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. 12, 2003: The state Department of Education releases the results of last spring’s state tests for third-, sixth- and 10th-graders. Statewide, last year’s third-graders achieve about the same levels of proficiency in math and language arts as the year before, while sixth-graders did better all around. Tenth-graders got higher scores in math and science but went down in English and social studies.
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. 15, 1860: Mayor Simon Willard and the Concord Cornet Band lead a carriage procession of several hundred people up the newly opened Auburn Street. An evangelistic preacher and promoter named John G. Hook has laid out 11 streets with house lots in the woods of the city’s West End.
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: New Hampshire’s 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 and a half-ounce and measuring 13¾ inches in diameter.
Sept. 16, 2003: The Bishop Brady girls’ soccer team earns its first victory of the season with a 3-1 decision against Kearsarge.
Sept. 17, 1847: With 85 recruits for the 9th Regiment, Lieutenant Charles F. Low, son of Concord’s renowned General Joseph Low, sails for Vera Cruz, Mexico, and the seat of war.
Sept. 18, 1987: In Concord, Elizabeth Dole defends her decision to quit her job as U.S. transportation secretary to help her husband, U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, run for president. “This is my choice,” she says. “I’m not going to be just out there standing by Bob’s side and smiling. We’re talking about something with serious implications. We’re talking about the leader of the free world.”
