Memories of Long Pond: Northwood, New Hampshire

by Irene E. DuPont

Overview

At the end of the Revolutionary War, James Steven James settled the land around Long Pond, a 101.9-acre, spring-fed lake tucked away in Northwood, New Hampshire. Once a working farm, the land was later divided and became Long Pond Estates. In Memories of Long Pond, author Irene E. DuPont shares the history of the development and the growth of Long Pond.

DuPont’s family purchased a cottage on the lake more than thirty-eight years ago; it was a place where they could enjoy swimming, hiking, fishing, and just getting away from the city. In this memoir, she provides a plethora of details about this lake, including the stories of the James family, the DuPont family, and the other property owners who have made this area their home.

Memories of Long Pond gives insight into the Long Pond area, a growing community that provides much in the way of history of family lives—with building, feuding, and moving on toward the future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781475962918
Publisher:	iUniverse, Incorporated
Publication date:	11/29/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	88
File size:	4 MB

Read an Excerpt

MEMORIES OF LONG POND

NORTHWOOD, NEW HAMPSHIRE

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By IRENE E. DUPONT

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2012 Irene E. DuPont
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4759-6290-1

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Chapter One

STARTED WITH A HEADACHE

It all started with a headache. It was a Sunday, and we were with a real estate agent out looking for a cottage on a body of water in the woods. We had decided that when we sold my husband's home in Allenstown, we would begin to look for a getaway camp. At this point, we had been looking for two years, and now going into the third year, we could not find anything that was worth what we were willing to pay. But on this particular day, we had this appointment with the Realtor on Route 4, and we were hopeful. He had shown us two places already that we were not really interested in. One place had a small stream flowing through the cellar way, making the cottage very damp. That was on Pleasant Lake. The other one was on Northwood Lake, but throughout the winter, you had to place a beam in the middle of the ceiling to prevent the roof from caving in. There was one more that we had to see, and I still had a splitting headache and upset stomach. I wanted to go home, but the Realtor and my husband convinced me to see just one more lake cottage. This one had just been placed on the market, and even the Realtor hadn't seen it yet.

So I said, "Okay, but that's it—home we go after that." We proceeded down a dirt road and traveled about three-fourths of a mile. Then we stopped at a small opening on the left. Getting out of the vehicle, I saw it was all overgrown, and the house was all boarded up. The Realtor opened a wooden door that reminded me of a barricade to a fort, then he unlocked the next door. It was sparsely furnished and quite dark inside; all the windows were closed with a pressed board. He found the electric box and turned on the lights. It had two bedrooms, a full bath, a nice kitchen open to the family room, a screened porch, and a fireplace. Paul looked at me and said, "Wow!"

Paul went under the place and then remarked how well the cottage was built. We could not see the water due to the overgrowth of trees and bushes. We did, however, go down the path to see the body of water, and it looked great. There were not many camps on the other side, but there were a lot of rocks on the shore and it had a very rocky bottom. The water appeared exceptionally clean, not swampy at all.

We didn't say much to the Realtor at this point, except that we would get back to him. We left and talked all the way home about how great this place was. When we arrived home, we called the Realtor and said we would call the bank and see him again that upcoming Monday. We decided that if the price was right, we would take it, but first we had to check with the banker, Earnest Coloumb, regarding a mortgage and other costs.

On Monday we went to the Suncook Bank and talked with Ernie. He said to offer $2,000 less and see what the owners would do. We did so, and the Realtor picked up the phone and called the owner in Florida. He spoke with Mr. Stickles regarding our offer. Stickles replied asking, "Do they have children?" We did, in fact, have five children, who would all thoroughly enjoy the camp and the water. He quickly replied, "It's a deal."

That started the Memories of Long Pond.

The abstract of the title was produced and given to us. It read:

Property of Harold E. and Lucille M. Stickle situated in Northwood, New Hampshire, Estate of Orrin Moses James, born March 19, 1868, in Northwood, New Hampshire, the son to Samuel and Martha (Hill) James, died December 13, 1938. The will was approved January 3, 1940, by John A. Tasker, named executor. It read, devised, and bequeathed all property except property in Maine to his wife, Abbie A. L. James. The property of Long Pond was listed as 50 acres with no references. The inventory at that time fame listed real estate as $5,465.00, and personal estate, $2,139.23. The final account was filed and settled January 23, 1940. The property was left to Leonard F. Giles. Then, February 24, 1955, it was left to Ruby M. and Gerald H. Giles (brother). On March 8, 1949, it was then deeded to Leonard F. Giles and Ruby Giles; a right-of-way was deeded to Long Pond Estates, Inc., March 27, 1962. On November 28, 1961, Elizabeth Gratke, Jewel Strickland, and Robert Strickland received the deed and abstract of the property. Paul and Irene E. DuPont purchased and received the deed in June 1975. A copy of the abstract is inserted further in the writing.

Chapter Two

HISTORY OF A NEW TOWN CALLED NORTHWOOD

The town of Northwood was barely formed when the colonies began their fight for independence from the British; Northwood men and women assumed their full share of suffering and sacrifices of those trying years.

Following the Revolutionary War, Northwood shared in what is sometimes called the new country's era. The nation grew and prospered, and Northwood did, too. Prosperity was assured by the building of the Portsmouth and Concord Turnpike about 1800. Portsmouth was then the gateway to New Hampshire, and the turnpike became the main artery of communication with the interior. Its location on this route gave Northwood a decided advantage, opening an outlet for products, especially lumber.

As Northwood was about halfway between Concord and the coast, it was the place where travelers dined, where they had their teams rested and fed, and where they often slept. Responding to the demand, enterprising men opened inns and taverns. Contact with the outside world stimulated business; merchants learned to draw customers from the surrounding countryside. Northwood became a center of trade.

These are two photographs of the Tasker Inn, where travelers were welcome, and the stage line "Northwood and Epsom Stage Coach" depicts a group of people ready to travel.

For many years after the town was settled, many people depended on lumber, which abounded in white pine forests. Mills were built early; the pines were sawn into boards. One of these sawmills was located on the outlet of Jenness Pond. The supply of water from this source was meager, so James decided to increase the flow by having a ditch dug to connect with Long Pond. Instead, a mill pond was created by the additional water, which is now called Little Durgin. The James family ran a sawmill throughout the nineteenth century. In 1900, it was the oldest of any sawmills being operated in Northwood, but it closed soon after that.

Fortunately, the twentieth century brought unexpected prosperity to Northwood. The lakes, a resource not fully appreciated in early times, attracted summer boarders and then summer residents, who now more than double the off-season population.

The road to Pittsfield and Gilmanton began in the Narrows and ran up over the hill toward Jenness Pond. This road was laid out in 1773, the year the town was incorporated. The crossroads were built at various times as a convenience to residents of the area.

Northwood has ten lakes or ponds, all partly within its borders. They are: Lucas Pond, North River Pond, Harvey Lake, Pleasant Lake, Northwood Lake, Bow Lake, Little Bow Lake, Durgin Pond, Long Pond, and Jenness Pond.

Northwood claims eight of the thirty-six miles of the First New Hampshire Turnpike, now Route 4. In 1973, an estimated five thousand vehicles traveled that highway. Nearly four decades later, it has tripled.

Chapter Three

FAMILY TREES

Upon purchasing the cottage I began to look into the history of the area. I purchased the book A Guide to the History and Old Dwelling Places of Northwood, New Hampshire, written and complied by Joann Weeks Bailey.

Looking across the James fields and woods you will discover Little Durgin, the pond S. S. James created when he was cultivating wild cranberries and using the excess water from the sawmill. This enterprise, evidently unique in Northwood, proved profitable. Each fall, people were employed to harvest the crop. This pond was named after S. S. James's sister, Abbie James, who married W. M. Durgin. It is given that the hand-dug canal from Long Pond was built to provide water for Durgin Pond, for cranberry growing. This way they could control the flow of water from one pond to the other.

Today, however, due to the development of homes on Long Pond, volunteers control the flow of water. There are no properties built on the shores of this pond; it is owned by the James family. The land is deemed model forest and placed in current use, which means people can use it for fishing, hunting, hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and kayaking, but no overnight camping or fire building of any kind. This way the forest is kept as a preserve and the owner gets a tax break.

The telephone transfer installation was once the site of the original James family burying ground. Mr. S. S. James had the bodies moved to the new cemetery that he created, calling it the Fairview Cemetery. This cemetery is high on the hill, which looks out to several small mountains; it is also in back of Johnson's farm. Mr. James took lot 1 for his own family, and the large monument was freighted from Manchester, New Hampshire. James built the wall around the area to resemble the wall surrounding his old homestead.

James Stevens James, son of a sea captain was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on August 25, 1755. In 1780, he married Rebecca Tuttle of Lee. He purchased a large section of undeveloped land in the northwest part of Northwood, near what today is called the Narrows; he cleared the land and built the house. Then, in 1880, the old cape was replaced, and a beautiful Victorian home was constructed on the site. He and Rebecca raised eleven children. Steven James, eldest son of James and Rebecca, worked diligently at farming, clearing more land for pastures. Their fourth child, Samuel James (born April 24, 1788), married Abigail Godfrey in 1810 and had five children. The third child, Samuel Shepherd James (born October 11, 1820), married Martha Hill on January 9, 1845 and raised three daughters and four sons. Samuel purchased his grandfather's farm on April 21, 1850, and continued to still cultivate the land, raise crops, and harvest firewood. The fifth son, Samuel Dudley (born 1855), married Annie B. Hill in 1891 and had two children, Easter and Maurice. They resided mostly in Boston, Massachusetts.

Maurice James and his son Samuel were the last of the James family in Northwood, yet their main residence was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Like his grandfather, who was always ready to embrace new concepts, Maurice had made many changes to the homestead. The home was too large for one family, so it was converted to apartments. One of the apartments was set aside to allow living space for himself when he was in town. He enjoyed the Northwood area as a quiet residential place. When he was there, he would oversee his land and supervise the select cutting of trees.

A part of the farm bordering Long Pond was sold to accommodate a private road built along the water's edge. This newly divided area would be called Long Pond Estates. The subdivision plan was approved in June of 1962 by Alder S. Marble and Associates, Registered Engineers and Surveyors, and recorded in the Rockingham County Registry of Deeds.

Being the same premises conveyed to the Grantors by Quitclaim Deed of Long Pond Estates, Inc., dated August 30, 1962, and recorded in Rockingham County Records, Lib. 1640, and Fol. 294.

"Together with the right to pass and repass, in common with others, over a certain right-of-way on land now or formerly of Maurice D. James as described in deed of said James to Long Pond Estates, Inc., dated March 26, 1962, and recorded in the Rockingham County Registry of Deeds, Lib. 1619, Fol. 319".

A private road was built to accommodate the development of Long Pond Estates, Inc. The road passes through a forest of pine and hardwood, which at present is a model forest.

ABSTRACT OF QUITCLAIM DEED

The land conveyed herein is conveyed subject to all flowage and riparian rights, all rights of way and other easements, all zoning and other governmental laws, and regulations and all other provisions of record.

Said land is also conveyed subject to the following provisions:

1. The land conveyed herein shall be used only for residential and camping purposes. No trailers or mobile homes shall be placed or maintained on the land conveyed herein or on any streets or ways shown on the plan first mentioned above.

2. No "For Rent," "For Sale," or other advertising signs or notices shall be place, erected, or maintained on the land conveyed herein without prior written consent of Long Pond Estates, Inc., its successors and assigns; and upon any violation of this provision, the said Long Pond Estates, Inc., its successors and assigns, shall have the right to enter upon the land and to remove such sign or notice.

3. No building, wall, sewerage system, or other structure or installation, or anything used for habitation, shall be erected, placed, constructed, altered or maintained on the land conveyed herein until its plans, specifications, and location on the land have been filed with and approved in writing by said Long Pond Estates, Inc., its successors or assigns. The said Long Pond Estates, Inc., its successors and assigns, shall have the right to refuse to approve any such plans, specifications, and locations which are not suitable or desirable in the exclusive opinion of the said Long Pond Estates, Inc., its successors or assigns. No building shall be located nearer than 25 feet to the shoreline of Long Pond as shown on the plan referred to above, nearer than 20 feet to any roads shown on said plan, or nearer than 6 feet to any other land adjoining the land conveyed herein.

4. No livestock, animals or poultry shall be kept or maintained or allowed on the land conveyed herein, other than household pets.

5. All buildings, structures, installations, and other improvements to be erected, placed, constructed, altered, or maintained on the land conveyed herein must comply with all municipal and other governmental laws, ordinances, by-laws, rules, and regulations duly and validly affecting said land, and if any provision herein differs there from such variance shall not be construed as waiver by the said Long Pond Estates, Inc., of the necessity of compliance with the terms hereof.

6. No noxious, dangerous, offensive, or unduly noise of any nature, nor any activity that may be or become an annoyance or nuisance to owners of other land, shall be permitted on any part of the land conveyed herein.

7. Long Pond Estates, Inc., reserves to itself, its successors and assigns, the right to install, maintain, repair, and replace, under, over, and upon the land conveyed herein and in ways on which said land abuts or abut, such electric light, power, telephone, and telegraph poles and wires; water, sewer, gas, and drainage pipes, mains, and conduits; catch basins, surface drains, and culverts; and such other facilities, installations, appurtenances, and things as the said Long Pond Estates, Inc., its successors and assigns may deem necessary or convenient in connection with the provision of adequate drainage, sewerage disposal, water, gas, electricity, telephone and telegraph communications, and other utilities to any portion of the land conveyed to the said Long Pond Estates, Inc., by said deed of Gerald H. Giles and Ruby Giles, dated March 26, 1962, and recorded in Rockingham County Registry of Deeds, Lib. 1619, Fol. 323, or to any other land heretofore or hereafter conveyed to the said Long Pond Estates, Inc., its successors or assigns, and comprising part of the development of the Long Pond area; and the said Long Pond Estates, Inc., further reserves to itself, its successors and assigns, the right to grant to telephone, telegraph, power, water, and other public and private utility companies and corporations, to municipalities, and to such other persons and corporations as Long Pond Estates, Inc., its successors, and assigns, may determine said right of installation, maintenance, repair, and replacement as above described. Specifically included in the above reservation shall be the right to kill, spray, remove, and trim trees, scrubs, plants, and other growing things in connection with the exercise of the right reserved and the right to provide for flowage of surface and sub-surface drainage onto the land conveyed herein from any land abutting thereon, including streets, ways, and roads. No owner of the land conveyed herein shall in any way obstruct or permit to be obstructed any drainage pipe, main, drain, conduit, culvert, or other type of drainage equipment located on said land, and if any owner shall permit such obstruction to occur and shall fail to take immediate steps to remove such obstruction upon learning thereof he shall be liable to Long Pond Estates, Inc., its successors or assigns in removing the obstruction and for any further expense or damage to which Long Pond Estates, Inc., its successors or assigns may be put as a result of such obstruction and the failure of the owner to remove it.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from MEMORIES OF LONG POND by IRENE E. DUPONT Copyright © 2012 by Irene E. DuPont. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse, Inc.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

Foreword....................ix
Acknowledgments....................xi
Introduction....................xiii
Chapter 1 Started with a Headache....................1
Chapter 2 History of a New Town Called Northwood....................3
Chapter 3 Family Trees....................6
Chapter 4 Interview with Audrey Huckins....................13
Chapter 5 Birth of the Long Pond Association....................15
Chapter 6 Recreational Crafts....................20
Chapter 7 Business of the Road....................24
Chapter 8 Written Accounts of Landowners....................26
Chapter 9 Family Events....................55
Chapter 10 Ice Has Its Own Story....................65
Chapter 11 Events in the Area....................67
Chapter 12 Disappointing News....................69
Bibliography....................71
About the Author....................7