December, how did the earlier settlers light their homes?
Answer, Pine Knot and Candlewood torches, Candles & Whale Oil. For More details on Lighting
November, approximately how many cords of wood did the earlier settlers use per year?
Answer, an excerpt from Stone By Stone by Robert M. Thorson:
“It is estimated that the average Yankee home used 30-40 cords of wood per year, each measuring four feet high, four feet deep, and eight feet long. At that rate, many farm lots would soon have been exhausted. Uninhabited areas beyond farming villages were cut over, their wood being sold as an export crop. Even the Caribbean rum trade took wood from New England in the form of ship timber, kegs, and charcoal. Thousands of acres were clear-cut, and their logs skidded to the nearest stream, floated to navigable rivers, then shipped to New England cities, especially Boston, Providence, New London, New Haven, and New York, which have since exhausted their local wood supplies. The city of New Haven alone consumed 7,500 full cords of wood in 1811.”
October: What were the early days of the Salisbury Fire Department like?
For more details, Fighting Fires
September, Over the years, Salisbury had several Blacksmith shops. Where were they?
Answer: There was one in the South Road Village area, one on Salisbury Heights, two in the Mill Village/West Salisbury area, and likely one in the Smiths Corner area on Couchtown Road.
For more details on Blacksmithing
August, what were early telecommunications like in Salisbury?
Answer: In 1899, new technologies, much ingenuity, and hard work brought telecommunications to our town.
This month’s Trivia/History Challenge answer compiles the input from different sources and presents a picture both historical and personal, giving us a glimpse of how it all happened.
For more details, Early Telecommunications
July, Who were the Littles of South Road Village?
Answer: The Littles were an industrious, creative, and hard-working family that lived in the South Road Village for about 165 years. They contributed much to the town at that time.
For more details, the Little Family of South Road Village
June, what is a Bull Rake, and where was it made?
Answer: A Bull Rake is a hay rake. The operator would walk with the rake slightly above the ground, enough so the tines would catch the hay but not dig into the ground. When the rake was full, the operator would lift it, leaving the hay behind. You would rake in a direction perpendicular to the rows this forming rows of hay to dry. They began manufacturing the Bull Rake in 1848 and improved the design in 1868, obtaining a US patent at that time.
A Bull Rake is on display at the Salisbury Historical Society Museum on the front wall in the General Store. This rake was patented by Thomas D. Little, whose portrait is hanging on the wall beside it. The Little family occupied two houses adjacent to each other, which were occupied by the Littles from 1801 to 1956 on Old Coach Road. And the other from 1800-1930 on Route 127 (Franklin Road). Factory Location: Next to or slightly behind the house (gray house just east of the crossroads) at 24 Franklin Road, opposite Academy Hall, same side.
May, Who were Mary Campbell and Tasha Tudor?
Answer: The idea for this Trivia Challenge question came from Erin Moran, who writes a historical and recipe blog specifically from women past called the Soul Spun Kitchen. She contacted the Salisbury Historical Society, and we shared some data. It is included in her research on her wonderful blog. Check it out!
Mrs. Mason Campbell’s Blueberry Topsy Turvy Cake (New England-1970)
Mary Campbell was a writer of cookbooks. She was a summer resident of Salisbury along with her husband, Doug, from 1946-1979,garden-fresh residing at 70 Franklin Road.
Tasha Tudor was a well-known and prolific creator and illustrator of over 100 children’s books. Her style can be described as 1830s Americana. She resided in Webster, NH, at the same time.
Mary Mason Campbell and Tasha Tudor no doubt made their acquaintance during the time they both resided in our area and collaborating on a cookbook called the New England Butt’ry Shelf Almanac. The cookbook includes a collection of 200 New England recipes with illustrations from Tasha Tudor and was published in 1969.
Both women had a great love of rural life, simple living, and tradition.
April, On November 13, 1987, the Concord Monitor reported an unusual event that took place near Mill Brook in Salisbury and caused quite an uproar. What was the event?
Answer, In October of 1987, Walter Bower, Sr., “a man of sound mind and sober spirit”, swore he saw Bigfoot while hunting pheasant in a field known as “Bob’s Big Interval” next to Mill Brook in Salisbury. He told the Chief of Police at the time and family friend, Chief Jody Heath, who told the boys at the Crossroads Country Store, who laughed their fool heads off. Mr. Bower stood behind his claim and endured ridicule.
To commemorate the event, Steve Wheeler created a display featuring a cartoon, the Concord Monitor article about the event, and the “bigfoot hair”. The display hung in the Crossroads Country Store for many years and ultimately was donated to the Salisbury Historical Society, where it will be on display this coming season. Excerpts of this writing were taken from a Concord Monitor article, pages 1 &2
March, what was medical and healthcare like in the early days of Salisbury?
Answer: The practice of medicine was very different from what it is today.
February: What is the New Hampshire Old Tree Project?
Answer: “In 1950, the NH Big Tree Program began to find, record, and recognize our magnificent individual trees. The list of recorded trees now includes over 1,000 county, state, and national champions. NH Big Tree volunteers search the state for the largest examples of tree species and work together measuring trees in their local area nominated to the program. The group typically meets bimonthly for program updates, measuring trips, and sharing discoveries and stories.” UNH
For more details, NH Big Trees
January: What might be the oldest tree in Salisbury? Oldest five?
Answers: The answers to this question will be based on input from townspeople, tree experts, hunters, land owners, hikers, etc. If you have an idea or speculation, please share it. We welcome all your input or thoughts on this. contact@salisburyhistoricalsociety.org
#1 Number one is likely the Sugar Maple located at 70 Franklin Road. It measures over 15 3/4 feet round and makes it one of the largest in the county. It originally had a center section that was lost, hence it is not as tall as it could have been, but it did grow quite wide at 61 ft span. It sits next to a house that is 260 years old and is likely just about or over 300 years old.
#2
#3 The owners of the property at 124 South Road were once informed that their Black Locust was the third-oldest tree in Salisbury.
#4 The large tree at the entrance of the graveyard behind the Baptist Meeting House (Salisbury Historical Society) deserves some consideration as well.
#5 There is a large Champion yellow birch tree on record with the state; however, to date, we are not sure where it is located. To be continued!