Memories of Long Pond: Northwood, New Hampshire

Memories of Long Pond: Northwood, New Hampshire

At the end of the Revolutionary War, James Steven James settled the land around Long Pond, a 101.9-acre, spring-fed lake tucked away in Northwood, New Hampshire. Once a working farm, the land was later divided and became Long Pond Estates. In Memories of Long Pond, author Irene E. DuPont shares the history of the development and the growth of Long Pond. DuPont's family purchased a cottage on the lake more than thirty-eight years ago; it was a place where they could enjoy swimming, hiking, fishing, and just getting away from the city. In this memoir, she provides a plethora of details about this lake, including the stories of the James family, the DuPont family, and the other property owners who have made this area their home. Memories of Long Pond gives insight into the Long Pond area, a growing community that provides much in the way of history of family lives-with building, feuding, and moving on toward the future. MEMORIES OF LONG POND NORTHWOOD, NEW HAMPSHIRE By IRENE E. DUPONT iUniverse, Inc. Copyright © 2012 Irene E. DuPont All right reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4759-6290-1 Contents Foreword..............................................................ixAcknowledgments.......................................................xiIntroduction..........................................................xiiiChapter 1 Started with a Headache....................................1Chapter 2 History of a New Town Called Northwood.....................3Chapter 3 Family Trees...............................................6Chapter 4 Interview with Audrey Huckins..............................13Chapter 5 Birth of the Long Pond Association.........................15Chapter 6 Recreational Crafts........................................20Chapter 7 Business of the Road.......................................24Chapter 8 Written Accounts of Landowners.............................26Chapter 9 Family Events..............................................55Chapter 10 Ice Has Its Own Story.....................................65Chapter 11 Events in the Area........................................67Chapter 12 Disappointing News........................................69Bibliography..........................................................71About the Author......................................................7 Chapter One STARTED WITH A HEADACHE It all started with a headache. It was a Sunday, and we were with a real estate agent out looking for a cottage on a body of water in the woods. We had decided that when we sold my husband's home in Allenstown, we would begin to look for a getaway camp. At this point, we had been looking for two years, and now going into the third year, we could not find anything that was worth what we were willing to pay. But on this particular day, we had this appointment with the Realtor on Route 4, and we were hopeful. He had shown us two places already that we were not really interested in. One place had a small stream flowing through the cellar way, making the cottage very damp. That was on Pleasant Lake. The other one was on Northwood Lake, but throughout the winter, you had to place a beam in the middle of the ceiling to prevent the roof from caving in. There was one more that we had to see, and I still had a splitting headache and upset stomach. I wanted to go home, but the Realtor and my husband convinced me to see just one more lake cottage. This one had just been placed on the market, and even the Realtor hadn't seen it yet. So I said, "Okay, but that's it—home we go after that." We proceeded down a dirt road and traveled about three-fourths of a mile. Then we stopped at a small opening on the left. Getting out of the vehicle, I saw it was all overgrown, and the house was all boarded up. The Realtor opened a wooden door that reminded me of a barricade to a fort, then he unlocked the next door. It was sparsely furnished and quite dark inside; all the windows were closed with a pressed board. He found the electric box and turned on the lights. It had two bedrooms, a full bath, a nice kitchen open to the family room, a screened porch, and a fireplace. Paul looked at me and said, "Wow!" Paul went under the place and then remarked how well the cottage was built. We could not see the water due to the overgrowth of trees and bushes. We did, however, go down the path to see the body of water, and it looked great. There were not many camps on the other side, but there were a lot of rocks on the shore and it had a very rocky bottom. The water appeared exceptionally clean, not swampy at all. We didn't say much to the Realtor at this point, except that we would get back to him. We left and talked all the way home about how great this place was. When we arrived home, we called the Realtor and said we would call the bank and see him again that upcoming Monday. We decided that if the price was right, we would take it, but first we had to check with the banker, Earnest Coloumb, regarding a