Last week, here, I shared some old photos of our house though we were not the intended subject of the photos. Saturday I joined the local historical society and purchased two books that tell the history of this town. Three more photos from one of those books show our house, too.
We've been learning more about our house after the tip to search the deeds online at the Sullivan County website. I'll share what we've learned in a future post.
The first photo is the Inn and store that used to be next to our property. Notice our house tucked in the right side. This is a more recent photo than than one posted last week because the trees are grown. We think that the year must be in the 1910s because of the car. See it in front of the brick building?
The second photo is dated 1927 after the fire. Again our house on the right. But notice the hill behind - devoid of trees. That's the hill we see out back and it's covered with trees as you know.
From the history book here's a description of the fire:
"April 7, 1927 - At 3 am, fire was discovered in the brick cottage ell of the C****** Inn by a son of A.F. Davis, the proprietor. Connected to the 28 room hotel was a large, heavily timbered open shed with a hall on the second floor which was used for dances and public gatherings. Beyond this. was a three story brick store owned by Evarts P. Brown. The burning of these buildings and the barn, stables and smaller sheds resulted in a spectacular fire. Fanned by a strong wind, sparks and embers were scattered for nearly a mile. The Inn and store were nearly 125 years old and in good condition, the loss was estimated between ten and twenty thousand dollars, only partially insured. The library, furniture, jewels and equipment of the Cheshire Lodge, F. and A.M., which used the third floor of the store, were a total loss. Several residences nearby (likely ours!) caught fire but were extinguished quickly; a heavy snow squall came at the height of the blaze, preventing any further chance of the fire spreading. The *** Fire Department arrived within a half hour. No one was injured."
The final photo has got to be in the 1950s judging from the car. A new store has been built. That is still there but expanded and one day may be a new library/community center. Again our house on the right and with a magnifying glass we can see the shadow of the barn. The shutters are off compared to the picture above but the renovation to the long back part hasn't been done yet because the windows are different from what we have. Finally the hill behind is overgrown with trees now.
I've been reading about New Hampshire history and learned this tidbit. The part of NH where we are bordering Vermont on the Connecticut River petitioned to become part of Vermont as it was going through the process of becoming a state. It nearly went through until the Continental Congress stepped in and said no. After all the rest of NH didn't want to lose this part.
