first aid stretchers with our coats. Chautauqua gave us about the only thing we ever experienced of a cultural nature and it had a quality essential for a national circuit. It was the high point of our summers.
The first moving pictures we saw here were the travelogues of Lyman Howe which came about once a year. When the dramatic word raced among us at school, "Lyman Howe is coming!" we felt the spine-tinglig excitement of a name to conjure with and an antic- ipation which never let us down. I wish I knew of something in these pres- ent days to compare this to, but I can think of nothing that would convey the same impression. Even if Cinerama should come to town next week the
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.