The GeneralThe Friends of Stark NewsPark Newsletter

starkpark.com |Fall 2018

Stark Park in the Time Before America Inside this Issue: Part V: Prelude to War By Matthew Labbe Stark Park in the Time Before America … The fledgling town of Derryfield continued to attract settlers during the early 1750s, and the

Upcoming Events… town was beginning to need infrastructure to support the population. The first item on the FSP Summer Concert agenda was the construction of a meeting house for conducting town business. Previously, the Series… townsfolk had held their meetings in someone’s barn or one of the local taverns. New Trees... Annual Meeting… Unfortunately, the residents of Derryfield had Garden Tour... difficulty getting along. The population was Moose Plate Grant… split between the English descendants of the

Ann Hecker Hastings… Puritans and the Scots-Irish Presbyterians who

Santa’s Sleigh… came from Londonderry, and for decades even intermarriage between the two was for-

bidden. The dispute came to a head in 1754 The Board: when the town voted that the meeting house President should be built on land donated by John Hall Kerry Schleyer on what is now Mammoth Road. This ar- Vice President rangement was entirely unacceptable to set- Tom Snow tlers at Goffes Falls and Amoskeag who thought that choice showed favoritism to the Secretary Scots over the English. Ann Thorner Treasurer In February 1755, thirty settlers petitioned the selectmen to reconsider the location. Stephanie Lewry Major General John Stark. By O. Pelton and A. Ritchie, 1856. When this request was refused, they ap- Brian Brady proached Justices of the Peace Joseph Blanchard and Matthew Thornton, who would later go on to sign the Declaration of Independence. The justices overrode the decision and called an- Tom Christensen other lawful meeting where the petition was accepted. No further work commenced on the Diana Duckoff project, however, due to the outbreak of the . Matthew Labbe Robert Lord Many of the able-bodied men left town to fight, including John Stark. During the war, he and his brother William served in Major John Robert’s Rangers. They were engaged in several dif- Laura Patton ficult battles on the northern frontier, one of which resulted in Stark being shot for the only Kris Pelletier time in his long military career. Later, he was stricken by smallpox but recovered. Among the ...Continued on page 2 Contact us at [email protected]! The Friends of Stark Park is a 501(c)3 organization whose mission is to develop, revitalize, maintain, and protect the heritage and recreational use of Stark Park as a historic asset to the City of Manchester, NH.

Stark Park in the Time Before America continued battles was an attack on the at St. Francis, Quebec in 1759. John Stark, second in command, refused to participate since it was home to the Indian “foster parents” he met during his abduction sev- eral years before. Unable to stop the slaughter, he instead returned home to his wife Molly, whom he married the previous year. The issue of a meetinghouse was revisited during a 1758 town meet- ing in John Hall’s barn. Again, the town voted to build on Hall’s land. They began construction, but again, dissent reared its ugly head. There was constant bemoaning while raising funds, and the building committee was even accused of mismanaging the accounts. By the following summer, the frame of the 40ft x 35ft building was in place, but money ran out before enclosing the walls and adding a roof. After some debate, work continued, and in 1760 a stone foun- dation was added to the building. Still, it was without a finished floor or doors and the disparate groups in town still could not agree on who to hire as a preacher! 1760 was also the year that the fighting of the French and Indian War came to an end. This war marked the last stand for most Native American tribes, leaving colonial forces in complete control of . Soldiers, like those in Derryfield, returned home while oth- er settlers flooded north along the Merrimack and Connecticut River Samuel Blodget. From MHA Collections, Volume 1. 1899 valleys founding dozens of new towns in the upper reaches of the state. For the citizens of Derryfield, the relative peace following the plans to raise revenue to pay their war expenses through the Ameri- war allowed for the expansion of farms and the development of new can colonies via taxation. The most famous of these was the Stamp economic opportunities. The nearly unlimited supply of fish from Act, issued in 1765. The resistance to the new law was substantial. Amoskeag was an attractive resource, and several farmers foolishly Colonists claimed that during the war they were attacked without let their fields go to ruin while pursuing wealth from the water. provocation, paid their share of the expenses, were not being repre- sented in Parliament, and that they should not be forced to pay for Still, peacetime did not solve local social problems. In 1765 a group any additional quartering of troops. In , colonists led by John Hall neglected to tell the opposing parties at Goffes Falls descended on the Stamp Master’s office with burning effigies, not and Amoskeag about a town meeting and used the opportunity to knowing that he had already resigned in fear. The widespread uproar secretly elect a group of town officers who would advance their agen- caused the law to be repealed the following year, but it was replaced da. John Goffe’s group was outraged and elected their own set of with the Declaratory Act which was a series of laws intended to allow officers. The town had to appeal to the state legislature to settle the the Crown to legislate in the colonies with impunity. dispute. The continued tension in town along with rumors of drunk- One of the laws that more directly affected Derryfield was the enness among the fishermen became widely known, and the town Crown’s claim to all white pine trees between 15” and 36” for use by developed a bad reputation. Disgruntled settlers were leaving, and the Royal Navy. In 1772, a surveyor visited the sawmills along the new settlers often avoided the area, keeping the town from grow- Piscataquog River and claimed hundreds of logs for the king. Samuel ing quickly. Blodgett, who would later build the canal at Amoskeag, was sent to Portsmouth to settle the matter in favor of the colonists. The gover- By the mid-1760s, the English were nor compromised and sent him back as a deputy surveyor so that the in control of Canada and they began process could be overseen locally with a minimum of dissent.

About the Author: Matthew Labbe, a board member of the Friends of Stark Park, holds a M.A. in Anthropology from Texas A&M University and works as a Project Archeologist with Monadnock Archaeological Consulting. His 2 previous research on the history of his hometown has been published by Historical New Hampshire.

In 1771, New Hampshire was divided into five counties. Derryfield Upcoming Events residents, now part of Hillsborough County, no longer had to travel to Portsmouth for court proceedings. Instead, they were assigned to the courts in shire town of Amherst. The courts of General Sessions, Common Pleas, and Probate were established. Captain John Stark was chosen as the first Grand Juror from Derryfield. Laws like the 1773 Tea Act further enraged the colonists to the point that one tea seller in Pembroke had his inventory seized by a mob and burned in the street. Outrages like these and others would cul- minate in the Tea Party in December of that year. The Intol- erable Acts were imposed in response, which included restrictions on gun powder and munitions. When the New Hampshire Assembly tried to fight the law in 1774, the governor disbanded the body. Fu- rious, the representatives held a secret meeting in July and chose John Sullivan and Nathaniel Folsom to join the First Continental NH Arborist Association Work Day, October 20: Congress forming in Philadelphia. This body appealed to the king with no effect. Provincial governments like these, however, quickly The New Hampshire Arborists Association has selected began to supplant royal authority throughout the colonies. War Stark Park as their 2018 Fall Work Day project! We are broke out at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. excited to welcome approximately 20 volunteer arbor- The citizen of Derryfield responded immediately upon hearing the ists to the park to prune and enhance the health of our news when it reached them the following morning. Ironically, anger trees. We would like to extend a hearty thank you to at the British government helped resolve some of the tension in town the NH Arborists Association for helping to maintain since both ethnic groups finally had a common enemy. They formed our beautiful park. a Committee of Safety to defend the town and began enlisting sol- diers. Reportedly, 34 of the 36 able bodied men in town answered the call and were led to Massachusetts the same day by Captain John Moore of Goffes Falls. The remaining men stayed behind to see to the women, children, and the elderly. John Stark was on the farm at the time, working at his sawmill at Amoskeag Falls. Upon hearing the news, he closed the mill gate, and raced home to grab his gun and all the cash in his house. Forgoing even a coat, he jumped on his horse and rushed south, picking up stragglers along the way. He arrived in Lexington with a sizable con- tingent of men. Upon his arrival, he was promoted to and given command of the First New Hampshire Regiment. In June, his force joined the . His skill in battle and ability to lead were noticed at the highest levels of government. offered him a commission in the , and he fought at Trenton in December 1776. When he re- turned home after the battle, his farm and the future site of Stark Living Nativity and Christmas Caroling, Park were literally part of a new country: The United States of America. The war was nowhere near over, and John Stark had mis- December 22, 3:30pm: givings relating to the politics of the war and his role in it, but he served again when called upon. Despite the danger, the little town of Join us for our annual living nativity and Christmas Derryfield faced a bright future of self-rule and prosperity. Another caroling. Live actors and real animals will act out the new chapter was beginning after 10,000 years of change in the park. Christmas story and caroling will begin afterwards. You don’t have to sound like Bing Crosby to partici- This concludes our series. Keep watch for a new article in our next issue! pate! Don’t miss out on this beloved annual tradition! 3

The Friends of Stark Park SUMMER CONCERT SERIES Celebrating Ten Years at the Bandstand!

We’ve come to the end of another wonderful concert season made possible by our sponsors and you, the audience! We present some highlights of the season for those of you who were unable join us!

The concerts kicked off with a bang. Studio Two, the Beatles tribute band, brought nearly 500 people to the park and charmed the audience with classic hits from the Beatles’ early years. The Strafford Wind Symphony was top notch, de- spite high heat and humidity. Their program was a mix of patriotic music, Broadway standards, and film scores perfectly tailored for the Fourth of July. The New Legacy Swing Band’s blaring brass and saucy singer had people dancing all over the park. Our Master of Ceremonies, Dick Duckoff, called them “the brassiest brass band of all time!” Studio Two brought in a large crowd on June 24

Like last year, The Spirit of Johnny Cash brought the largest audience of the sum- mer and Johnny and June gave us an un- paralleled performance. A looming thun- derstorm nearly caused them to end ear- ly, but as Johnny said, “The Spirit held off!” The band Tradition gave a lively show that inspired lots of dancing. The atmosphere was enhanced by perfect weather. Damn Tall Buildings was one of our new groups this year and they did not disap- point! They thrilled the audience with foot stomping beats and impeccable in- The New Legacy Swing Band, July 1 strument work. THANK YOU to all of our concert sponsors! 4

Annie and the Orphan returned this year thanks to a private donation and they were greeted by a lively and dedicated crowd. Dance parties sprung up all over the park! The Compaq Big Band closed out the season. As usual, their performance was flawless and there was a lot of finger snapping and foot tapping among the crowd. Two concerts were cancelled due to inclement weather: Dan Gable and the Abletones and the Wolverine Jazz Band were unable to perform, but we hope to have them next year!

Thanks to Our Sponsors And Our Dedicated Members and Friends! Frederick Smyth Institute of Music — Howe, Riley and Howe — Mayor Joyce Craig and Attorney Michael Craig — Ben Gamache — Blue Ribbon Property Improvements — AARP New Hampshire — Wadleigh, Starr & Peters — Brady Sullivan — Attorney Bob Dastin — Bank of New Hampshire — Ambrogi Law Office — TF Moran — Cross Insurance — Pinnacle Mortgage Corp. — St. Mary’s Bank — The Brokerage Realtors, Sue Vachon Owner/Broker — Associat- ed Concrete Coatings — Medical Eye Center — Elm Grove Companies — Puri- tan Backroom — Steiner Law Office — Members First Credit Union — Wash- ington Lodge #61 F&AM — Angela’s Pasta and Cheese Shop — Farm and Flower Center — Greg Powers of Keller Williams Realty Metropolitan —Bonneville and Son — Elm Street Automotive Services — Adam Vaillancourt Roofing & Con- struction — Antiques on Elm — Paul’s Executive Car Care —McDowell’s Auto Body — Budget Gas — Jim Trombly Plumbing, Heating and Cooling — Red Annie and the Orphans inspired a dance party on August 19 Arrow Diner — Manchester Music Mill — Goedecke Design Center — First Sign — Molly Stark Chapter, DAR — Courville at Manchester — The Most Reverend Peter A. Libasci, Bishop of Manchester

New Trees The City of Manchester Parks and Recrea- tion Department will continue replacing some of the dead trees in the park. An ad- ditional five new sugar maples will be planted this fall. This brings the total num- ber of new trees planted this year to ten. Thank you to Parks and Rec for their assis- tance with the trees and for spreading or- ganic mulch around the bases!

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A Patch of Color Garden Tour

The Friends of Stark Park and the Manchester Garden Club garden on the tour. As a special feature of this year’s event, the held our third garden tour on July 14, and the event was a re- Molly Stark Chapter of the DAR opened the doors of their chapter sounding success. Your contributions helped us raise over house, the boyhood home of General Stark, to provide tours for $2000 for park improvements! patrons of this event. This rare opportunity received wide praise.

The title, “A Patch of Color” and theme of this year’s event, We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Garden Club took its inspiration from the display of locally hand-crafted for collaborating with us on this event, and for sharing our mission quilts, which were paired with the colors and character of each of improving and protecting our beautiful city’s green spaces! 6

NH Moose Plate Grant Awarded Ann Hecker Hastings

A Conservation License Plate grant from the N. H. Division of Historical Resources, worth $9,750, was awarded to the Friends of Stark Park for the purpose of cleaning and refurbishing the Ann poses with “General Stark” (Gray Chynoweth) in 2008 bronze equestrian statue of General John Stark and the granite It is with deepest regret that we announce the passing pedestal on which it stands. of our dear friend Ann Hecker Hastings. The 28-foot tall monument features a 19-foot tall bronze sculp- Ann was one of the strongest supporters of our mission, ture of NH’s most famous Revolutionary War hero and is a and was always excited for the summer concerts. She prominent feature of Stark Park. Inscribed on the granite pedes- could always be recognized by her radiant smile as she tal are the famous words, penned by Stark, “Live free or die. tapped along to the music while sitting with her family. Death is not the worst of evils,” which became the motto of the The summer concert series would not have been possi- state. On the opposite side is Stark’s battle cry at the Battle of ble without Ann’s generous contribution of a memorial Bennington, which made Stark into a hero of legend: “Tonight matching gift honoring Fred Hecker, the leader of our flag flies over yonder hill, or Molly Stark sleeps a widow.” Hecker’s Singing Orchestra of bygone days, and Alfred The General Stark monument was made possible through a be- Hastings, a lover of music. FSP named the bandstand quest by Mayor Charles Bartlett (1872-1873) to the City of Man- the Hecker-Hastings Bandstand in their honor. chester. Bartlett was a lawyer and a career public servant, who The Friends of Stark Park chose this project ten years deeply admired and was a student of the life of General Stark. He ago hoping that it would bring people back to the park died in 1900, but it would take another 48 years before condi- after years of neglect. It was also chosen in order to re- tions were met for his bequest to be fulfilled. create a similar, but much smaller structure, present in Part of the N. H. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the park’s original design. the Division of Historical Resources receives funds each year from the sales of “Moose Plates” and returns them back to N. H. com- starkpark.com/weddings munities through grants that support restoration, preservation, and/or conservation of publicly owned buildings and structures significant to the state’s cultural heritage. Conserving and pro- tecting the historic resources of Stark Park, which includes the burial ground of the General and his family, is central to the mis- PhotosStock Pexel sion of the Friends of Stark Park. We are grateful to our regular annual donors, who help this all-volunteer organization achieve its mission. 100% of donations support the mission of FSP. In addi- The perfect venue tion, donor support for FSP affirms to granting institutions that for your our organization is valuable to the community. special day . 7

Friends of Stark Park Non-profit org. PO Box 1485 U.S. Postage Manchester, NH 03105-1485 PAID starkpark.com Manchester, NH Permit No. 424

Live Free AND JOIN! Do you love Stark Park? The Friends of Stark Park invite you to join us! Stay informed on activities, events, and opportuni- ties to help revitalize, maintain and protect the heritage and recreational use of Stark Park! Become a member or renew your membership via starkpark.com/ membership! Donations are welcomed and accepted year round and allow the FSP to continue furthering our mission to preserve and protect the heritage of Stark Park. Thank you for your Santa’s Sleigh generosity and support! Membership Dues: The Department of Parks and Recreation has • Student: $10.00 generously repaired and repainted the Christmas • sleigh that has become a favorite location for Seniors: $20.00 • seasonal photos. The Friends of Stark Park wish Individual: $25.00 to thank the department for their time, effort, and • Family: $35.00 consideration. Bring your family down any time this • Friend: $100.00 winter to create your own memories in the park! • Corporate: $250.00