Upper Pemigewasset Historical Society

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.

05/27/2026

The Earl of Sandwich Moves to Lincoln
by Stephen Campbell, July 1984, for The Courier

A smile comes across Anna Marie Gallant's face when she speaks about how good it is to see someone eat one of her man-sized sandwiches. It's a genuine smile—a motherly one.

Her husband, Francis, is the same. "Our sandwiches are full of good stuff," he says with a proud fatherly voice.

As owners of the new Main Street, Lincoln restaurant, the Earl of Sandwich, the Gallants have become consumer-conscious about the quantity and quality of meat that goes in their sandwiches. They are honestly concerned with their final product, and you can detect that honesty within moments of a visit. They treat the cooking as though they were feeding their own family.

The restaurant, which opened three weeks ago, has a full line of cold and warm subs, including roast beef, tuna, ham and cheese, pastrami, steak, meatball, and, of course, the list goes on. Chicken fingers, Chinese egg rolls, long dogs, and chicken burgers also add spice to the menu selection.

In the near future, pizzas will be added to the agenda, as well as beer and wine. When the leaves begin to turn and fall rolls around, they will cook up more hot specials, including lasagna, chop suey, beef stew, and chili.

The Gallants, not new to the restaurant business, previously owned two Earl of Sandwiches in Massachusetts. With many years of restaurant experience, Francis and Anna Marie stress the importance of high-quality meats, "real" product, and a "full" meal.

The new air-conditioned building, located opposite the old Lincoln mill site, is open from 11 am to 10 pm Sunday through Thursday, and 11 am to 11 pm on Friday and Saturday. While it was originally intended to be predominantly a "take-out" restaurant, many families and couples have taken advantage of the Earl of Sandwich's 30-seat capacity.

And how is business doing?

"There was a man in here the other day who couldn't find a seat," Anna Marie says.

"He was upset," she added, "but I thought it was great!"

Photo Caption: "Earl of Sandwich has hit Main Street, Lincoln, with man-sized cold and hot subs. Other dinners, such as Chinese egg rolls, chicken burgers, and chicken fingers, make the Earl of Sandwich that much more appealing to visit. (Left to right): Chef Pat Young, and owners Francis and Anna Marie Gallant. Coming very soon—pizzas."

Do you remember dining at the Earl of Sandwich in Lincoln? What was your favorite menu item or memory from the restaurant?

This newspaper clipping is preserved in a scrapbook of local news clippings in the Upper Pemigewasset Historical Society’s collection.

05/26/2026

Then & Now, "Four Corners" in North Woodstock, New Hampshire.

North Woodstock's busiest intersection—once known as the “Four Corners”—is seen in this undated photograph of present-day Routes 3 and 112. The road bearing left is Lost River Road, formerly known as Pondfield Road, leading travelers west toward the Lost River region, the Kinsman range, and beyond.

Long before traffic lights, painted crosswalks, and steady streams of tourists heading through town, wooden directional signs at the intersection guided visitors north to the famed Profile and Flume Houses in Franconia Notch and south toward Plymouth.

Over the years, this corner has remained one of North Woodstock’s most recognizable gathering places. Many will remember The Chalet Restaurant standing here, while today the corner is home to Imperial Palace.

What businesses, buildings, people, or memories do you associate with the "Four Corners" intersection in North Woodstock?

Credits:
1. This undated photograph is courtesy of Murray Clark.
2. This is from Google Maps, dated July 2025.

05/25/2026

Each name etched into these memorials represents a story—a young man or woman leaving Lincoln for the trenches of World War I, a family waiting anxiously during World War II, a neighbor serving in Korea or Vietnam, or a resident answering the call during the Persian Gulf era and beyond. Together, these honor rolls stand as a lasting reminder of the men and women of Lincoln, New Hampshire, who served our nation in times of war and peace.

The “Honor Roll” memorial for those who served in World Wars I and II originally stood in front of the Lincoln Public Library on Church Street before being relocated to its present downtown location, as seen in the 1982 photograph showing the memorial in its former home—a scene many longtime residents may still remember.

The second memorial honors Lincoln residents who served in the Korean, Vietnam, Grenada/Lebanon, Panama, and Persian Gulf conflicts, ensuring that later generations of service members are remembered alongside those of the World Wars.

Today, on Memorial Day, these monuments quietly remind us that behind every carved name was a life interrupted by service, sacrifice, duty, and homecoming—or, for some families, the absence of one.

Do you remember the World Wars I and II memorial in its earlier location? Do you recognize any family names among those listed?

The photograph showing the Lincoln Public Library, dated 1982, is part of the Upper Pemigewasset Historical Society's collection. The other photographs were taken on Sunday, May 24, 2026.

05/24/2026

On May 30, 1912, a group of Woodstock’s Civil War veterans gathered at Soldier’s Park for this remarkable photograph—taken just two years after the dedication of the memorial stone that still stands there today.

Seated in the front row, from left to right, are Frank Lear, Frank Sellingham, Jeff Smith, and Stephen Sharon. Standing in the center of the back row is William Bunton. Also pictured are several sons of veterans—William Smith, Will Howland, and Will Sharon—along with Dr. Cate, the minister.

There’s something especially moving about this image. These men had lived through the Civil War nearly fifty years earlier, yet here they stood together again in North Woodstock, gathered in remembrance and fellowship. The presence of their sons in the photograph serves as a quiet reminder of how the legacy of service, sacrifice, and community is carried forward from one generation to the next.

The large memorial stone at Soldier’s Park was dedicated on Memorial Day in 1910. The rock itself was brought from East Side Road, north of the covered bridge, and relocated by A. W. Sawyer. Its inscription was carved directly into the stone’s natural split face, giving the monument the rugged character and permanence that still define it today.

Do you remember Soldier’s Park as it once looked? Have you heard stories about Woodstock’s Civil War veterans passed down through your family?

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

05/23/2026

Long before modern communications and radar systems became commonplace, the people of Lincoln and Woodstock answered the call to serve in ways both large and small.

In these photographs, we see several generations of local residents stepping forward during times of war and uncertainty.

One image shows Lincoln’s World War I-era military drill team standing at attention in front of the former Episcopal Church building on Maple Street. Another captures the Lincoln Military Band, which performed summer concerts and holiday programs that brought the community together during difficult years.

The later photographs transport us to 1942, during the height of World War II, when local volunteers built and manned an observation post on Pollard Road as part of the Ground Observer Corps. Watching the skies for enemy aircraft may seem almost unimaginable today. Still, in those tense early war years, communities across the country prepared for the possibility of an attack on the American mainland.

The observation post itself was built through volunteer labor and donated materials, a reminder that wartime service extended far beyond the battlefield. Men and women alike took shifts at the post, often through long nights and harsh weather, doing their part to protect their community and country.

The men pictured in front of the observation post are William Jobin, Henry McMorran, Charles Clark, Edward Parent, Lawrence Smith, William Herrick, Amedi “Ned” Theriault, and Jean Chasson. Helena Doherty, Glenna Addison, Pauline Ramsay, Ione Norcott, and Bernadette Hendricks represent the women volunteers. Gladys Conant was unable to be present when the photograph was taken.

These images offer a reminder that service has taken many forms here in the White Mountains—from military drills and patriotic bands to quiet hours spent keeping watch on a darkened hillside.

Do you recognize any of the people in these photographs? Have you heard stories about Lincoln's wartime observation post or the community members who volunteered there?

Credits:
1, 2, and 4: These photographs are part of the Upper Pemigewasset Historical Society's collection.
3. This photograph is courtesy of Carol Parent.

05/22/2026

The Cascades along the Pemigewasset River in North Woodstock, New Hampshire, is a favorite natural landmark that has drawn locals and visitors alike for generations with its rushing water and rugged granite in one of the White Mountains’ most scenic settings.

This undated photograph is part of the Upper Pemigewasset Historical Society's Hallworth Collection.