The Old Man’s Little Brother: a Rock Profile in Milton, New Hampshire

Posted on 18 November, 2016 by Janice Brown
"The Old Man's Little Brother," located on Branch Hill, Milton NH. Found in book: Barefoot Days and Sundown Songs, by Raymond Hughes, illustrated with photographs by W.R. Spinney, Concord NH 1922.

“The Old Man’s Little Brother,” from Barefoot Days and Sundown Songs, by Raymond Huse, illustrated with photographs by W.R. Spinney, Concord NH 1922. Internet Archive.

New Hampshire’s Old Man may have fallen, but his younger brother still smiles upon the land. He has kept a lower, more reclusive profile. He was never keen on having people stare at him all day.

He sits in a quiet, wooded location on Branch Hill in Milton, NH.  The road used to be a busy stagecoach route, but with the advent of the railroad and the straightening of highways, it is now lonely. The profile is famous only to the local residents who put a photograph of “Sonny Jim,” as THEY call him, on the cover of their 2014 Town Report.

I am told that he is visible from the road — Branch Hill Road — about 100 feet from the turnoff at Applebee Road.  Once on Branch Hill Road, look for the “Land Share” sign, and just beyond it, on the left-hand side, you will see the profile from the road. Continue reading →

Posted in Boulders and Profiles, History, Oddities, Accidents and Crazy Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

New Hampshire Slanguage: Muffler

Posted on 16 November, 2016 by Janice Brown
Illustration of muffler styles from Shakespeare's time, from "Illustrations of Shakspeare, and of Ancient Manners with Disserations," by Francis Douce.

Illustration of muffler styles from Shakespeare’s time, from “Illustrations of Shakspeare, and of Ancient Manners with Disserations,” by Francis Douce.

Before the automobile was invented, the term muffler was an entirely different item than a metal tail pipe. It  was, instead, an object of clothing, worn to keep dust, dirt, or the extremes of sun and cold from the mouth and face. Though commonly thought interchangeable with the common neck scarf, the muffler was specific to covering the nose, mouth, and chin.

The word is an old English one, in common use in Shakespeare’s time (he died in 1616). The ‘muffler‘ is mentioned in his Merry Wives of Windsor that he published in 1602.

In the reign of Charles I (1625-1649) it was common for the ladies to wear masks which covered the eyebrows and nose, holes being left for the eyes. Sometimes, but not always, the mouth was covered, and the chin guarded with a sort of muffler then called a chin-cloth; these were chiefly used to keep off the sun. Continue reading →

Posted in History, Humor, New Hampshire Slanguage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Manchester NH Athlete, Legendary Skiing Coach and Promoter, Sports Commentator & Hall of Famer: Robert P. “Bob” Beattie (1933-2018)

Posted on 14 November, 2016 by Janice Brown
A youthful Bob Beattie in his favorite element.

A youthful Bob Beattie in his favorite element (1964).

Robert P. “Bob” Beattie was born 24 January 1933 in Manchester, New Hampshire, the son of Robert A. & Katherine S. (Prime) Beattie. He died 1 April 2018 in Fruita, Colorado.  He was raised in Manchester, attending the local schools, and graduated from Central High School in 1950. In 1940 his family was living at 97 Lexington Street in Manchester NH, and Robert Sr. worked as a salesman for a “roofing concern.”

Bob majored in education at Middlebury College in Middlebury Vermont, graduating in 1955. While there, he lettered in three sports: football, skiing, and tennis. In 1955 he competed in cross country skiing, and the following year he coached at Middlebury. In a February 1957 newspaper article about John M. Beattie and his brother Robert, the Burlington Free Press stated: “careful on pronouncing that last name. It’s Bee-ah-tee, with the accent on the ah.”

Continue reading →

Posted in Genealogy, History, New Hampshire Men | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

New Hampshire’s Tradition of Leadership: The Women’s Delegation

Posted on 12 November, 2016 by Janice Brown

politics-women-map-3New Hampshire was called “First in the Nation” for many years when our national primary elections truly happened first. Some say that tradition lives on. But in current day politics where several states allow you to pre-vote and caucus events occur earlier, that title may be ebbing away.

A fairly new tradition that our state can be proud of, is its ability to elect women to represent them at the national level (and we are not slackers at the local level). We would like to think that the United States, in general, is enlightened regarding women in politics, but honestly it is not. Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, History, New Hampshire Politics, New Hampshire Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

New Hampshire WWI Military: Heroes of Tilton

Posted on 11 November, 2016 by Janice Brown
tilton-nh-old-postcard-wwi-b-watermarked

Antique postcard showing welcome banner across Main Street in Tilton, New Hampshire. Postcard reads: “WELCOME” TO RETURNED SOLDIERS, TILTON, N.H. NOV. 11, 1919

On November 11, 1919, the first year anniversary of the Armistice, a photograph was taken of the welcome arch crossing Main Street in Tilton New Hampshire. This would have been located at approximately 276 Main Street, facing west. No doubt like most of the other WWI celebratory arches of the day, it was only left up a short time, usually a few months from November 11th through New Year’s Day. Continue reading →

Posted in History, Military of New Hampshire, NH WW1 Military | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments