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The Village Area of Bartlett  Page 5 

   "Street Scenes"

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Bartlett Village aerial ca 1896.jpg
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theodore Roosevelt Highway at sawyers ro

Sawyer's Rock vicinity.  Picture at left is looking east.  Picture at right is looking west.  Saco River on the right.  Driving past this spot today you will note that Sawyer's Rock has been nearly obliterated to make way for people who want to get where they are going faster.

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Rte 302 looking west.  Mountain Home Cabins in the distance.  Silver Spring Cottage is on the right.  The Village is about a half mile in the opposite direction.  Date is about 1920.

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Rte 302 looking east.  Sawyer's Rock would be just around the bend.  Saco River on left.  Probably about 1900.

In Upper Bartlett is a neat little edifice, known as the " Chapel of the Hills," (picture below) built through the efforts of Rev. Mr. Souther among the people of the place, aided with a handsome contribution of three hundred dollars from a Mrs. Snow; who, however, died a short time before this object of her pious munificence was attained. The house was dedicated January 21, 1854, the interesting occasion calling together a large attendance, notwithstanding the deep snows of the mountain roads.  Source: http://genealogytrails.com/newham/carroll/history.html

chapel
bartlettvillage1896streetscene.jpg

Another consideration as you try to figure out this picture:  Perhaps when the picture was produced from its original negative it may have been reversed; To correct that, imagine if the chapel building appeared on the right side and the other buildings would be on the left.

Main Street dated 1896, looking west at Mt Carrigain. That much is a definite fact.  We have had some friendly debate about how the church fits into this picture.  This editor has found that it was called "The Chapel of the Hills".  At the time of this photo it was on the front lawn of today's school.  It was later moved across the street where it remains to this day (2019) but without the Bell Tower.   

 

About 1800 Obed Hall's Tavern was said to be in this area.  Obed was one of the early prominent pioneers, arriving in Bartlett Village in 1793.  His Tavern was in this area. 

 

The large building on the right is in the area where the Cave Mountain House was located, and one of those buildings is probably it.  It was built in 1890 and burned in 1905.    

 

Source Material, "The Latchstring Was Always Out"  Aileen M. Carroll - 1994  Page 12  

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bartlett main and albany ave.jpg

Albany Avenue, 1920; looking north.  The photographer would have been standing near the railroad tracks

Main Street 1909 - Looking West.  This is the corner of Main and River Street.  The horse watering trough is still there,  

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Main Street looking West

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Main Street Looking West

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Caption says "Main Street Looking North". I'd guess they meant "Looking West".  What Not Shop and Mobil Gas on the left.  The George house is on the right behind the trees,  The red roof is.>>________?________

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Albany Ave from Railroad Square, Congregational Church stairs visible on left,  Building on right is the Post Office and the Howard Hotel.  dated 1915.

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Main Street 1909 - Looking West.  This is the corner of Main and River Street.  The horse watering trough is still there,  

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Main Street 1945 - Sign says "Howard Hotel"  

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Main Street near Woodbine Cottage Inn, Looking east.  Who are those two young kids standing by the street?  Also, note the method of hanging streetlights back then...

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River Street Bridge, Dated 1909. On the larger version (click) there is a drainage pipe of some sort on the right, emptying into the river...it is still there today.  What does it drain? 

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Route 302 looking west in the vicinity of today's North Colony Motel.  Late 1940's

Concord Evening Monitor 1893   (1896)?
Fire Sunday  Destroys Entire Business District in Bartlett

Total damage will approximate $100,000

At 5 o’clock a fire was discovered at rear of H. L. Towle’s grocery store and as there was no fire department in the village, it spread with lightening like rapidity.

Word was telegraphed to North Conway for aid and at 7 o’clock a special train left for the scene.  The ten mile run was made in a little over ten minutes.  When the special arrived the business portion of the town was in ashes.

The most strenuous efforts of the town’s people, assisted by the willing guests of the hotels availed to nothing. Within 2-½ hours but one store was left in the place. Fourteen families had been burned out and the Maine Central Railway Station, restaurant, and freight depot, together with the post office were destroyed.The total damage will be in the neighborhood of $100,000.  

Following are the principal losses:
-Maine Central Railway about $10,000, insured
-Mr. & Mrs. Foster, general store, buildings, stock $25,000, insured for $7,500
-P.J. Martin, general store, $15,000, insured $9,000
-F. Garland, drugs and jewelry, $2,500, insurance $1,500
-E.O. Garland, building, contents, $15,000 insured $7,000
-J. Emery, house and furnishings, $3,000 insured $1,500
-J. Head house $1,500
-H.E. Brooks (?) grocery store, $2,500 insured $1,000
-H.L. Towle’s building, $3,000, insured $1,000
-A.L. Meserve building and stock, $6,000 insured $2,800
-Miss Emily A. Merserve tenement block, $2000, insured $1,500
-Miss Bates, millinery $500

The town has an ordinary population of 2,000 but this is swelled in summer to three or four times this number.
It is situated in the White Mountain Division of the Maine Central Railroad and the ride over this road from North
Conway through Bartlett to the Crawford Notch is one of the finest in the eastern part of the country.

-From the history files at the Bartlett Public Library

1893VillageFire
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