Sept. 10, 1861: Fire destroys the railroad storage barns and many cars of the Concord and Northern railroads.
Sept. 11, 1866: Kearsarge beats Portsmouth 32-19 in one of the first reported games of “base ball” in Concord. Judge Ira Eastman, however, remembers seeing the game (or its forerunner, rounders) played in the city 50 years before.
Sept. 12, 1841: In an unscheduled lecture, Stephen S. Foster, a Canterbury abolitionist, holds forth during a meeting at the Old North Church. When he won’t stop talking, several men escort him out.
Sept. 13, 1913: Harry K. Thaw, a wealthy, prominent New Yorker who murdered one of the country’s foremost architects, Stanford White, arrives in Concord. Thaw was convicted, escaped from prison and was recaptured in Canada. He was brought back across the border and is being held under house arrest at the Eagle Hotel on Main Street. His case will be tangled up in court until December 1914. In the meantime, he will pass the summer of 1914 at a resort in Gorham.
Sept. 13, 1990: A crowd of New Hampshire dignitaries attends the first day of questioning of David Souter by the U.S. Senate judiciary committee. “All I can say is: He’s the brightest guy I know and I trust him and I’m pro-choice,” Concord state Sen. Susan McLane assures liberal activists. U.S. Sen. Warren Rudman tells his colleagues: “David Souter is my friend. I trust him and I respect him. I like him. He has made me think. He has made reflect. He has made me laugh.”
Sept. 13, 2002: On the last day of the two-week filing period for the Concord school board, a mini-flood of filings produces seven newcomers and two incumbents who will vie for four seats on the board.
Sept. 14, 1972: On Main Street in Concord, Edward Nixon, the president’s younger brother, opens the state headquarters of the Committee for the Re-election of the President. The Monitor’s reporter notices only a vague resemblance between the taller, thinner Edward and his famous brother. “Only the nose,” Edward Nixon agrees.
Sept. 14, 1992: Outgoing U.S. Sen. Warren Rudman, a Republican from New Hampshire, and former senator Paul Tsongas, a Democrat from Massachusetts and winner of the New Hampshire primary seven months earlier, announce the formation of the Concord Coalition. The group’s purpose: to reduce staggering federal budget deficits and rebuild the economy. Says Rudman: “The two political parties are unable to speak the truth.” Says Tsongas: “The people are ready for the truth.”
Sept. 15, 1860: Concord celebrates the opening of Auburn Street. Several hundred residents join in a carriage procession, led by the Concord Cornet Band, from the Eagle hotel, up Centre Street to Auburn. Two large flags suspended across the new street draw hearty salutes. The march continues to Little Pond Road. One speaker says the new road suggests indications of our progress in civilization.
Sept. 15, 1983: WJYY radio in Concord takes to the airwaves for the first time. Politicians express delight at the new media outlet. “The more the better,” says Democrat Chris Spirou. “Someone might turn the dial and hear Chris Spirou talking!”
Sept. 15, 2001: In New Hampshire, 4,500 military reservists prepare to be called to active duty for homeland defense and recovery missions, the Monitor reports.
Sept. 15, 2003: The Concord City Council approves adding several traffic-calming devices to Broadway, in the area near Rollins Park. Those devices include medians, a traffic island and curb protrusions – also known as bump-outs – that councilors hope will force drivers to slow down.
Sept. 16, 1820: John George of Concord has raised a radish weighing 3 pounds ½ ounce and measuring 13¾ inches in diameter.
