THE ULTIMATE
People of Concord, there's something you should know: There are extremists living among us. And they’re armed with Frisbees. Twice a week, a dozen or so athletes take to the fields of Reed Park for a little sport called ulimate Frisbee. It’s pretty similar to regular Frisbee, but, like, 10 times more intense (as you’ll see in these great photos taken by our friend, Ben Kimball). Interested in playing? The crew meets on Mondays...
Durgin silver
Durgin silver is famous for its high quality and intricate designs. The Concord-based Durgin Silver Company was founded in 1853 by William Butler Durgin, a Rhode Island native. Despite During’s meager funds, he produced sterling flatware and hollowware that’s now considered priceless in the industry. When During died in 1905, the company was sold to a Providence, R.I., company and became known as “The Durgin Division of...
New Hampshire State Prison painting
This painting of the former New Hampshire State Prison was made in 1850 by local artist Henry P. Moore. The piece, being held in storage at the New Hampshire Historical Society, is one of the few images of the prison from the period, according to Wes Balla, the society’s director of collections and exhibitions. Before the prison was moved to its current location in 1880, it sat on the corner of North State and Tremont streets, which...
Eagle
Boston-based wood carver Leonard Morse charged the state $50 for carving this 600-pound eagle for the State House dome. The eagle, standing at over six feet tall, decorated the dome until it was replaced with a gilded copper bird in 1957. This one is on display at the historical society.
Chippendale tall clock
Talk about awesome. This mahogany Chippendale tall clock was made right here in the city sometime around 1800 at famed clockmaker Asa Kimball’s shop. The clock, which is signed by its maker, Tim O’Chandler, was exhibited at the New Hampshire Historical Society’s furniture exhibition in 1978 and is featured in the society’s catalog of the exhibition, Plain & Elegant, Rich & Common. We’re not sure how much it’s worth, but...
Mahogany, birch and chestnut chair
This mahogany, birch and chestnut chair, made by Concord furniture designers William Low and Benjamin Damon, was part of a set of 176 chairs purchased by the state to furnish the recently completed State House in 1819. Not too shabby, but we’re sure our reps have comfier chairs now.
Melodeon
This melodeon, from the Abraham Prescott & Son company, was made around 1850 in Concord. The instrument, made with mahogany, pine, leather, ivory and steel, was sold at the Tremont Temple Music Store in Boston, according to the paper label attached inside. The piece is being kept in storage at the New Hampshire Historical Society. The Prescott family was known throughout the music world for making quality bass viols, serphines,...
Shaker spinning wheel
Last year, Concord resident and jewelry maker Kythryne Aisling bought this Shaker spinning wheel from Hilltop Consignments in Pembroke. According to Aisling, the wheel was built at the Sabbathday Lake Shaker community in Maine sometime between 1806 and 1814. Certain indicators helped narrow down the date. For example, the bearings where made from copper pennies – a practice that was done before 1860 and the wheel was initialed by a...
Showing off flowers
A flower show will be held on Aug. 20 and 21 at the New Hampshire Audubon, 84 Silk Farm Road. Hours are Friday, 1 to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon. Admission is free. For more information, visit nhfgc.org.
Be like Red Rolfe
The Penacook Historical Society will host a baseball day at 11 Penacook St., Penacook, on Aug. 14 beginning at 10 am. There will tours of the Rolfe house and barn, baseball cards, a barn sale, baseball practice, tours of the gardens and guest speakers. Hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn and more will be available. Admission is free. Become a society member for a free dinner. For more information, contact Rick Jaques at 770-3226.
Fall bulbs fundraiser
The Merrimack County Conservation District is now taking orders for its annual fall bulb fundraiser. Thirty-four varieties of bulbs are available, including daffodils, tulips, crocus, lilies and more. Bulb fertilizer and New England wild bird food are also available. For more information, visit merrimackccd.org or call 223-6023 for an order form.
Antiques all week
When we decided to put together a Concord antiques issue, we had no idea it would coincide with antiques week in New Hampshire. In fact, we didn’t even know there was an antiques week! Now that we’re in the know, we want you to be, too. Here’s a list of some of the antiques week events happening around the state. You don’t have to thank us, readers – we know you’re grateful. Start of Manchester Antiques Show Where: JFK Memorial...
Police Log
Urine trouble On July 29 about 10 a.m., Officer Mark Hassapes responded to Merrimack County Pretrial Services on Main Street for a reported breach of bail. There, he met pretrial services officer Kevin Ganley, who told him that Justin Briggs, 19, of Concord had violated his bail conditions. According to Ganley, Briggs came into the office with a comdom filled with urine, which was tied to his pants. Ganley said Briggs had been...
'I don't speak horn. Would you like to see more?'
(And now it’s time for some Craigslist love solicitations, in all their unedited glory.) Hannafords – m4w Around 9:40 pm you were wearing a long sun dress with brown hair your are so stunning I waited for you to get out of the check out line but I was leaving when you where coming out. I was in the black truck. I wanted to give you my buisness card but you look like you were in a hurry. Long shot, but If you see this please post back....
City briefly
Is it Christmas? New officers, extra-long weekly memo Last Friday, City Manager Tom Aspell sent out his weekly memo and we got quite the pleasant surprise. Eyes locked on the computer screen, we eagerly read every word for two entire pages. Satisfied, we went to click out of the document, but something caught our eye. “What’s this?” we said, our voice quivering with excitement. “Is there a third page to Tom’s memo?” We scrolled down,...
City council in '82: No overnight parking for you!
Aug. 9, 1746 – A band of 50 to 100 Indians invades Rumford (Concord), but the Indians will be scared off the next morning by 30 armed guards who escort church-goers back to their garrisons. Aug. 9, 1887 – A warehouse is damaged by fire in downtown Concord. “The losses were not heavy, but the fire was a memorable one from the fact that so many boys were injured in jumping from the windows,” the New Hampshire...
How your city trails stay so beautifully kempt
This week, Nature 101's Paul Basham finds out who's responsible for maintaining the city's trail system. Who maintains and grooms the hiking trails of Concord? This question was partly answered for me when I was hiking a trail in the area of Broken Ground School and came upon a group of seven people working to improve the trail. Led by forester Ron Klemarczyk, who maintains the city's trails, the group included Abe...
eBooks are here!
The Concord Public Library is happy to announce that eBooks have arrived at the New Hampshire downloadable books website; nh.lib.overdrive.com. All you need to check out an eBook is a Concord Public Library card and a compatible eBook device which includes the Barnes & Noble Nook and five versions of the Sony Reader. Check the OverDrive website at overdrive.com to see which devices are supported. Your PC or Mac computer is also a...
Love, danger, Kimball School
Romance. Murder. Mystery. At the Kimball School? Well, not exactly, unless you have Nora LeDuc's active imagination. In LeDuc's eighth and newest book, Pick Up Lines for Murder, the lifeless body of paraprofessional Joan Griffin is found slumped over the Ash Street School's copier machine. The novel's heroine, Jozy Landis, finds her dead coworker and becomes prime suspect numero uno. Luckily for Jozy, the handsome,...
If you've always wanted to be the highest bidder . . .
It's 5:30 on a Thursday night and the Concord Auction Center is buzzing with excitement. Dozens of bargain-hungry shoppers and antiques aficionados are circling the hall like sharks, eyeing the goodies laid out on the rows of tables before them. The older folks in the crowd have already grabbed their dinners – chili, egg salad sandwiches and Greek salads are on the menu this week – and bide their time waiting for the...
City council in '82: No overnight parking for you!
Aug. 9, 1746 – A band of 50 to 100 Indians invades Rumford (Concord), but the Indians will be scared off the next morning by 30 armed guards who escort church-goers back to their garrisons. Aug. 9, 1887 – A warehouse is damaged by fire in downtown Concord. “The losses were not heavy, but the fire was a memorable one from the fact that so many boys were injured in jumping from the windows,” the New Hampshire...
The late, great
There's got to be a good reason why Albemarle Cady (1807-1888) is buried under one of the tallest grave stones in Old North Cemetery. Could it be the grizzly white beard he sported for so many years? Or should we point to his military achievements? Most historians would go with the latter, but sometimes you can't beat a rugged beard. The Keene native was all business during his 30 years in uniform. Cady graduated from West...
eBooks are here!
The Concord Public Library is happy to announce that eBooks have arrived at the New Hampshire downloadable books website; nh.lib.overdrive.com. All you need to check out an eBook is a Concord Public Library card and a compatible eBook device which includes the Barnes & Noble Nook and five versions of the Sony Reader. Check the OverDrive website at overdrive.com to see which devices are supported. Your PC or Mac computer is also a...
Stamp lovin' in Bow
The Merrimack County Stamp Collectors' regular monthly meeting will be held at the Bow Mills United Methodist Church, 505 South St., Bow, on Aug. 17 at 1:30 p.m. All people interested in stamp collecting are invited to attend. For further information, contact Dan Day at 228-1154. The Merrimack County Conservation District is now taking orders for its annual fall bulb fundraiser. Thirty-four varieties of bulbs are available,...
If you've always wanted to be the highest bidder . . .
It's 5:30 on a Thursday night and the Concord Auction Center is buzzing with excitement. Dozens of bargain-hungry shoppers and antiques aficionados are circling the hall like sharks, eyeing the goodies laid out on the rows of tables before them. The older folks in the crowd have already grabbed their dinners – chili, egg salad sandwiches and Greek salads are on the menu this week – and bide their time waiting for the...
If you love the arts, be sure to tune in to Channel 22 and watch the August production of ConcordTV's Art in Focus. This month's program features Red River Theatres, RB Productions' summer youth theater camp and the Freese Brothers Big Band. Art in Focus is aired on Mondays at 8 a.m., Tuesdays at 9 p.m., Thursdays at 7 p.m. and Saturdays at 11 a.m. Episodes are also streamed on yourconcordtv.org. Also, if you've...
The late, great
There's got to be a good reason why Albemarle Cady (1807-1888) is buried under one of the tallest grave stones in Old North Cemetery. Could it be the grizzly white beard he sported for so many years? Or should we point to his military achievements? Most historians would go with the latter, but sometimes you can't beat a rugged beard. The Keene native was all business during his 30 years in uniform. Cady graduated from West...
Free dental clinic
The Concord Regional Visiting Nurse Association, Concord Hospital Family Health Center and NHTI will hold a free dental clinic for children on Aug. 13. The clinic is for children ages 3 to 12 years old who live in the Concord area and are income-eligible. Dental services include exams, cleanings, fluoride and sealants. Preregistration is required. To find out if your child qualifies, call 224-4093, ext. 5815.
Stamp lovin' in Bow
The Merrimack County Stamp Collectors' regular monthly meeting will be held at the Bow Mills United Methodist Church, 505 South St., Bow, on Aug. 17 at 1:30 p.m. All people interested in stamp collecting are invited to attend. For further information, contact Dan Day at 228-1154. The Merrimack County Conservation District is now taking orders for its annual fall bulb fundraiser. Thirty-four varieties of bulbs are available,...
