Bow News : history

Heritage Commission’s calendar brings attention to Bow's historic buildings

Bow Editor — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 01:29:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Eighteen months and 300 photographs later, Bow residents can now have a look at 2009. The Bow Heritage Commission recently completed its 2009 “Barns of Bow” calendar with the help of Bow Selectman Eric Anderson, who photographed the various barns in town.

“I love capturing the present and preservng it for the future,” Anderson said. “It was appealing because I left Bow for a period of almost 30 years for college and serving the country. When I returned, much of what I remembered was missing. I’ve had it in the back of my mind that we should start capturing the barns through photographs.”

Sue Wheeler, chairman of the Bow Heritage Commission, said the process took close to two years between getting advertisers to sponsor the project and collecting Anderson’s photographs.

Wheeler said her favorite part was seeing the variety of buildings in Bow.

“A barn that you have today might have been built in the 1900s, but it’s still significant because not everyone is building barns today,” she said. “They were built for farming and livestock when that was your livelihood. It’s interesting to see the different eras and how different the barns looked in keeping up with the times.”

Anderson took more than 300 photographs that he had to narrow down to 14. Whether it was during the brisk winter or blistering summer, he was outside with his camera, snapping away.

“I was out in snowstorms, out in the heat, out in the buggy seasons,” said Anderson, who also said the barns are representative of the state. “I think if you look at the state, they’ve had a great effort in providing abatements for barns. It’s part of our landscape in New Hampshire, and here in Bow. It’s something we should be paying attention to and preserving.”

The calendar will give residents a glimpse of how many barns are in their hometown.

“It opens the eyes to a lot of Bow residents who don’t realize how many barns there really are in town,” said Wheeler. “You may not go down that certain road, but maybe if you knew there were more around, you may ride around and take a look.”

Anderson also said community awareness of the barns is important.

“I think it’s an effort in progress. We need to continue documenting what’s going on in our community,” he said. “It’s an ongoing effort, and this calendar was one opportunity to do that.”

In the calendar, the pictures tell the story, as each photo only has a small amount of information accompanying it.

“It gives you an idea. It can’t tell the whole story, but can give you an idea what went on and how it effected the town,” said Wheeler. “We have given a little information on the barns, but we didn’t want to give too much away. We want people to inquire when they see it. We want peopel to dig for some info.”

The calendar costs $15 each, and can be purchased at Baker Free Library, Ordways Market in Concord, and Champney’s Fireworks in Bow. All proceeds will benefit the Bow Heritage Commission.

Snow roller formally dedicated

Bow Editor — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 21:58:00 GMT

BY JANET SHAW

History was revisited on July 7 as many Bow families and friends joined the Bow Heritage Commission and town officials in formally dedicating the recently reconstructed Bow snow roller.

Before the unveiling of the historical plaque, Leon Kenison, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, and Jim Pitts, town manager, both praised the builder, *** Welch, for his dedication, vision and craftsmanship.

Pitts also wanted it recognized that Bow is quite special, in that its citizens are sincere in working together to keep a community in balance with its history.

Heritage Commission Chairman Susan Wheeler and former Chairman *** Stevens also added thanks to the present and past Board of Selectmen members who provided support for this undertaking. It was first dreamed about a few years ago when some roller pieces were discovered in a nearby woodlot owned by Dr. Robert Johnson.

Welch also offered his thanks and recognized others in the audience, and named on the plaque, who helped him with other pieces to complete the project.

Following the dedication, more than 80 visitors were welcomed to put themselves in the classroom of Bow’s remaining one-room school-house. Some were newcomers with their children and others were prior students with stories to tell.

A highlight of the festivities was the arrival of many Model T’s and Model A’s.

Now & Then – Bow Heritage Commission pens book

Bow Editor — Wed, 16 May 2007 20:12:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

It took nearly a year to put together and several months to publish, but “Bow,” the new book by the Bow Heritage Commission, is finally available for purchase.

Sue Wheeler, chairman of the Heritage Commission, said many hours and resources went into the book’s creation, but the end result makes all the time and effort worth it.

“The final outcome was great. It looks absolutely wonderful,” said Wheeler. “We had other books to go from, from other towns, so we had a good idea of what the finished product would look like. But, obviously, this has a more personal feel and I think it’s just dynamite.”

The book is produced by Arcadia Publishing, which has created thousands of similar books from other towns throughout the country, especially New England.

Though Arcadia handled the final details and printing, it was members of the Heritage Commission, both past and present, who did the work behind the book.

“We had to make sure we had everything covered, from having the right picture to getting the right information to categorizing and making chapters. We had to make it interesting and it was a process,” said Wheeler. “It took time and took a lot of dedication from the commissioners,
but we put our heads together and just pushed through it.

“We were just very fortunate to have a great collection of photos that former commissioners had already put together, so we didn’t have to go and beg people to give up their pictures.”

The book, which has a limited amount of contemporary photos, is intended to provide readers with a look into the past without much reading.

“100 Acres More or Less,” by David Bundy, was published in 1975 and had served as Bow’s only true history book before now.

“That is more of an informational book where this is a picture book, which tends to catch people’s attention more so than one with a lot of reference,” said Wheeler. “We made some captions a little corny and funny to keep it creative.”

Owners of former tavern share historic moments

Bow Editor — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 19:55:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Dunbarton town historian Bud Noyes was only 22 years old when he purchased a dilapidated colonial-style house on 10 acres in Bow for $300 in 1948.

The house, which now sits on Page Road in Bow – formerly known as Chateauguay Corner – was featured in the Nov. 22, 2006, edition of The Bow Times.

In 2003, Kim Thurlow and Stacey Rovinelli purchased the home, which served as a tavern and part of the Underground Railroad during the 1800s.

They have dedicated their time and resources toward restoring the historic facade.

Noyes, after reading the story, wrote a letter to Thurlow and Rovinelli. The three recently met to talk about the home’s history, and Noyes was treated to a tour of his old property. He also brought along old photos and paperwork to show the current owners.

“It was great to sit down with him,” said Thurlow. “We learned a lot, and he was thrilled to come over and see the house and point out some of the stuff he had done. He was really excited to see that some of the stuff he had done to the home is still intact.”

Noyes’ work and time spent on the home have not gone unnoticed by Thurlow either.

“The person who owned it before him didn’t live here, so in my eyes, he basically saved the house,” she said. “If he hadn’t purchased the house, it probably would have just collapsed and rotted away.”

Noyes said when he purchased the house it was on a dirt road with no other residences within a mile and no utilities, power or telephone.

“The house hadn’t been lived in for years and part of it had rotted away,” said Noyes. “I don’t think many people living in that area of Bow today realize that was derelict territory only 60 years ago.”

Noyes said the structure was in poor condition and had a large hole in the roof before he installed new windows, opened the fireplaces, scraped and stained the old siding and replaced the roof – all by hand.

Noyes is also happy to see that the aluminum siding on the home had been stripped by Thurlow and Rovinelli, now revealing the clapboards he had stained 60 years earlier.

“To actually see all his hard work in fixing up this house and staining it made me really appreciate his efforts,” said Thurlow. “I think people who have lived in this house have a better sense of appreciation for it and he is one of those people who understands that feeling.”

Though he only owned the property a few years, Noyes said the experience was rewarding.

“It was fun, but it was more of a learning experience than anything,” he continued. “When I bought that house, it proved to be a plank construction and the knowledge I gained from the experience proved to be invaluable in later years.”

Noyes said plank construction was a popular building technique in the 1800s.

Outside walls, he said, were made up of 2-inch-wide planks with clapboards nailed to the surface to form the exterior of the home. Plaster made up most of the interior walls but, Noyes said, there were no areas designated for future insulation or wiring.

When Noyes became a real estate appraiser years later, experience with the house helped him identify how homes were built and where possible problems may exist, he said

Thurlow said she encourages anyone with more information on the home and its history to contact her at soulroad2freedom@comcast.net.

A look into history

Bow Editor — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 20:48:00 GMT

Hadley-Tucker collection preservation nears completion

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Three years after making a financial investment in its history, the town of Dunbarton is nearing completion on an organizational project that may allow residents to access their heritage at will.

The Hadley-Tucker Historical Collection, a compilation of old photographs, letters and other written documentation from Dunbarton’s past, originated from Alice Hadley, a former town historian, who died in 1966 and passed her compiled materials on to her ancestors.

The Dunbarton Historical Awareness Committee then raised $4,000 to purchase the collection from Laura Tucker, Hadley’s great-granddaughter. “It’s just a fabulous collection,” said Bud Noyes, the town historian. “We are very fortunate to have it.”

Donna Dunn, who led the drive for funds in 2003, compared the initial collection to yeast.

“When word of its purchase and preservation spread, it prompted more donations of historical materials from other sources,” she said.

Although most of the raised funds were spent on the collection itself, for $3,500, Noyes said the group has also invested in two storage cabinets, acid-free paper, loose-leaf binders and clear plastic sleeves.

Now, several residents, including Dunn, Noyes, Town Clerk Linda Peters, Marion Crosby, Nancy Frost and Betsy Hamlin-Morin, have donated much of their free time to preserve the collection, and each person has contributed something necessary to the process. While Dunn led the fund drive, Hamlin-Morin provided her knowledge of paper preservation, Noyes gave his research and knowledge and Peters, Crosby and Frost donated numerous hours to the organization and preservation of the collection.

As part of the process, Frost said the group had to copy typewritten and handwritten materials onto acid-free paper.

The process has also opened many of the contributors’ eyes to Dunbarton’s history and helped bring back the past.

“I found that I was able to recognize places and people in town, and it’s really been a lot of fun. I think it’s a very valuable collection and I am happy to be able to help with it,” said Frost, an ancestor of Hadley and Tucker. “It’s been very nice.”

Now, the three-year process is coming to fruition.

“What started out as several cardboard boxes of photos, scrapbooks and slowly disintegrating material has been transformed into a cabinet full of beautifully referenced, preserved, archived material now under the protection of Town Clerk Linda Peters,” said Dunn.

Although the material is currently locked in a cabinet in town hall, under the watchful eye of Peters, Crosby said the committee hopes to make the material available to the public once it is all documented and organized.

“I think it’s very valuable,” said Crosby. “Especially if people can come in (to town hall) to look at these.”

Safe haven

Bow Editor — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 21:24:00 GMT

Owners of historic home in Bow restore Underground Railroad stop

BY RYAN O’CONNOR
Tucked away in Chateauguay Corner, once an influential district of Bow, the white chimney with a black top was meaningless to all but a few.

The unique chimney on the old tavern was a symbol of refuge along the Underground Railroad.

More than 200 years later, Kim Thurlow and Stacey Rovinelli – owners of the Page
Road home, which sheltered and saved many lives – are restoring its historic character.

Though they don’t have pictures of what the home once looked like inside, Thurlow said they want to make it look as close to a vintage 19th-century tavern as possible.

The two women, Thurlow’s mother and daughter, live in the home and are replacing the modern interior with antique lighting, wrought iron and wood fixtures, and original wooden beams.

Outside, Thurlow and Rovinelli are installing granite fence posts, antique lighting and replacing aluminum siding with wood clapboard.

“Aluminum just doesn’t belong on a tavern,” said Thurlow.

Stripping the siding revealed a lack of insulation but wide vertical wood beams pinned by square nails were uncovered.

“I think it’s nice to be able to take something and restore it to its original shape,” Thurlow said.

“We get so many positive comments from our neighbors who stop by just to say how beautiful it is. That makes it rewarding right there.”

Thurlow said they are trying to restore the house into a tavern, but before and after it was a tavern, it was used as a regular home with four fireplaces.

There was also a sawmill across the street.

Records show the building was last used as a tavern in 1818, and was sold.

In 1821, Samuel Clements, a justice of the peace, issued a warrant for David Clark, the innkeeper at the time. Apparently, an armed assault on a man named Noah Clark occurred at the tavern.

Thurlow said nothing has been found in writing, but many locals have passed on the heritage of the former Underground Railroad safehouse.

Upstairs, there is a hidden room behind a fireplace along with visible peep holes used by those in hiding.

Thurlow also believes spirits are in the home and said she is the only one to ever see the female spirit.

“We call her Mary,” said Thurlow. “She’s really the kind of spirit that watches over people. She has a great fondness for kids and she often looks very sad. But since we’ve lived here, she’s been very happy.”

Thurlow heard of a conversation which was supposed to have taken place between a spirit and her aunt and uncle, previous owners of the home.

The dialogue indicates a fire may have burned down an original house on the site and as many as six people died in the fire.

In the attic, Thurlow and Rovinelli said they found charred pieces of wood, which may validate a fire took place.

Other items found in nooks and tucked in walls around the house include old pieces of fabric and cloth, a lead spoon and an old shoe.

Thurlow and Rovinelli are placing pennies with the current year and other items in the wall to leave a legacy of their own.

The house is still a work in progress, but Thurlow hopes to finish the inside and exterior over the next couple of years and maybe hang a Chateauguay Corner or tavern sign on the outside.