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Revisit To Hudson Center … Benjamin Dean House – A House Twice Moved

February 22, 2018 11:13 pm / Leave a comment

Benjamin Dean House on Hamblet Avenue C 1942

Continuing to revisit Hudson Center we stop at the Benjamin Dean House. This 270 plus year old house is among the oldest, if not the oldest house in Hudson. But I can state for certain that it is the ‘best traveled’ house in town. For the first 91 years this house was located on Bush Hill Road as part of the Haselton Farm. In 1838 the home was moved to Hamblet Avenue and remodeled by the owner, Rev. Benjamin Dean. Here it remained for another 126 years until moving a second time about 1964 to it’s location on Windham Road.

This house was built by Abraham Page about 1747 on Bush Hill Road on part of the old Haselton Farm. Between 1747 and about 1838 this house was likely occupied by Abraham Page, Jr and early members of the Haselton family whom he helped to raise. In 1838 the owner, Rev. Benjamin Dean, moved and remodeled the house to a location on Hamblet Avenue just north of the Eli Hamblet house and facing the east side of the Hudson Center Common. The second floor contained a large room with an arched ceiling, referred to as “Dean’s Hall”. This room was used as a school and a place for public gatherings. Rev. Dean occupied the home until about 1850. The home had various owners until being purchased by the family of Claudia and Richard Boucher. In the early 1960’s when the State of New Hampshire planned out the new route 111 through Hudson Center, this house was simply ‘in the way’. The Boucher family sold the property to the state and later re-purchased the house and had it moved to its present (and third) location on Windham Road. This 1942 photo from the Historical Society Collection shows the house at its second location on Hamblet Avenue.

The Cross Homestead on Barrett’s Hill Road

February 16, 2018 3:08 pm / 2 Comments on The Cross Homestead on Barrett’s Hill Road

Cross Farm on Barrett’s Hill Road

This undated photo of the Cross home on Barrett’s Hill Road came to the Historical Society from the estate of Jessie Gilbert and was later identified as being the home Arden Cross. None of the individuals in the photo were identified.

27 year old Hiram Cross purchased land on Barretts Hill Road from William T. Baldwin in 1846. By the end of 1847 Hiram and Sarah Savage were married in Hudson. The 1850 census shows Hiram and Sarah as supervisors of the poor farm (Alms House) along with nine clients ranging in age from 90 to as young as 9. Perhaps this position provided living space while they prepared to build their home or even provided some financial assistance. By 1860 Hiram and Sarah were living in their own farmhouse on Barretts Hill Road along with three sons; William (age 8), Addison (age 4), and Arden (age 2).

Hiram was a fifth generation descendant of Nathan Cross (B:1703 in England). Nathan settled in Dunstable and in 1724, while our town was still a part of Dunstable, MA, purchased a part of the Joseph Hills Farm along what is now Derry Road.

For 125 years or so, the Cross farm on Barretts Hill Road was operated first by Hiram, then by his son Arden (B:1855 D:1927), then by his grandson Nathan Erwin (B:1894 D:1991). Hiram passed in 1892, at which time he was survived by four sons. In addition to William, Addison, and Arden, there was a younger son Herbert some 9 years younger that Arden. Ownership of the farm passed to Arden as each of the other sons had moved to neighboring towns.

The second family to operate the Cross farm was that of Mary Willoughby and Arden Cross. Mary was native to Hollis and they were married in 1893. Their family consisted of a son, Nathan Erwin (B:1894) and a daughter Ruth Vivian (B:1898). We do have some ideas about the farming activities on the Cross Farm. Arden had a productive dairy herd. In 1906 he added two Jersey cows to this herd. The less stony fields surrounding the homestead were used to grow and harvest hay for the winter use. The stony fields were used to pasture the herd during the warmer months. The family garden and orchard was the source of most food supplies: potatoes, carrots and other root crops. apples and pears from the orchards. Neighboring farmers would often assist each other with work which required more than one person: haying, picking apples, digging and storing potatoes to name a few. One major winter activity was harvesting ice blocks from nearby Robinson Pond and stacking then in the ice house using sawdust for insulation.

The third generation was that of Emma Lane, from Claremont, and Nathan Erwin Cross (B:1894). They were married about 1920. There are indications that Nathan Erwin, often known of as Erwin, lived near Clarement prior to their marriage. About 1921 Erwin and Emma returned to Hudson to assist his father who was having difficulty with advanced age and poor eyesight. Erwin and Emma had one daughter, Helen, born about 1932. She attended Hudson Schools and then Nashua High School. After high school graduation she attended Colby College in ME. In March 1955 she married Edward Stabler of New York and made that state her home. Erwin continued with the farming operation until advancing age and poor eyesight required he retire. He continued to reside at the homestead on Barretts Hill as long as possible; spending his last few years with his daughter and her family in New York. The home in Hudson was vacant for many years and has since been demolished. The land which was the Cross Farm is located at the corner of Barretts Hill and Tiger Roads.

Let’s return to the photo for a few moments. It was taken by “Eaton Photographer Oppo. City Hall, Nashua, N.H.” according to the information on the back of the original photo. Thanks to research by Jim Hogan of Nashua we are able to isolate the date of this photo to be circa summer of 1870. Eaton Photographer was listed as a business in the Nashua City Directory but only once, and that was in the 1870-1871 edition. In the same edition, the residential section had a listing for “Eaton, Asa B., photographer, 91 Main St, opp City Hall, house at Hollis” This has also been supported by the 1870 census for Hollis.

Given the Cross family history this is a photo of the home of Hiram Cross, father of Arden. The man on the right would be Hiram (age about 51) and the younger man on the left would be his older son William (age about 18). Arden (age about 8) is not in the picture. Back next to and almost hidden by the shrub between the windows is a woman, likely Hiram’s wife, Sarah. The “photographic artist” placed the men away from the shade of the trees and had them remove their hats so as to make their faces more visible. Possibly Sarah shied away from being in the photo because she does not have on her fancy clothes.

The man and the horse and carriage might be a neighbor passing by who stopped to watch as the photo was taken. It may also be the transportation the photographer used that particular afternoon to drive through the country taking photographs. Notice that he seems to be holding the reins tight so as to control the horse. Also, the carriage is taking up most of the width of the dirt, narrow, Barretts Hill Road. Thanks to Jim Hogan, a historic writer and researcher from Nashua for sharing his work with the Society.

Hudson Center Revisited

February 10, 2018 6:38 pm / 2 Comments on Hudson Center Revisited

This series on Hudson History began in August 2014 as a joint project between the Historical Society and the HLN as a way of sharing some of Hudson’s history with our readers. To date there have been some 170 weekly articles and accompanying photos published in the paper and on RememberHudsonNHWhen.com. I enjoy writing these articles and the research necessary to prepare for them.

Going forward there are still many sites and topics to write about. But, more time is now needed to do this research. My plan going forward is to submit Remember Hudson When articles every other week. And, on the alternative weeks we will Revisit parts of town by re-printing articles from the past on a theme basis: for example a Pre 1970 trip down Lowell Road or Restaurants in town, etc. This week we begin a Revisit series on Hudson Center.

As always if there is some historical site or photo you would like me to consider writing about, please contact Ruth via the HLN or the Hudson Historical Society by sending email to HudsonHistorical@live.com or a phone message at 603-880-2020.

Prior to 1834 the only village in town was a small one around the Hudson Center Common. This consisted of three stores, a tavern, the north meeting house, one practicing doctor, the post office, and 8 or 9 residences. By 1888 the Baptist Church sanctuary was built; the north meeting house was replaced by the town hall, and the only railroad station in town existed behind the town hall and off Greeley Street. This C1888 photo of the Hudson Center Common shows the view from the home of Eli Hamblet on Hamblet Avenue.

Straight ahead is the Baptist Church. The church where he was elected as deacon just a few years earlier in 1882. The large vestry at the rear of the church had not been built, but I am certain the need for it had been discussed among the members. To the right of the church is the home of Mrs. Mahalia Greeley; the widow of John Greeley, MD. Further to the right, not shown on this photo, is the town hall. To the left of the church is the former home of Reuben Greeley, postmaster from 1818 until 1829; now occupied by his son Daniel Greeley. Daniel was known to have a good nature and was well liked within the community.

In the foreground and on the left of the photo is the Old Hudson Center Cemetery. Up until a few years prior to this photo the cemetery was in disrepair and the town considered moving the remains from this site so that the size of the common could be increased. This proposal did NOT meet with public sentiment and, as it turned out, a former resident of Hudson, John Foster, made a proposal to the town that he would build a stone fence and clean up the cemetery if the town would maintain it. Immediately beyond the cemetery is a roof of a barn; possible from the barn connected to the Paul Tenney/Henry Brown House on the opposite side of the common. Photo from the Historical Society Collection.

Water Towers on Highland Street

February 2, 2018 9:06 pm / 1 Comment on Water Towers on Highland Street

Standpipe On Highland Street

The first water storage and delivery system in Hudson was this wooden standpipe at the height of land at what is now 30 Highland Street. The concept is fairly simple. Water is pumped into this vertical standpipe, stored; as needed the water flows by gravity to the home or buildings in the area. This standpipe was constructed by George O. Sanders as early as 1891 to supply water to his buildings in Hudson and Nashua.

Sanders was born in Hudson and at age 6, moved to Nashua with his parents. His dad was a well known contractor in Nashua from whom he learned the trade by serving as an apprentice at the age of 17. In 1873 he selected a prominent site in Hudson and proceeded to build what is known, even today, as one of the finest residences in Hudson. It remains today; the elegant Victorian overlooking Library Park at the corner of Derry and Highland Streets.

In 1882 he established himself in business in Nashua. He purchased a parcel of land near the junction of the Nashua and Merrimack Rivers and soon had a sawmill and box factory.

At first, Sanders supplied water to his residence from a well with a windmill operating along side his home. In need of water for his factory as well as his residence he built the standpipe and power station on Highland Street. He then pumped water from Little Tarnic Pond (aka Swamp Pond) into the standpipe to provide this water. He laid pipes from the standpipe under Highland and Derry to reach his residence. To reach his buildings in Nashua pipes were laid in the river. He also extended the pipes to provide water to a few of his neighbors. The first distribution of water through these pipes was in 1891. Our first photo was taken as you proceed up Highland from Derry street. The standpipe, on your left, is located on what is now 30 Haverhill Street. Note that Highland is a dirt road and there are but a few homes in the area.

The Hudson Water Works Company (HWWC) was organized in he spring of 1893. After a short time the water from Little Tarnic contained sediment and was unsatisfactory for domestic use. About this same time Sanders purchased a number of acres and water rights along Tarnic Brook and what is now Melendy Road. He transferred a part of this land to HWWC for a large well and a pumping station. Pipes were laid under Central Street and connected with the former system of pipes. Water from this new well was pumped into the standpipe by a circuitous route.

About 1901 the HWWC was sold to parties in Boston. They failed to make the business successful and Sanders again became principle owner. By 1903 all, or nearly all stock was transferred to parties in Portland, ME and by 1905 the Hudson Water Company(HWC) was incorporated.

Steel Water Tower from Highland C1978

The vertical standpipe at the corner of Highland and Haverhill continued to operate by Hudson Water Company until a water tower was planned and built in 1939. This replacement was located across Highland from the standpipe. According to a February 6, 1939 article in the Nashua Telegraph this new water tower was made of welded steel, stood 85 feet above it’s footings, weighed 65 tons, and had a storage capacity of 240,000 gallons! This provided a 10 lb increase in pressure to existing customers and extended to potential service area to 1/2 mile beyond the Hudson Town Hall at Hudson Center, now Wattannick Hall. This tower was equipped with a gauge on it’s south side, making it possible to determine the amount of water in the tank from Ferry Street. We have two photos of this steel tower. The first shows the 85 foot tower and was taken from across Highland Street. The second shows the tower from the intersection of Ferry and Second Streets, looking between 66 and 68 Ferry at the tower.

Steel Water Tower from Ferry C1978

Once the new tower was planned the land parcel upon which the standpipe sat was sold by HWC to Helen and Ray House, with the understanding that the old standpipe was to be removed before May 1939. This new tower remained in use by HWC into the late 1970’s, perhaps as late as 1978; at which time it was demolished. The photos of the tower shown here were actually taken by the author a the time of demolition. Before this demolition a third water tower was built on a hill above Belknap Road at Gordon Heights.

As time went on the HWC morphed into Consumer NH Water Company. Then, in January 1998 at a special town meeting, the voters of Hudson authorized the acquisition of the water system from Consumer NH. As a result of this action Hudson has it’s own water utility and Water Utility Department.

My thanks to Gerald Winslow and Lionel Boucher for adding insight to this story. Jerry moved, with his parents, into his house on Highland Street, adjacent to the steel tower, in 1940. I was curious if the younger generation rose to the challenge of climbing the tower or decorating it for Halloween. He replied, “not too often”. However, he did remember that “Nick” Connell had an annual practice when he returned home to Hudson after wintering in California. He climbed the tower and proceeded to do hand stands on the top. What a site that must have been!! Lionel worked a a building contractor in Hudson; he worked on the removal of the old standpipe and the construction of the home at 30 Highland Street for Mr. and Mrs. House.