Marker #161 Ladd-Gilman House

Marker Text:

Built about 1721 as one of New Hampshire’s earliest brick houses, and enlarged and clapboarded in the 1750s, this dwelling served as the state treasury during the Revolution. Here were born John Taylor Gilman (1753-1828), who was elected governor for an unequalled total of fourteen years, and his brother Nicholas Gilman, Jr. (1755-1814), a signer of the U.S. Constitution. The house has been maintained since 1902 by the Society of the Cincinnati.

Located at the Ladd-Gilman house on Water St. in downtown Exeter, the Marker was erected in 1991. (Leftmost Placemark below)

The Ladd-Gilman House gives us a chance to return to Exeter one more time before the Revolutionary War. This is a chance to catch up with Exeter’s history since the last marker from more than 80 years ago.  After Rev. Wheelwright was booted out of town in 1642 and Exeter came under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts, the town began to be settled in earnest. 

Exeter was a desirable place to settle for many reasons. As the Exeter river goes over the falls it becomes the Swampscott river and is part of Great Bay.  Back then, before the construction of dams, salmon were plentiful as they headed from the ocean up the Exeter river to spawn.   The Swampscott river, being a tidal river, provided access to Dover, Strawberry Banke and the ocean.  Alewives were plentiful above the falls providing an opportunity to build fisheries and use the harvested fish to fertilize the soil as land was cleared  and farms built.  The first mill was erected on the east side of the river on the Exeter river falls (map above, center right).  The homes of the settlers were generally on the west side of the river.

As with any new town representatives were selected, taxes set out for the common cause, plots of land claimed and bickered about, grumbles about Massachusetts Government and people generally being people.  Into this new town being structured came a wealthy man named Edward Gilman:

… the settlement in Exeter of Edward Gilman in 1647, and his relatives shortly afterwards, men of property and energy, who set up saw-mills and gave an impulse to the business of the place. Bell, History of Exeter

The Gilman family prospered in Exeter as more of the family moved into the town.  Over the next 50 years Exeter would grow steadily,  the primary exports being ship masts, barrel staves and other products produced at the mills.  The first garrison house would be built by a Gilman and still stands today at 12 Water Street (map above, lower right).

Nathaniel Ladd was born in Haverhill MA in the 1650s, married Elizabeth Gilman and eventually settled in Exeter.  He managed to get into a bit of trouble in 1683 when he took part in Gove’s rebellion. Many were angry at provincial Governor who had dissolved the assemblies elected by the people to appoint his own guys. Ladd and 11 others (probably fortified with spirits) rode from Exeter to Hampton with guns and sword at the ready.  They were all arrested except Ladd who managed to escape and went into hiding for a while. Nathaniel Ladd would meet an early death participating in a raid on the Indian settlement at Casco Bay in 1691.  His eldest son, Nathaniel II would build what is today the Ladd-Gilman House.

Ladd-Gilman House, 11/09

The original house is all brick, but was clapboarded over later when additions were added in the 1750s.  Through marriage between the Ladd and Gilman families in the 1700s the house was eventually owned by the Gilmans.  Today the house is part of the American Independence Museum in Exeter, and displays historic documents including original drafts of the Declaration of Independence.  Also on the museum property is the Folsom Tavern (pictured above), built in 1775 on the corner of today’s Front and Water streets.  It was moved to this location in 2004. And before you ask, yes, George Washington visited here in 1783.

There will be a little more on this important building in posts about the revolution.

Marker Road Trip

Yesterday the lovely Carol and I jumped into the car to hunt for Historic markers.  It’s always a fun day exploring the back roads and tiny villages of the less visited parts of our state and this trip was no exception.  And we struck it rich.

Marker gold. 14 more crossed off the list.

Beyond the markers, the communities themselves are almost always a surprise.  Here’s a few highlights from yesterday’s trip.  All population numbers are from the state’s 2008 estimate.  Click for bigger pics.

Sutton. Population 2,910

After Rt 114 South passes under I89 (no exit on 89) it’s a bumpy frost heavy ride into Sutton.  The town itself is divided into Sutton and South Sutton.

This is the “First Freemen” Baptist church near the entrance to Wadleigh State Park in Sutton.  The cemetery is behind the church.

Rt. 114 bends sharply left, passing a small general store on its way to South Sutton.

Bradford. Population 1,586

In Bradford is the junction of Rt 114 and 103. A right turn heads to Lake Sunapee.  Just after the turn is Center street on the left and a covered bridge. At the end of Center street is what was the original center of Bradford.

Rock walls are everywhere you go.  This wall is made of some pretty large boulders, and as you can see from the lichen they were placed a long time ago. This wall surrounds lines the original cemetery in old Bradford Center from the 1790s.

This road is a dead end, but there is a marker here seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

Goshen. Population 818

South of Newport, NH on Rt. 10 is Goshen. The small dam above was probably built long ago to power an old mill.  The lower pond is beginning to freeze over again as the mildly turbulent water creates ice Frisbees.

Lempster. Population 1,111

Did you know there was a wind farm in Lempster? I didn’t until yesterday.

Amazing things.  It’s hard to get a feel for the real size of it.  Each of those blades is 170 feet long.  From one blade tip to another is about 300 feet – the length of a football field.  As soon as I stepped out of the car, I could hear it.  A deep woosh-ish sound as the blades spun.

There are 12 of these things running along the ridges of Lempster, producing enough power for about 10,000 homes (1/40th the output of Seabrook).  At a cost of $48 million it provided a lot of “green jobs” during construction.  Now that it’s operational, not so many.  Only 3.  The company that built and runs it, Iberdrola Renewables, brought in the wind turbines from Spain. (Source)

Washington. Population 995

From Lempster there is back road imaginatively named Mountain Road. It climbs over the ridge the wind turbines are on to the little town of Washington.

The town straddles Rt 31 about halfway between Goshen and Hillsborough.  The center of town has a Gazebo (you can see it left) and some well maintained classic New Hampshire buildings.

A shot from the Gazebo.  Church, 1800s era school house, and the Washington Town Hall.

If you ever get down this way stop at the general store in town.  Along with the usual snacks, drinks and suds, they have a Pizza oven and are open serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

And they have a gas pump (just one, no brand).  I hear they get a lot of snowmobile business.

Hillsborough 5,857

Maps are a funny thing.  Sometimes a road becomes a dirt road.  So there you are driving along a well plowed dirt road and bam!  You see something like the bridge at left.

Further along this dirt road are some insanely beautiful original brick farm houses from the 1700s and many of the farms are still operational. There’s money in there.

Antrim. Population 2,630

With the sun getting low it’s time to find a way home.  31 South runs through Antrim.  Here’s the chariot in front Antrim Town Hall (1894).

There’s a marker across the street but I’m thinking I need to go back as the fading light didn’t make for any really nice shots.

I’m keeping a list of places that we would like to revisit in the spring, summer or fall.  Antrim gets added.

Bennington. Population 4,904

Bennington has been a mill town forever.  And in fact the marker here talks about just that, so I’ll save a lot of the shots from there for the appropriate history post.

Mills mean dams and dams mean ponds and ponds mean ice this time of year.

Ice piling up against the dam in a refreezing pond.

I realize it’s been a bit since the last history post, but the next one is just about ready to publish – back to Exeter one last time before the revolution.

Air Force One Buzzes Mike in New Hampshire?

Here in Hudson we’re used to Manchester air traffic on approach, and sometimes they come right over the house.  Not over the house today, but close enough!

Air Force One Heading Into Manchester

Please place your seatbacks and tray tables in the upright and locked position.

That is one big plane.  I was looking for any signs of fighter escorts zipping around but there were none to be found.  The President is in Nashua today at 2:00pm at Nashua North High School.

If You’re Near Portsmouth Next Friday …

… Consider going to Portsmouth photographer Phil Cohen of The Daily Portsmouth first show.  I’ve plugged Phil’s site before, his work really captures the feel of the city.

From his blog:

“Exciting news! This coming Friday, February 5th – I will be featured as part of the Art ‘Round Town evening gallery walk at the newly opened Portsmouth Art Exchange (220 State Street), which is taking place from 5pm-8pm.”

Congratulations Phil!

I See Your True Colors Shining Through

It’s time again that Sue at Life Looms Large requests colors.  The colors of January this month.  Bleh.  For those of us in New Hampshire the colors of January are mostly black and white.   But January doesn’t have to be a colorless month.  You just need to sneak up on it. Never fear, software is here! And so is color.

Click for a HUGE version.

The above photo was processed with Photomatix, the free version. (you can see the watermark in the upper left).

Here is the original untouched photo.

What makes the photos different?  High Dynamic Range (HDR) processing.  More Color from January, enhanced with HDR software, including the free app LuminaceHDR

The State Library

  An Old Mill

 

Franklin Pierce Manse

 

Original

 

An Extreme HDR image, pushing the limits of color.(click for BIG image)  This image created with the free LuminanceHDR software

  The color is in there.

Marker #96 The Two Mile Streak

Marker Text:

Granted in 1719 to encourage industrial development in the province and called New Portsmouth, this two-mile wide strip of land was set aside to provide homesites for imported workers at the Lamprey Ironworks. Wood from this strip was converted to charcoal for the Ironworks. Absorbed by the 1722 Barrington Grant, the area retains its identity as The Two-Mile Streak. Descendants of early settlers still live here.

This marker was erected in 1974.  It’s located on the east side of Rt. 125, about one and a half miles south of Rt. 9 in Barrington.

Before getting to the Two Mile Streak it’s worth mentioning that the influx of settlers to New England really started to take off in the early 1700s.   Businessman had begun erecting mills on the rivers around Great Bay.  Townships and protective Garrisons were being established along the Merrimack river, and Portsmouth was the center of New Hampshire trade and government

As the population grew, so did the need for resources and trade goods.  Ship masts and lumber were in great demand, and most of the Great Bay area had been clear-cut by 1715 or so.  The trees were cut, masts and lumber made, then shipped off to England for the King.  The settlers needed homes and food, and the resources needed to keep flowing in and out of New Hampshire. Farms and markets were increasing in number and the colony was prospering quite well.  The population by 1720 was nearing approximately 10,000-15,000 people in the towns surrounding Great Bay, double what it had been only 10 years earlier. 

Abundant resources – and profits – attracted prominent and wealthy merchants to our shores.  Among them was a successful captain from Scotland, Archibald MacPheadris, who made his fortune as a sea captain and trader before coming to New Hampshire.  His first ventures here were in the fir trade and lumber exports.  He developed a  good relationship with the Indians and set up a network of outposts and employees to acquire firs.  Investing money in the building and running of lumber mills along the rivers feeding Great Bay produced valuable lumber.  Exporting his products back to London made him one of the richest and most important men in Portsmouth at the time.

Today you can still see his legacy at the home he built in Portsmouth, “The Warner House". 

 Warner House photo provided by and copyright of Philip Case Cohen.  Visit his blog, The Daily Portsmouth!  Check out his Virtual Gallery while you’re over there.

Construction began in 1716 or so (accounts vary) and was completed in 1718.  All of the original brick was imported from Holland, and the cost to build it was a then staggering  £6,000! It was completed in time to present as a gift to his new wife Sarah Wentworth.  She was one of the 16 children of Governor John Wentworth.  MacPheadris was well connected.  They had one child, Mary, who would later marry a gentleman named John Warner.  The home now bears his name.  To read a very interesting detailed history of the house, Volume 7 of the Granite Monthly of 1883 has quite the colorful story.

Now we can get to the Two Mile Streak!

One of  the ventures MacPheadris established in New Hampshire was the first Ironworks in the state, the “Lamprey Ironworks.”

Making Iron is no small thing.  First you have to find the ore, which was dug out of the bogs in the area.  Then you have to smelt it.  That means heat, and lots of it.  MacPheadris needed trees to burn into charcoal to keep his furnace hot, and people to dig up Bog Iron ore and man the Ironworks. It was backbreaking, dirty hot work.  MacPheadris brought employees over from England to man his project.

The Iron was turned into everything from home fixtures (nails, hinges, door handles, etc.) to household goods such as pots and plates. (Photo above is the Iron Furnace in Franconia, click it to visit the web site)

In 1719 the resources required to support the operation were awarded in the form of the Two Mile Streak.  Two miles wide, and six miles long it is today the eastern side of Barrington.  Homes were built for the families of the men that worked for the Ironworks, and the wood of the land kept the furnace going. The streak can be clearly seen in this portion of a 1784 map by Samuel Holland (click to enlarge).

In 1722 the Streak became part of the Barrington Grant that created that township (and included what is today Strafford). The same charter created the towns of Chester, Nottingham and Rochester.  Barrington would begin to be settled in earnest in the mid 1730s.

The Lamprey Ironworks operated until MacPheadris’ death in 1728.  He had been an entrepreneur, magistrate in Portsmouth, part of the Kings Council and pioneer in developing New Hampshire trade and early industry. The homesteads built for his workers and their families were the first in Barrington.

Today’s Rt. 125 enters Barrington from Lee in the Streak, and runs north through this land grant all the way to the Rochester border.  It’s not very impressive when you drive along, but it played an important part in our history, thanks to Captain Archibald MacPhaedris.

“He was Capt. Archibald Macpheadris, a yellow-haired Scotchman, as crotchety as his late countryman, Carlyle, an indefatigable worker, a prosperous merchant and speculator, whose thrift brought him wealth.”

Marker #58 Scotch-Irish Settlement – and Tartan!

Marker Text:

In April 1719, sixteen Presbyterian Scotch-Irish families settled here in two rows of cabins along West Running Brook easterly of Beaver Brook. Initially known as Nutfield, the settlement became Londonderry in 1723. The first year, a field was planted, known as the Common Field, where the potato was first grown in North America.

Located about a mile east of the Derry rotary on East Derry Rd in front of the East Derry Church and site of the first meetinghouse. Marker erected in 1969.

 

The Scotch-Irish – also known as the Ulster-Scots – have  a pretty interesting history.  Back in the days of King James I and through the 1600s, there were settlers sent from Scotland to Catholic Ireland.  One of the first was in what came to be known as Ulster County.  The major town was … Londonderry!

Of course the native Catholics weren’t to happy about having land given to these immigrating Presbyterian Scotsmen. It didn’t take long before hostilities broke out. 

By 1641 The Irish Rebellion was in full swing.  This was pretty much the start of the centuries long strife between the Protestants and Catholics in Ireland.  We don’t need to go through it all here.  Lets just follow the Scotch-Irish that came to New Hampshire.

As previously noted, the Scotch-Irish were Presbyterians.  They had splintered away from the official English church.  In 1688 the ascension of William to the English throne brought relative peace to Ireland.  The Scotch-Irish were allowed to practice their religion, but were required to pay the church of England 10% of everything they produced.  They land they lived on and worked was only leased to them by the crown – they could be evicted at any time.

Edward Parker, in his 1851 “History of Londonderry” quotes an earlier historian commenting on the feelings in Northern Ireland at the time between the Protestants and the Catholics:

"On the same soil dwelt two populations, locally intermixed, morally and politically sundered. The difference of religion was by no means the only difference, and was perhaps not even the chief difference, which existed between them. They sprang from different stocks. They spoke different languages. They had different national characters, as strongly opposed as any two national characters in Europe. They were in widely different stages of civilization. There could, therefore, be little sympathy between them ; and centuries of calamities and wrongs had generated a strong antipathy. The relation in which the minority stood to the majority, resembled the relation in which the followers of William the Conqueror stood to the Saxon churls, or the relation in which the followers of Cortez stood to the Indians of Mexico."

So there they were.  No real land ownership, taxed to support a church they didn’t believe in and surrounded by animosity from both the Irish Catholics and church of England.  And they had heard things.  Good things about new freedoms across the Atlantic.  It didn’t take long for them to realize leaving for the new world might not be such a bad idea.

Four Presbyterian clergymen gathered all the interested families from their churches. 217 signed the request that was sent to Boston in the hands of Reverend Boyd.  The colony said “sure, come on over!” and they did.  They arrived in Boston in August of 1718.

In the fall of that year a gentleman named MacGregor took 16 of these families to Casco Bay to find a place to settle, but arrived late in the fall.  They spent a miserable winter aboard ship, sick and hungry, iced into the bay.  Boston sent enough food to see them to the spring.

In the spring they explored the lands around Casco Bay but couldn’t find anything to their liking.  So they struck west into the Merrimack valley, arriving at the settlement in Haverhill, MA.  Once there they began asking about land that could be settled and were told of an area called Nutfield, about 15 miles northwest.  The men went to explore the new area and fell in love. 

November 2009

They communicated the selection of the land to Boston – making their claim – and proceeded to build some crude huts before returning to gather up their families and few possessions for the trip to their new home.   As the marker notes, 5 years later they renamed the town after their old home in Ireland, Londonderry.

Now to important stuff.  Potatoes!  That’s quite a claim on the marker: “The first year, a field was planted, known as the Common Field, where the potato was first grown in North America.”  Could it be true?  This calls for some intense googling.

It seems that a few people brought some potatoes in the 1600s, but no one really established a potato plantation.  All of the most reliable Potato Historians do indeed place the first legitimate Potato farms in Londonderry, 1719.  Take that Maine!

Special bonus for all my Crafty readers, the Official State of New Hampshire Tartan!

Yes we do have one, approved by the state legislature in 1995 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the New Hampshire Highland Games.

 

Here is the Sett for the Tartan:

green 56, black 2, green 2, black 12, white 2, black 12, purple 2, black 2, purple 8, red 6, purple 28

The colors represent:

Green represents our forests, Black the granite of our mountains, White is the snow, Purple our state flower the Lilac and bird the purple finch.  Red represents all our state Heroes.

I’ll let some of our weavers explain how a list of colored string gets turned into tartan.  Looms scare me.

Dinosaurs on my Doorstep

A fresh fall of snow is a Dinosaur hunters best friend.  This morning the sleepy town of Hudson (along with the rest of New Hampshire) was covered with a white wet snow that clings to trees, bushes, wires and doorsteps.

After grabbing the coat and gloves to throw global warming around the yard, what should I find?  Dinosaur prints!  Wait, where are you going?  Don’t close your browser yet.  I have proof!

Figure 1:  Itty bitty Dinosaur Prints

I know what you’re thinking, “uh, Mike, those are bird tracks….”.  Deniers! Skeptics! Why must you crush my dreams?

The origin of birds is actually still being debated in evolutionary biology circles.  But as the evidence piles up, it seems that yes, birds are actually  avian dinosaurs.  Be that as it may, I found this on the internet:

That’s right, it’s a tiny dinosaur sneaking up on a person unawares.  Good thing it’s probably an herbivore, or someone would be missing a toe.

This little guy is a Microceratops, and ate shrubs like I have in my front yard, right next to the dinosaur prints!  Coincidence?  I think not, you flat earther you.

Ok, ok.  Maybe it is a bird print.   Probably a Blue jay or Mourning Dove.  Or maybe one of those elusive Cardinals I can never seem to get a picture of because they are so skittish.

I thought the prints deserved to be preserved before I shoveled them away.

A Blogger, an ordinary guy, and his Book.

This post is going to be a little different for me.  Those of you that come here often (all  6 of you) usually stop by to learn a bit of New Hampshire history.  I appreciate that.  This post is about an ordinary guy that was there at the very beginning of the blogging trend,  Dan Collins, and his new book “Was it something I Said?”

A disclaimer before I go on.  My politics are to the right, so some of the links here may take you to that crazy world of freedom, liberty, and all those things.  Click here if you are afraid of that stuff.

Still here? Good.  Way back before blogging platforms and gigabytes of free web space, I used to frequent a web site called Free Republic. It’s still going strong. This was back in the mid to late 90s.  I don’t know if Dan Collins was ever there but it ended up launching a bunch of web sites and blogs in its aftermath including breaking the Dan Rather fraud on the Bush National Guard memos.

Now back to Dan.  I first read his commentary at Protein Wisdom.  A great blog with great commentary, and a humorous bunch of commenters. Bookmark or add it to your RSS feed.  Really.  Now.  Go do it.    Dan was a regular writer there before striking out on his own with his brother and an expanding cast of characters.

Today Dan blogs at his site Piece of Work in Progress. He’s joined by his brother (Enoch), Meep, a lady who gives the lie to the meme that women can’t do math, and other contributors.  The topics run the gamut, and you don’t need to be left or right to enjoy the content.  Except the creepy thing at the top.  Everyone hates that.

As far as Dan’s book goes, He was asking for jacket quotes in twitter.  I gave him one.  I’m sure it’s in there, right Dan?    Dan?     …..   DAaaaaaaN!

EDIT:  I asked Dan for a comment for this review:

Unfortunately less miserable than Frank McCourt’s Irish Catholic childhood, out of which Haiti beats the crap, anyway.

I’m going to spend a few days wondering if I should try to understand that.

Marker #55 Baker River

Marker Text:

Known to Indians as Asquamchumauke, the nearby river was renamed for Lt. Thomas Baker (1682-1753) whose company of 34 scouts from Northhampton, Mass. passed down this valley in 1712. A few miles south his men destroyed a Pemigewasset Indian village. Massachusetts rewarded the expedition with a scalp bounty of £40 and made Baker a captain.

Erected in 1968, this marker is located on Rt 25 in Rumney, about 8 miles west of I93 off exit 26, in a rest area and information station.  You’ll pass the world famous Polar Caves on the way there.

The Baker River is a quiet waterway about 36 miles long with its headwaters originating on the south side of Mount Moosilauke (4800 feet).  It parallels  Rt25 in Rumney before entering Plymouth and emptying into the Pemigewasset River.

To learn the full story of Thomas Baker we’ll need to go back 8 years before the event on the marker to 1704 and the town of Deerfield Massachusetts.  It was there that a key event in Queen Anne’s War would occur and chart Baker’s course in life.  The Deerfield Massacre.

At dawn on leap day, February 29th 1704, the settlement at Deerfield came under attack from a force of 300-400 Indians and their French commanders.  Two Garrisons protected the town, one surrounded by a high palisade.  Fearing attacks, many residents spent their nights within the garrison walls.  The attack force stealthily approached the town and climbed snow drifts to get inside the palisade and open the gates.  The massacre was on.  As dawn broke hatchets fell and guns fired.  The Indians ransacked and burned homes lighting up the skies and alerting settlements to the south.

The pattern would be the same as befell Hanah Dustin from Haverhill 7 years earlier:  Strike at dawn, pillage, burn the town, take captives and escape north.  The town garrisons and militia put up a valiant fight eventually driving off the attack. 48 were killed, 140 “alive at home” (wounded) and 112 people were taken captive.

Among the captives was the town minister John Williams, who would later write a book about the event The Redeemed Captive Returning to Zion  and 22 year old Thomas Baker.  I’ll bet you thought I forgot about him by now!

To make a long story a bit shorter, Baker was taken to Montreal.  He would spend 15 months there before escaping.  In May of 1705, he and 3 others managed to get clear of Montreal making their way back to Deerfield where they arrived weak and hungry on June 8th.

The Deerfield Massacre, his capture and escape would define Bakers life.  Described as “somewhat rough in manner” he joined the King’s army and became a proficient scout.  Commanding soldiers scouting north for Indian raiding parties would be his day to day life, and he eventually earned a commission to Lieutenant.

Now we can get to the event that earned Thomas Baker his promotion to Captain, and the naming of a river after him.  It’s not as exciting as the Deerfield massacre.

The Indians that raided Massachusetts and New Hampshire were using the Pemigewasset more often to make their escape.  Baker was assigned 30-35 men (accounts vary) for an exploratory mission up the Connecticut River Valley and then southeast to what is currently Plymouth NH.  Travelling north they went as far as what is currently Haverhill NH. On their arrival no Indians were to be seen.  Striking Inland and following the terrain the party would eventually arrive in what is today Warren, NH and the Baker River.

Baker River, at the marker with Rattlesnake Mt. in the distance, 12/09

The trip down the river was uneventful until the party arrived at the confluence of the Baker River and the Pemigewasset at today’s Plymouth.  There they encountered a small band of Indians who had made their home there.  Baker attacked, killing many including their chief, and scattering the rest.  After inspecting the village they took as many furs and supplies as they could carry, and burned the rest to the ground.  They finished their journey heading south to the Merrimack, and then to Boston to report.

The marker story ends here, but Captain Baker doesn’t.  In 1714, guiding negotiators to Montreal to gain the release of British Captives, Baker would meet his wife Margaret.  As a baby she had been taken from Dover, NH in an Indian raid in 1689.  She was given to the Catholic priests for upbringing.  She married a Frenchman named LeBeau and had three children before M. LeBeau died.

She returned to Massachusetts with Baker and they were wed in 1715.  He continued his scouting missions, became a local politician, and by 1735 had resettled in Margaret’s home town of Dover, NH.  Captain Baker died in 1735.  Mrs. Baker ran a tavern in Dover as a widow until her death in 1773.