Old Barns

Over its long history, the Town Archives Committee has undertaken projects that today might fall under the purview of a Heritage Commission. These include publications, road signs, house markers, and surveys or inventories of historical resources. Continuing in that role, we recently provided research and advice to our town administrators as they developed a process to evaluate applications made under RSA 79-D, New Hampshire's so-called "Barn Law."

The state law is now ten years old, but this spring marked the first time a local homeowner had applied for the discretionary easement and tax abatement designed to keep historic agricultural structures on our landscape. The law was meant to alleviate a tax-induced disincentive for keeping barns and other outbuildings in good repair — namely, the increased assessment (and corresponding property taxes) resulting from the maintenance of those buildings, which once represented income-producing assets but are now more often seen as useless liabilities.

Between 1850 and 1870, the federal census included detailed agricultural schedules. In 1870 New London had 128 farms, each of which probably had at least one barn and a number of outbuildings. Our 2012 field survey of extant barns indicates that fewer than 50 might be older than 75 years, and far fewer date from 1870 or earlier. So when the owners of a 1792 farmstead approached the town about a preservation easement on their barn, we saw this as the perfect inaugural case. Our research traced the history of the property's ownership from its first lotting-out in 1773 to the present. Using census data and tax records, we also gathered snapshots of the farm's agricultural operations until the late 1800s when it was converted into a guest house to serve New London's summer tourist trade.

In assessing historic properties, preservationists look for two things: significance and integrity. The terms have technical definitions that set a high hurdle for recognition programs like the National Register of Historic Places. This farmstead would probably not clear that hurdle because its significance is not of a national scope, but it would be considered eligible for the State Register. Its significance stems from its association with the area's agricultural development and later transition to a more recreation-based economy. Its integrity stems from its construction of hand-hewn timbers, its prominent setting on a working hayfield, and its design as part of a connected farmhouse complex. For all those reasons the town administrators decided at a public hearing that this barn represented a public benefit worthy of consideration for tax abatement under RSA-79D.

When people ask what purpose the Town Archives serves, we are hard-pressed to come up with a succinct response. We never know where the next inquiry into our town's history will lead.

Ski Tows

Winter sports may be off to a slow start this year for lack of natural snow, but that wasn't always the case. Since the 1930s, New Londoners have promoted the town's winter recreation as a means of attracting visitors during the off season. Local children, of course, made their own excitement, and many residents still have memories of thrilling rides down the South Pleasant Street hill on a double-runner sled. Their parents, meanwhile, organized winter carnivals and constructed ski areas to embrace, and perhaps profit from, the snowbound months.

The second ski tow (1948–1961)

New London's first ski tow, off of Seamans Road, operated in 1939 and 1940. Colby Junior College wanted to offer skiing for its students (then all women), so it hired three young men, Harold Buker, Maurice Shepard, and Dick Messer to provide a lift. They anchored a 1929 Ford Model A to a Kearsarge Telephone Co. pole and ran a rope around one of the rear wheels, jacked up and fender-less. It served its purpose, but the second world war intervened. Shepard was stationed in Newfoundland. Buker's bomber was downed in the North Sea, and he became a German POW. Messer was killed on the final day of hostilities in Europe.

Sketch of the GMC truck-powered tow rope

But interest in skiing was renewed after the war, and in November 1947 a small group organized the New London Outing Club to help construct a local ski tow. It leased property from Camp Tonawanda on Pleasant Lake and bulldozed a trail up the hill towards Seamans Road—with volunteers and other assistance from the college and local businesses. They built a warming hut and installed an 800-foot rope tow.

Postcard view of Pleasant Lake (c. 1955)

On January 3, 1948 the Northeast Ski Tow opened. The slope was operated as a private venture by Wes Blake, who had prior experience, but when it proved less profitable than expected, the New London Outing Club purchased Blake's share for $3,100 (with $2,000 borrowed from the bank in Newport). The club took over the lease, equipment, and operations.

The non-profit Outing Club hoped that a successful ski tow would help fund other programs like skating, swimming and even contribute to the Information Booth. In his 1948 Planning Board report, Chairman Ken Rich wrote: "We are glad to report satisfactory progress on the ski area with the erection of a ski tow and we hope through other organizations to see a skating rink before another year."

For all their optimism, the early years were lean, presenting frequent cash flow problems. Club Treasurer Mary Wright recalled that she often called on founder and president Bill Clough, Jr. to cover overdrafts. The ski area did become self-funding—especially during early-snow years when the slopes could open in time for the Christmas break. Despite modest expansion to three trails, demands for more terrain, more instruction, and more lift capacity prompted the search for a new hill. The old ski tow closed in March 1961, and King Ridge Ski Area opened the following December. Having introduced the sport to a post-war generation of townspeople, college students, and visitors, the ski tow had served the community well.

References:

• Buker, Harold W., Jr. Oral History Interview (April 1992)
• Clough, Dr. William, Jr. "The Outing Club and King Ridge" (September 1976)
• Lauridsen, Laurids. "New London's Northeast Slopes" (January 1976)
• Squires, J. Duane. Mirror to America: A History of New London, New Hampshire 1900–1950
• Stecker, Anne Page. Our Voices, Our Town: A History of New London, New Hampshire 1950–2000