In My Footsteps
Christopher Setterlund
Trip 81: Newport, New Hampshire
September 21, 2010
Very few things I have seen on my travels so far have been as impressive and breathtaking as my drive through Central New Hampshire. The mountains are all around you and when it is combined with the oncoming fall foliage it makes for a dreamlike experience.
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| The Pier Bridge |
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| The amazing view inside the Pier Bridge. |
Newport, New Hampshire, located just west of Mt. Sunapee
, is the very definition of a mountain town. The drive to get there, going through the very well known Sunapee area of New Hampshire, is worthy of an article all its own. I found it very interesting that despite it being for a totally different reason Newport, New Hampshire was just as beautiful as Newport, Rhode Island. Where Newport, Rhode Island is beautiful thanks to its mansions and scenic coastline Newport, New Hampshire is beautiful thanks to its covered bridges and scenic mountains.
, is the very definition of a mountain town. The drive to get there, going through the very well known Sunapee area of New Hampshire, is worthy of an article all its own. I found it very interesting that despite it being for a totally different reason Newport, New Hampshire was just as beautiful as Newport, Rhode Island. Where Newport, Rhode Island is beautiful thanks to its mansions and scenic coastline Newport, New Hampshire is beautiful thanks to its covered bridges and scenic mountains.
First settled in 1763 after a delay due to the hostilities of the French and Indian War, Newport became a very prosperous town thanks to its soil and the Sugar River. A grist mill and cotton mill were established not too long after but it is a project which never got off the ground that I find most interesting.
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| South Congregational Church |
In 1817, inspired by the development of the Erie Canal in New York, businessmen suggested that a canal be created between the Connecticut and Merrimack Rivers. This would have begun at the Sugar River in Newport and would have used Lake Sunapee as a reservoir. For whatever reason, probably money, this proposed canal project was dropped before the first shovel was plunged into the dirt. Ironically the Newport-based Sibley Scythe Company, established in 1842, supplied the scythes that were used to clear the jungle away from the site of the Panama Canal when construction began in 1903.
The first thing I wanted to see when I arrived in Newport was one of the three covered bridges located within its boundaries. Even with a GPS 
these magnificent old relics of a forgotten time were very hard to find. Luckily two of the bridges were located on the same road, Chandler’s Mill Road.
these magnificent old relics of a forgotten time were very hard to find. Luckily two of the bridges were located on the same road, Chandler’s Mill Road.
Located a mile down Chandler’s Mill Road is Pier Bridge. The 216-foot long wooden truss bridge was built in 1907 and crosses over the Sugar River. It was built to replace a wooden lattice bridge from 1871 which was used by the Sugar River Railroad. The tracks are no longer there but there is a nice, wide dirt path which will lead to the second bridge, Wright Bridge, less than a mile walk away.
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| Newport's Town Hall & Court House |
For the Pier Bridge there is a small dirt area where I parked, it is an easy walk to the entrance of the bridge. I have only seen one other covered bridge
and that was in Vermont so standing inside this wooden masterpiece with only the sound of the birds and the soft trickling of the water below was something wonderful. I truly felt like I was alone in the world during the time I was underneath the shelter of Pier Bridge. The sunlight trickled in from all sides through the small spaces between boards. It was something that words won’t do justice to, a photo will do much better.
and that was in Vermont so standing inside this wooden masterpiece with only the sound of the birds and the soft trickling of the water below was something wonderful. I truly felt like I was alone in the world during the time I was underneath the shelter of Pier Bridge. The sunlight trickled in from all sides through the small spaces between boards. It was something that words won’t do justice to, a photo will do much better.
I did not choose to walk the .8 miles to the Wright Bridge. Looking back I should have as my treasure hunt using my GPS led me way off track, I ended up at a point where there were no markings on the GPS screen, only white. Needless to say after a few drives up and down Chandler’s Mill Road I gave up and headed to my next destination. Still, I was so happy to get to stand underneath one of only eight covered railroad bridges in the entire country.
The next stop during my time in Newport consisted of a walk down Main Street. I parked at the historic South Congregational Church, built in 1823, which stands stoically over the surrounding homes and businesses. The warm autumn day combined with the colorful leaves made this walk a pleasure, however, the places I got to see on Main Street were in a class of their own.
There is a saying that the ‘whole is greater than the sum of its parts,’ that is sort of the case with Newport’s Main Street. Yes there are many historic buildings but the entire scene as I walked along through the peaceful mountain town was something I wanted to capture and take with me when I had to leave.
There is the beautifully sculpted Golden Eagle, a replica of the eagle crafted by Stephen Hasham of Charlestown, New Hampshire which once sat atop the Eagle Hotel. It will definitely catch your eye as you pass by as it did for a small group of elementary school students who were out on a field trip
on this day. Sometimes that is how I feel as well.
on this day. Sometimes that is how I feel as well. |
| The awe-inspiring Train Mural on Main Street. |
A few steps away is the mammoth brick Newport Town Hall & Court House built in 1886. In fact there are several brick buildings, all from around the same time period, 1880’s and 1890’s which stand along Main Street. The really neat thing about them, and this is the case in other towns I have visited, is that they each have names, usually on a smoky gray background. I saw the Lewis Block, DeWolf, and Wheeler’s Block as I walked. I can only assume they were named for those who put up the money to have them built.
One amazing sight, off the beaten path, along the side of the Johnson Block building is ‘The Train Mural.’ It is an awe-inspiring hand painted depiction of the four seasons of New Hampshire along with some well known sites from the town of Newport. This is a perfect way to get a taste of what this town is really all about if you do not have the time to walk. I have been unable to find any information as to how old the Train Mural is, or who painted it, but they deserve great thanks for creating something so beautiful.
Newport, New Hampshire is every bit as beautiful as its counterpart in Rhode Island. From the covered railroad bridges to the trip to a simpler time that my walk on Main Street provided it is a town that I will not soon forget. I hope everyone gets the chance at some point to visit this classic mountain town and to take in all of its beauty; it is worth any length of time to get here. Have fun and happy traveling!
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Directions: Pier Bridge: From I-89 headed north take Exit 12 for Rt. 11. Turn left at Rt. 11, follow it 11 miles, turn left at N. Main Street. Take 3rd right onto Rt. 103, follow 3 miles, turn left at Chandler’s Mill Rd., bridge is 1 mile up on right.
Main Street: From I-89 headed north take Exit 12 for Rt. 11. Turn left at Rt. 11, follow it 11 miles, turn left at N. Main Street, there is parking on the right side of street.
References: Newport, NH.net
in central New Hampshire was getting into full gear. The red, orange, and yellow leaves seemed to be springing up as I watched. This added bonus made each and every photo I took even better.
which were a constant reminder of just how far from home I was. To make this scene complete were a pair of 
trees in full bloom by the road. I enjoyed their shade for a moment before continuing on my way.
. Though it was a bit too cool to swim I still enjoyed the tremendous scenery that seemingly exists everywhere in New London. This beach became a popular tourist destination in the late 19th Century and many of those vacationers eventually built summer homes along its shore. There was even a small golf course built in the area way back then but it no longer exists. I was also intrigued by a home built on a concrete breakwater sticking out close to a hundred feet into the water. Not knowing if it was inhabited or not I enjoyed it from afar and went about my business. 
, Ebenezer Philips, made his fortune here in the late 18th century. Philips learned the process of drying fish from the local Naumkeag Indians which led to greater shelf life for the fish. Swampscott became world famous in 1808 when Ebenezer Thorndike invented the 
which revolutionized lobster harvesting.
with large rectangular stones around a center stone circle. The longitude and latitude of the area is noted as well as lines where the seasons would change. Upon closer inspection there were also words inscribed on the sides of the center stone including the words ‘Be Inspired By Love,’ which was a nice touch.
Elihu Thomson was a prolific inventor with more than 700 patents to his name. He also served as president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T) from 1920-1923 before his death in 1937. 
in 2009 it ranked 14th as far as America’s Most Livable Cities, meaning Peabody is also a great place to build a life. On this day I was just up for a visit and was very happy with all that I saw.
when it resided on Endicott Street. It was moved to the Felton-Smith Historic Site in 1990 and contains some rare firefighting artifacts from Peabody and the North Shore. 
, snoring at that I might add, there was also a solitary chicken that had escaped its pen and was trying to get back in while the other chickens all clucked at it. When I informed the nice people inside the farm stand they told me that chicken is a master escape artist. The animals also included a llama and what I think was an emu, it would not come over to me. The sheer size of the farmland was incredible, it extended all out as far as I could see. The Fire Museum sat majestically on the other side of the hill with nothing in the way to obstruct my view. 
. The one thing I did not realize was that the restaurant itself was located inside the Northshore Mall.
. These were set up in an area giving a great close up view of Marblehead Light and a more surprising view of Bakers Island Light located about five miles from Fort Sewall on the outskirts of Salem Harbor.
. It is a beautiful building with its checkered clock tower, it is clearly visible from many places around the town and I found it a great backdrop for many photos of mine.
in New York. The lighthouse, which honestly looks like a disposable ink cartridge for a pen, stands tall on a cliff overlooking Marblehead Harbor, its green light visible for seven nautical miles. It is my favorite lighthouse I have seen thus far and seem to not be able to control myself when snapping photos of it, almost like a paparazzo.
built in Beverly in 1781. The house is only the beginning of the importance of the Cabot name in Beverly and before that in Boston. The Cabot family lived in the Beacon Hill section of Boston and were one of the ‘Boston Brahmins’ or First Families of Boston. The Cabot family’s first business in Boston upon their arrival from France was that of dory making, dory’s are small, shallow draft-boats.
in 1697 which challenged the legality and references to the Bible used in the Salem Witch Trials. The house itself, in which Hale lived from 1694 until his death in 1700, is very unassuming but for its pale yellow exterior. There are several large beech trees in the back of the house which are accompanied by an engraved stone explaining that they were planted in 1937 by the Beverly Improvement Society.
leased the cottage. It was after the summer of 1910 that the Taft family was informed that the Evans family, which controlled the area then known as Burgess Point, planned to build an Italian 
on that spot. The sunken rose garden with several brick steps leading down into the maze of flowers and beautifully manicured grass has been the sight of many weddings and other social gathering in its one hundred years of existence. I was in awe of the sights and scents of the garden especially as the warm sun bathed the garden in bright light.
