Upper Pemigewasset Historical Society

06/05/2026

The First Roadside Stand—Billie Walker's Mineral Spring, Woodstock, New Hampshire

Printed in The Weirs Times, Thursday, December 25, 1997
Reprinted from New Hampshire Profiles Magazine, August 1953

"According to Mr. James F. Keating, who owns the Jack O'Lantern Estate in Woodstock, this odd-shaped building was the first roadside stand in the White Mountains area. To those who are familiar with the region, "Billie Walker's Mineral Spring" is located adjacent to the roadside, close by the Trout Pond at Jack O'Lantern. This picture was taken about 1905, when mountain wagons or stage coaches stopped at the spring to water the horses. Promotion-minded "Billie" Walker discovered the "spring water" and for several years (circa 1875) he bottled and sold it throughout the East. It is reputedly very strong in mineral content and does have medicinal qualities. Mr. Keating reports that some guests at his estate have been prompted to visit there because of this water. One elderly lady claimed that it cured a foot disorder (when applied externally!). In the last few years that "Billie" operated the stand, he sold candy, sodapop, and the like to the many vacationers who stopped by."

This photograph and newspaper clipping are part of the Upper Pemigewasset Historical Society's collection.

More information about this picture, from Walker Genealogy, p. 45. Reproduced in Historical New Hampshire, Winter 1977:

"Uncle Billy's Roadside stand at North Woodstock, N.H. It was taken about 1905 and this was probably the first such stand in New Hampshire. He was William Crawford Walker. He called it the 'Dew Drop Inn' and sold mineral water from a spring at his right. The spring is still there in the pond at the Jack-o-Lantern." -Frank A. Walker, 1/16/54.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
Sat., June 13, 10am-1pm—Cheers to 40 Years! Museum Opening Day
Wed., June 17, 7 pm—"The Tract Shall Be Known as the Merriam Woods" with presenter James Chesebrough
Sat., June 20, 12 pm—3rd Annual Chili Cook-Off and Block Party

06/04/2026

Disaster struck the Flume House on July 18, 1857.

During a thunderstorm, lightning struck the Flume House's flagpole, sending a powerful charge down through the bell-wire system and throughout the building. The tragedy claimed the lives of hotel clerk Willard Blandin and guest W. H. Smith of Boston, Massachusetts. Several others were injured, including proprietor Frederick A. Tyler, and the hotel itself sustained extensive damage.

The event marked a turning point in the history of the Flume House. Although the building remained standing, it appears to have ceased accommodating overnight guests shortly afterward. Tyler would eventually leave the Flume and Franconia Hotel Company in 1869.

Shown here is the Flume House and its chapel as depicted in John Badger Bachelder's 1858 lithograph print, created just one year after the lightning strike. The familiar landmark would survive for another decade before fire claimed both structures on January 12, 1871.

Fortunately, this was not the end of the Flume House story. Following the fire of 1871, a second Flume House rose on the site—larger, grander, and more elegant than its predecessor. The property continued to evolve, and in 1883, underwent yet another dramatic transformation when an expansion doubled its size. The second Flume House would welcome guests for nearly half a century before another devastating fire brought its story to a close in 1918.

This 1858 lithograph print by John Badger Bachelder (1825-1894) is part of the New Hampshire Historical Society's collection.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
Sat., June 13, 10am-1pm—Cheers to 40 Years! Museum Opening Day
Wed., June 17, 7 pm—"The Tract Shall Be Known as the Merriam Woods" with presenter James Chesebrough
Sat., June 20, 12 pm—3rd Annual Chili Cook-Off and Block Party

06/03/2026

Some photographs feel carefully composed. Others feel like you've stepped directly into the past.

These two images of the Woodstock Lumber Company are among our favorites. There's something wonderfully raw and natural about them. The photographer was likely trying to create a postcard or promotional view—but they ended up capturing a moment in time. More than a century later, we're given a seemingly unfiltered glimpse into one of Woodstock's most important industrial enterprises.

The Woodstock Lumber Company began operating at the Lower Woodstock mill site in 1907, after the property was leased from the Publishers Paper Company and soon afterward sold to the Parker-Young Company. Situated along the Pemigewasset River and connected to the vast timber resources of Thornton Gore, the mill became an important center for processing the spruce and pine harvested during the region's logging boom.

Its story, however, was a brief one. On August 14, 1913, sparks from a locomotive ignited a devastating fire that destroyed the mill, nearby buildings, more than a million feet of lumber, and ten loaded freight cars. Several neighboring homes were also lost. The mill was never rebuilt, bringing a sudden end to a significant chapter in Woodstock's industrial history.

What details catch your eye in these photographs? Do you recognize any features of the mill, the surrounding landscape, or perhaps have family stories connected to Woodstock's logging era? We'd love to hear what you see.

These photographs, circa 1907-1913, are part of the Upper Pemigewasset Historical Society's Ham Collection.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
Sat., June 13, 10am-1pm—Cheers to 40 Years! Museum Opening Day
Wed., June 17, 7 pm—"The Tract Shall Be Known as the Merriam Woods" with presenter James Chesebrough
Sat., June 20, 12 pm—3rd Annual Chili Cook-Off and Block Party

06/02/2026

Locomotive #5 and crew at Camp 24 in the winter of 1935. The crew, from left to right, are the engineer, Louis Boyle, and crewmen John McGee, Jr., Clarence Wigget, and Fred Bradford. The locomotive is a conventional tank engine built by Baldwin Locomotive Works.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
Sat., June 13, 10am-1pm—Cheers to 40 Years! Museum Opening Day
Wed., June 17, 7 pm—"The Tract Shall Be Known as the Merriam Woods" with presenter James Chesebrough
Sat., June 20, 12 pm—3rd Annual Chili Cook-Off and Block Party

06/01/2026

North Woodstock, New Hampshire, circa 1890.

This remarkable panoramic view looks north over the village of North Woodstock from Sharon Hill, near Stephen Sharon's home. Main Street stretches through the left of the image, framed by the dramatic backdrop of Franconia Notch.

A closer look reveals one of the more unusual landmarks in the photograph—a temporary structure known locally as "Tent Church." Erected in an open meadow behind Fadden's store on the west side of Main Street, the tent served as a temporary house of worship during the early 1890s while the Free Will Baptist Church was being moved to its present location beside Soldier's Park.

How many familiar landmarks can you spot in this scene? And have you ever heard stories about the Tent Church? We'd love to hear what you know.

These photographs are part of the Upper Pemigewasset Historical Society's collection.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
Sat., June 13, 10am-1pm—Cheers to 40 Years! Museum Opening Day
Wed., June 17, 7 pm—"The Tract Shall Be Known as the Merriam Woods" with presenter James Chesebrough
Sat., June 20, 12 pm—3rd Annual Chili Cook-Off and Block Party

05/31/2026

Sliding Down the Railway, c. 1890s—Mount Washington, New Hampshire

When Sylvester Marsh organized the Mount Washington Railway Company in 1866, the area around present-day Marshfield Station was still heavily forested. Before construction of the railway could begin, workers cleared the land, cut timber for ties and trestles, built a log cabin for offices and lodging, and improved the road to Fabyan so supplies could be hauled in by oxcart.

Once work on the railway was underway, Marsh employed hundreds of laborers—including many Civil War veterans—to tackle the enormous task of building a railroad up the side of Mount Washington. But after a long day's work, many workers found a much faster way down the mountain.

Using homemade slideboards known as "Devil's Shingles," workers rode the railway's center rack track from the summit to the base. Little more than narrow wooden planks fitted with seats, footrests, and hand brakes, these contraptions could make the trip down the mountain in about fifteen minutes. For some riders, however, that wasn't fast enough. Competitive descents became common, and one reported record run covered the route in just 2 minutes and 45 seconds—an average speed of 60 miles per hour!

While the Devil's Shingles became a legendary part of Cog Railway history, they also proved dangerous. Following a few fatal accidents, New Hampshire eventually banned their use, bringing an end to one of the most daring—and perilous—commutes in the White Mountains.

05/30/2026

Chase's Hillside House, Campton Village, New Hampshire, 1850-1930

We're hoping you can help us learn more about Chase's Hillside House in Campton Village.

Included in the roundup of images is a stereoscopic view, photographed by E. J. Young during the summer of 1876, showing guests gathered at the hotel. Written on the reverse is the note: "Mr. Nathan E. Hooper's family of Boston passed [...] Summer of 1876 here." Unfortunately, part of the inscription is difficult to read.

Who owned or operated Chase's Hillside House? What became of the building? Was it a popular destination for summer visitors to the White Mountains?

If you have information, photographs, postcards, advertisements, newspaper clippings, or family stories related to Chase's Hillside House, we'd love to hear from you. Sometimes the best local history discoveries come from the memories and collections of our community.

Credits:
Images 1-3: These are part of the Upper Pemigewasset Historical Society's collection.
Images 4-5: The stereoscopic views are part of the New York Public Library's Robert N. Dennis Collection.

05/29/2026

“1908 Wedding,” printed in the Courier, 1984

Mrs. Alma (Poirier) Ledger celebrated her 100th birthday on August 14, 1984, and the Courier shared this special photograph of Alma and her husband, Thomas Ledger, taken during their honeymoon in Lincoln, New Hampshire, in 1908. The couple can be seen at the center of the group while touring through the Flume by stagecoach.

Born on August 14, 1884, Alma lived a remarkable life spanning more than a century, passing on June 9, 1987. She resides, alongside Thomas and two of their children, at Riverside Cemetery in Lincoln.

This photograph was loaned to the Courier by Lena (Ledger) Bouchard, Thomas and Alma Ledger’s daughter, for its “North Country Scrapbook” feature in 1984. The newspaper clipping is preserved in a scrapbook of local news clippings in the Upper Pemigewasset Historical Society’s collection.

05/28/2026

Beard Opera House, North Woodstock, New Hampshire

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Beard Opera House, located on the east side of Main Street near Cascade Park, served as a lively center for entertainment, social gatherings, and local business. The building rose four stories on three sides, though its front façade appeared only three stories tall. Inside, the Opera House featured a 70 x 46-foot stage, with North Carolina pine adorning the hall and birch flooring throughout.

One of its earliest celebrations was a grand masquerade ball held for the building’s opening on May 25, 1897. Beyond the Opera House itself, the building was home to several businesses over the years, including the Newman & Lewis clothing and dry goods store, E. A. Sawyer’s bowling alley, and even a steam laundry.

The Beard Opera House was owned and managed by William Remick Beard, who also operated Sunset Farm, a farm and boarding house located on the east side of the Pemigewasset River just over a mile from North Woodstock village.

On February 20, 1908, along with the Hotel Fairfield, the Beard Opera House burned down.

These photographs are courtesy of Charlie Harrington.
The photograph showing Hotel Fairfield and the Beard Opera House is part of the Upper Pemigewasset Historical Society's collection.

05/27/2026

In August 1925, former Johnson Lumber Company General Manager James McGraw recorded his firsthand recollections of the Bog Pond Tract in Lincoln, documenting nearly a decade of logging operations, timber sales, and industrial expansion within the Upper Pemigewasset region wilderness. His account traces the rise of the Johnson Lumber Company, the transfer of the tract to the Matson Manufacturing Company, and the transformation of the remote forest into one of the region’s ambitious early twentieth-century lumber enterprises.

This letter and accompanying photographs are part of the Upper Pemigewasset Historical Society's Johnson Collection.

In this image (left to right), dated 1908 or 1909: James McGraw, General Manager for Johnson Lumber Company, Edwin Matson, Jr. of Wellsboro, PA, and Hatfield. Edwin Matson, Jr., for Matson Manufacturing Co. Inc., purchased the Bog Pond Tract in 1909.