Nov. 25, 2001: Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, a consulting company hired by Concord City Councilors to study traffic patterns on Loudon Road, concludes that instead of more lanes for traffic there should be fewer and that some traffic should be perted to alternate routes, the Monitor reports.
Nov. 25, 2000: Interviews in downtown Concord find the public tiring of the never-ending presidential election. Speaking for many of his fellow city dwellers, Jerry Slaughter tells the Monitor, “I think they should just decide so we can get on with our lives.”
Nov. 25, 1875: Although the building is not quite completed, the fire department occupies its new central station on Warren Street between Green and State streets.
Nov. 25, 1817: A fire consumes a large three-story house on Main Street in Concord. It will eventually be replaced by the Phenix Hotel.
Nov. 26, 1845: Five hundred twenty-five turkeys mysteriously pass through the streets of Concord, one day before Thanksgiving.
Nov. 26, 1900: “Uncle Ben” Davis dies. He was one of Concord’s most popular citizens during the 19th century and, according to one eulogist, “the greatest music teacher that New England ever produced.”
Nov. 26, 1898: A giant snowstorm hits New Hampshire. Concord records 18 inches, Manchester two feet. “Along the coast the loss of life was appalling. More than 200 lives were lost and 200 vessels destroyed,” one local history reports.
Nov. 27, 2000: About 300 people attend a Concord memorial service for longtime basketball coach Frank Monahan. “I personally feel I’ve lost a second father,” says Steve McMahon, a former player, “and I’m sure others that played for him feel much the same way.”
Nov. 27, 1999: In a game of word association, voters interviewed around Concord choose answers such as “likable” and “lightweight” for Texas Gov. George W. Bush. For Arizona Sen. John McCain, the answers include “stern” and “steadfast.” Al Gore prompts “Clinton” and “sincere.” Bill Bradley evokes “basketball” and “unknown.”
Nov. 27, 1817: Between 20 and 30 pet dogs throughout Concord are bitten by a dog with rabies. The rabid dog will be killed the next day.
Nov. 27, 1884: It is Thanksgiving, but the trains are running in Concord and the mail will be delivered as usual, at 7 and 11 a.m. But in general, “the streets wore a Sunday-like still,” the Evening Monitor reports.
Nov. 28, 2002: New Hampshire is served a Thanksgiving Day appetizer of snowy, slushy weather. Temperatures drop to the mid-20s in Concord, with a high of 31 degrees. Light snow and mist falls across the region throughout the day.
Nov. 29, 1982: Former governor Hugh Gregg writes to Vice President George Bush with two pieces of advice for his future presidential run: Cement a relationship with John and Nancy Sununu and build a bridge to Nackey Loeb.
Nov. 29, 1867: Ingalls & Brown’s Quadrille Band plays at a grand ball at Concord’s Eagle Hall. “If you don’t dance,” exhorts the ad in the Patriot, “go to hear the music.”
Nov. 29, 1866: Fire damages the Penacook mills. Loss estimated at $40,000.
Nov. 30, 2000: A Monitor editorial calls on George W. Bush to concede the presidential election. The opinion is read on C-SPAN by morning anchor Brian Lamb, and responses quickly pour in from around the country. One Michigan man writes, “What are you people up there smoking anyway?”
Nov. 30, 1999: Conant School parents say they’ve been discouraged from supporting teachers in their contract negotiations after back-to-school night and an evening holiday concert are canceled. “Parents want to support the teachers,” says parent Ann Lanney, “but there could have been better ways.”
Nov. 30, 1988: Washington columnist David Broder expresses skepticism about former New Hampshire governor John Sununu’s likelihood to succeed as President-elect George Bush’s chief of staff. He writes: “Washington is a long way from Concord. At home, Sununu shared the compact capitol with a large but poorly staffed legislature and a state administration in which few were willing, or able, to challenge his views. The Democratic political opposition was weak in both numbers and leadership. In that setting, he could command — or coerce — approval of most of his plans. Critics and even some colleagues in Concord describe Sununu as brusque, demanding, opinionated, unyielding and, on occasion, secretive and devious.”
Nov. 30, 1870: Fire burns out the stone warehouse behind the Eagle Hotel, leaving only the granite walls standing. Today, the warehouse is home to the Museum of New Hampshire History.
Nov. 30, 1983: Mayor David Coeyman is squired through the streets of Concord in a rickshaw pulled by Somersworth Mayor George Bald. Coeyman, a former two-pack-a-day smoker, won a bet that he could quit.
Dec. 1, 2003: Chief Justice David Brock announces his retirement from the New Hampshire Supreme Court, which will take place at the end of the month. Brock, a 25-year veteran of the court, served as its highest official since 1986. He wrote the historic school funding decision known as Claremont II in 1997; three years later, he became the only judge in state history to withstand a Senate impeachment trial.
Dec. 1, 2001: With a weekend of spontaneous and rehearsed music, the Concord Community Music School celebrates a milestone: the grand opening of a $1.5 million addition that more than doubles the space for the school.
Dec. 1, 2000: Fulfilling a charge from the Legislature, the state Department of Education makes available on the internet massive statistical snapshots of each school and district. The data include ranked lists of how each school has fared on the state’s assessment tests.
Dec. 1, 1999: A Monitor poll finds that many Republican voters have a more favorable impression of Arizona Sen. John McCain than they do of Texas Gov. George W. Bush. Pollster Brad Coker’s conclusion: That trend could translate into an upset election.
Dec. 1, 1848: Edward E. Sturtevant, a Concord printer, writes to his parents in Keene: “The Shakers are having a trial before a Legislative committee, which excites some curiosity among the people of this town. . . . A petition is presented for a law against parents and guardians binding children to them, alleging that they (the children) are taught to disregard all friendship for father & mother & brothers & sisters — to know no God except the Elders of the Shaker Society — and accusing the Shakers of abusing them & killing them, &c.&c. The petitioners have brought forward some 20 who have been Shakers but left them who testify strongly in favor of the petitioners. It is amusing to hear these backsliders swear down the religion of Anna Lee.”
Dec. 1, 1994: The early morning barks of a dog save the lives of six residents in a Merrimack Street apartment house destroyed by fire. The cause: overheated wiring within a bathroom wall.
December 1, 1989 – In Concord for a speaking engagement, peace activist William Sloan Coffin makes a prediction. Once Americans realize that the fall of the Iron Curtain means military power is no longer the central prerequisite for governing, he says, they will turn to the Democratic Party.
