Snow Date For Michele Albion Program
Join us this Thursday, February 20th at the Pittsfield Middle High
School, 23 Oneida Street at 7 pm for a fun evening with the author
of the Quotable books, Michele Albion.
For further information, please contact the library at 435-8406.
Snowmobile Poker Run
Suncook Valley Sno-Riders 3rd Annual Poker Run.
Saturday February 22nd, 2014 Registration 10:00am-12:00 noon
Starting at PYBA field on Tilton Hill Rd in Pittsfield.
Accessible by Sled or vehicle. Come play a hand or two and join the
fun!
If you have questions, call Laura 435-8729.
The Tragedy Of Mary Bodge And The Story Of Her Bridge
Submitted By Larry Berkson
Eleanor Watson has kept after me to write more about Mary’s Bridge
than is displayed on the Historic Trail sign on Bridge Street.
Finally, I have found time. So here goes.
The Footbridge and the Fall
Prior to 1874 there was only a narrow foot bridge across the river
at the end Bridge Street. It swung low to the water and on January 8
it was feared that the ice flow would carry it away. Being good town
citizens, during mid-day Captain Jonathan Towle who lived on River
Road and Christopher Butman who lived in the house at the northwest
corner of Bridge and Smith Streets, disconnected it to let the ice
pass. However, they did not reposition it that night, failed to put
up a barrier to the river, and did not illuminate the area.
That Thursday morning 26 year-old Mary Bodge, who lived in
Barnstead, had traveled over it on her way to work in the J. S.
Bartlett & Company shoe shop. On her way home that night she took
the same route. It was very dark and foggy and she did not see that
the bridge was out. She plunged into the river, her screams being
heard by neighbors who rushed to the scene. But they were too late.
The following day a canon shot grappling hooks across the river all
day in an attempt to recover her body, but the effort was
unsuccessful. About $200 was then raised to bring a diver from
Boston to make the recovery. However, that became unnecessary when
on Saturday four men found her body below the dam.
The funeral took place on Sunday in the Free Will Baptist Church,
the Washington Hotel furnishing the carriages to the funeral free of
charge. The four men who found the body served as pall bearers. Rev.
Arthur Deering officiated in front of a huge crowd of factory
workers and the general public. Eighteen carriages then followed the
body to Barnstead Center where another oration was given by Rev.
Deering.
Mary was the daughter of John and Lavinia (Clough) Bodge. Her father
passed away in 1859, 15 years before the accident. In 1860 her
mother married Henry Gray, who apparently also passed away before
the accident. Lavinia lived until 1902. Mary’s brother, James, who
was born two years after her, did not pass away until 1943. To
assist the aging widow, $244 was raised for her, $40 of it from the
factory where Mary worked, and $78 from the C. D. Pecker Shoe
Company. The following year the town voted to award Mrs. Gray $300
for the death of her daughter.
Mary’s Bridge
At the 1874 town meeting it was voted to raise $1,200 to build a
bridge across the river where Mary drowned. In the fiscal year
1874-75, $315 were expended making preparations, a small amount the
next three years, and finally in 1879 the major work was done
costing a little over $3,000.
It was a typical lattice bridge with walkways on both sides, 130
feet long. It had 4 x 4 inch entrance timbers with clapboards and
fancy filigree on each end. Wooden shingles covered the roof.
In 1883 it was deemed necessary to raise the bridge. It was raised
three feet on the east end and two feet on the west end. The cost
was $413. Fifteen years later, while the bridge was undergoing
repairs, the editor of The Valley Times suggested that from all
outward appearances it would not be usable much longer. The town was
still trying to salvage the bridge in 1907 when it was replanked.
The following year, however, it was deemed unsafe. It was examined
by the selectmen with the aid of a professional bridge builder and
as a result called a special town meeting. W. E. Joy urged the
voters to expend $2,000 to repair the old bridge but the voters
rejected the idea in favor of building a new one. A committee was
created to examine the bridge once again and the selectmen were
ordered to contact companies to learn about building one made of
steel or concrete. It was also voted to move the abutments closer so
that the span would only be 100 feet.
A contract was signed with the United Construction Company of
Albany, New York to erect the new bridge. Because of habit the new
bridge was still called Mary’s Bridge for many years and then
forgotten over time. The name was reintroduced by the Pittsfield
Historical Society when it placed a marker next to the present
bridge as part of its Historic Trail in 1999.
Floral Park Cemetery Fence Fund Update
Submitted By Carole Richardson
Now that the holidays are over and we are all thinking about spring,
I am excited to report that because of your continued support
through donations, we are almost half way to my goal of having the
first $20,000 so that the first portion of the fence can be
installed for Memorial Day.
I would like to thank you for your continued support of donations
for the Floral Park Cemetery Fence Fund. A special thank you to
Paul Rogers at Jitters for allowing me to have a donation box there,
and thank you to all of his patrons who have donated with their
spare change – remember every penny counts.
I would also like to thank the SUN for continually printing my
articles seeking donations for this much needed project. Thanks
also to Andi Riel for mentioning the project in her Sunday Monitor
column. I am constantly brainstorming on ways to get the word out
so that I can reach individuals who aren’t aware of the Fence Fund.
I applied to the Sanderson Trust Fund for a donation but my request
was denied because the Trustees stated “while individually we all
feel that this is a wonderful project, as a committee we do not feel
that this project meets the Sanderson Trust Fund criteria, which is
to support programs or projects that promote the education, health
and welfare of the individuals of the Town of Pittsfield.”
I certainly respect the Trustees, and I know they have a very
difficult job in deciding where these very important funds should go
but I felt that I should apply since the Sanderson Family does have
a lot at the Floral Park Cemetery.
I will also be writing letters to individuals seeking their
financial support but I am open to any suggestions on how I can make
this much needed fence replacement project a success.
As I have mentioned in previous articles, all the funds for this
project will need to be raised by individuals and organizations. The
Floral Park Cemetery Trustees have indicated that although they feel
this is a very worthwhile project they are struggling to pay for
necessary upkeep of the cemetery. Remember your contributions to
the Fence Fund are tax deductible.
Thank you for your questions and concerns, and please continue to
send your donations to the “Floral Park Cemetery Fence Fund” P.O.
Box 98 or 595 Tilton Hill Road, Pittsfield, NH 03263. If you should
have questions, please call me at 435-8351.
PES ABC Kindness Club
Student Organizers from left to
right: Quinn Bissonnette, Paige Boudreau, Abby Cote and Brandon
Desilets
The ABC Kindness Club finished up an amazing drive. The students
raised 1,219.64 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The money was
raised in honor of Joey Martin, a second grade Pittsfield student
who is currently in treatment.
We have a wonderful caring group of students at PES! Ms Allen’s
grade 5 class wins the pizza party with $159.09 in donations.
Thank You to Rustic Crust of Pittsfield NH and our Cafe Services who
will work together on the pizza party.
Tops News
Submitted By Terrie Azotea
At Tops this past week our Kops best loser was Mickey. Our Tops best
loser was Thom. Kudos to all who had a loss!
As we all know it’s so hard to lose weight and it’s even harder to
keep it off. So, when there is a loss, give yourself a pat on your
back and say to yourself, “great job.”
We talked about old business and the upcoming SRD in May. It sounds
like it’s going to be a great time. I was the speaker this past week
and I talked about emotional eating and why we use food for comfort.
We use food when we are happy, sad, mad, and the big one,
stressed.We had some great tips on what to do when we are on the
emotional wagon. One tip was eat a pickle. I thought that one was a
good one.
We started a new contest called Put your heart into Tops. Good Luck
and lets see who can fill up there hearts first.
If anyone is interested in joining us on Tuesday nights, we meet at
5:30 for weigh in and at 6:30 for our meeting at the Berakah on
Fairview Rd. in Pittsfield. Any questions please call Stuart Pike,
856-4842 or Pat Smith, 435-5333.
I thought this was a good quote for the week “There is no failure
except in no longer trying.” ( Elbert Hubbard) Well, I hope that
everyone has a good week and see you all lighter next week!
The Root Children
Petit Papillon Ballet Theatre will perform The Root Children, March
21 and 22, 2014 at the Concord City Auditorium. Performances are
scheduled for Friday at 7 PM and Saturday at 2 PM with a special
school performance at 10 AM Friday. This ballet is based upon the
beloved German story written in 1906 about the seasons and how they
change bringing birth and rebirth to nature.
Choreography for the ballet is by Patricia Walker and Kelly Doremus
Stuart and will reflect many areas of dance. The ballet is set to
modern and new age music and is an enchanting adaptation of the
favorite children’s story that will transport audiences into a
fantasy world reflecting the forest home of birds, butterflies,
dragonflies and all the other creatures who dwell there.
Members the ballet theater are joined by younger students of Petit
Papillon School of Ballet to tell the story of the incredible
natural world we live in. Cast members for this production represent
the communities of Concord, Bow, Henniker, Hillsborough, Loudon and
Weare. The ballet will appeal to young and old alike. Tickets are
$12 for adults, $8 for children and seniors and are on sale at
Gibson’s Bookstore, 45 South Main St, Concord, and at the studios of
Petit Papillon, Monday through Friday from 4 PM-8 PM. The studios
are located in the Green Street Community Center, 39 Green St.,
Concord. Tickets will also be sold at the theater box office before
performances. Group rates are available.
Letter To The Editor
To the good citizens of Pittsfield,
I went to the public hearing on the Town and School Budgets last
night.
I thought with only three members of the public there, I had better
write a letter.
I had heard at a selectmen’s meeting attended by superintendent John
Freeman, that he had lost some good teachers to Epsom for what he
believed were monetary reasons; and that he didn’t want to lose any
more. He told us last night a raise and a three year contract would
help.
In the Governor’s State of the State address Governor Hassan’s
comments that Pittsfield is seeing improvements because they were
willing to look at education differently and has brought businesses,
parents, and the entire community together.
We should reward success.
With a cut in the operating budget, the school is proposing an
overall reduction in the tax rate.
And now on to the Town.
Our choices are clear. The police need a contract the Town and
police are proposing one that they think is beneficial to them and
the Town. I’ll probably vote for it.
Water company: Do we spend another $30,000 to work on acquiring the
aqueduct? Some people say we can’t afford not to own it.
Capital reserves for road equipment, $250,000 or so. We haven’t
saved hardly any money in several years for equipment purchases.
Either we raise the taxes $1.00 per thousand, or use our fund
balance. What should be our reserves? To put some money away or soon
we all start walking.
Dan Schroth Piermarocchi
Loudon Center Freewill Baptist Church
Back by popular demand is our Spaghetti & Meatball supper on
Saturday, February 22 at 5 pm. $7 person for all you can eat
spaghetti & meatballs, salad, garlic bread, dessert, hot/cold
drinks. All the proceeds go to White Cross missions.
Caregiver’s Support group the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month.
Bible Study every other Saturday morning with potluck breakfast.
(Call for dates/location)
Monday, March 3, 2014 is a public presentation by CareNet Pregnancy
Center of Concord. Please mark your calendars and invite your family
and friends. More information coming soon.
Please call Rev. Linda Overall at 603.875.5822 for more information
on all our events/studies
Please join us Sunday mornings at 9:30, we would love to see you!
Peterson Cram Post 75 Pittsfield American Legion
Submitted by Daniel M. Ward, Commander,
Post 75
Pittsfield American Legion Post
Thank you to all who purchased 2014 raffle tickets. The first
drawings this year were done during our February meeting for both
January and February. See the winners below.
This past year several improvements were made to our Post building
thanks to some dedicated volunteers from the Concord Home Depot.
They built a new handicap ramp, replaced a rotten threshold and
installed a very sturdy hand rail for the front steps. Next we hope
to add a new bathroom on the first floor of the Hall. This Home
Depot initiative is designed to give back to Veteran organizations
as a token of appreciation. We thank the Concord Home Depot team
for a job well done.
A heart felt thank you to the Freese family for giving the post a
WWI foot locker full of uniform and other interesting items that
belonged to Sergeant George E. Freese. Mrs. Florence Freese also
gave the post a beautifully framed photo of Sergeant George E.
Freese with a caption that says “Somewhere in France” April 15,1918.
Both items are on display at the Post Hall.
We encourage men and women that have served in the military to
become members of our American Legion Post. We meet on the first
Monday of each month (weather permitting) at the American Legion
Post Hall on Loudon Road at 7:30 p.m. Please call me 603-496-0848
with any concerns about joining or if you know of any Veterans
living in or around Pittsfield that may need any type of assistance.
As a reminder we have several wheel chairs and walkers if you know
anyone who may need one Veteran or not.
January Raffle Winners, $50.00 Richard Foss,$25.00 Al Nutter,
$10.00 Al Nutter, $10.00 Apollo McHaas, $10.00 Susan Elliott
February Raffle Winners, $50.00 John E. Freese, $25.00 Jim Allard,
$10.00 Margaret Weatherbee, $10.00 Hanna Chassie, $10.00 John Nutter
Obituaries
Peter Joyce
Peter Joyce, 57, of 14 Main St., died January 29th at home following
a sudden illness. He was born in Concord, the son of Alfred and
Phyllis (Mitchell) Joyce. He was employed for many years at the Blue
Seal Feeds store in Bow. He was an avid hunter and enjoyed hunting
with his friends. He is survived by his wife, Eleanor (Maguire)
Joyce and four daughters, Amy Joyce Connor of Summerville, SC;
Amanda Maguire of Manchester, Kelly Wood of Shepard, TX; and
Jennifer Joyce of Pittsfield. Three Grandsons, Nicholas Cooper,
Alex Cooper and Reuban Wood. Two brothers, Alfred Joyce of
Taylorsville, VT and Philip Joyce of Pittsfield. Aunts,
uncles,nieces , nephews and cousins.
Services in the Pineground Cemetery, Chichester will be scheduled in
the spring. The Perkins & Pollard Memorial Home is assisting with
arrangements. To sign an on line guest book, log on to
perkinsandpollard.com.
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