Society for Industrial Archeology·· New England Chapters VOLUME23 NUMBER 1 2003 CONTENTS NNEC-SIA Spring 2003 Meeting and Field Tour NNEC-SIA Spring 2003 Meeting and Field Tour Southern New England Chapter The spring meeting and field tour of the Northern New England President's Conunents 2 Northern New England Chapter Chapter, Society for Industrial Archeology, will be held on Saturday, May 10, President's Conunents 3 beginning at 9:30a.m. (if heavy rain on Saturday, then Sunday, May 11). The Field Site Committee Formed for the Northern sites visited will be six in number: three railroad bridges, the remnants of a New England Chapter 3 turntable and locomotive house, a woolen mill, and a granite quarry. From Square Dancing to Folk Engineering: Attendees should arrive at the north end of the Sarah Mildred Long or By­ A Visit to Thrall Hall 3 Pass U.S. 1 bridge spanning the Piscataqua River between Portsmouth, NH, Adapting to a Changing Steel Economy: and Kittery, ME, no later than 9:40 a.m. on May 10. Directions sent by email A Visit to Berlin Steel 4 Discoveries at the Haverhill-Bath and post will be sufficiently detailed to permit late arrivals to catch the con­ Covered Bridge 4 voy already heading northwest to the other sites. The registration fee for this History of the New York, New Haven and Hartford tour is $5 per person. Railroad's Central Avenue Interlocking Tower 5 Directions from the south: Proceed on I-95 North (New Hampshire Railroad Roundhouse Archaeology 17 Tpke) to Exit 5, leading to the Portsmouth Traffic Circle. Leave the circle on Washington Bridge 20 Carriage-Parts Factory Sites 22 By-Pass U.S. 1 North (Bickfords Restaurant and the Wynwood, Best Western, Membership Application Form 24 and Holiday Inn motels are immediately to the right of this route). Proceed over the Sarah Mildred Long bridge to the Maine side and just at the far end CONTRffiUTORS of the bridge, exit RIGHT onto Bridge Street (and continue below). Directions from the west: Proceed southeast on State Route 16 Bruce Clouette, James Garvin, Jonathan (Spaulding Tpke) past the Pease Tradeport, at the split bearing LEFT to the Kranz, Nelson Lawry, Allison Rachleff, Portsmouth Traffic Circle, then follow the directions specified both above and David Starbuck, Robert Stewart below. NORTHERN CHAPTER OFFICERS Directions from the north: Proceed on I-95 South or Rte 236 southeast David Starbuck, President to Kittery, ME, and follow the directions to By-Pass U.S. 1 South. When the Betty Hall, 1st Vice President green Sarah Mildred Long bridge looms closer, take the last exit on the Walter Ryan, 2nd Vice President RIGHT just before the bridge, going under and around. Do NOT get onto By­ Herman Brown, Treasurer & Secretary Pass U.S. 1 North, but rather turn RIGHT from the up-ramp directly onto Bridge Street (and continue below). SOUTHERN CHAPTER OFFICERS Continuing directions for all drivers: Upon entering Bridge Street, take Robert Stewart, President a quick LEFf onto Old Post Road and park on the right sufficiently distant Jonathan Kranz, Vice President from the intersection for safety. If there is no space remaining on Old Post Charles Schneider, Secretary Road, return to Bridge Street and opposite Old Post Road, enter the Health Rick Greenwood, Treasurer Club lot overlooking the river and park at the far end. There will be no public lavatories at the rendezvous site, so the EDITOR David Starbuck attendee's departure from home should take into account seeking out a friend­ PO Box 492 ly service station or McDonald's along the way, in order to arrive by the start Chestertown, NY 128 17-0492 time. [email protected] From the Sarah Mildred Long bridge site (the lower deck of this over/under vertical lift bridge is for rail transit), the group will convoy to the 2 SIA New England Chapters Newsletter five sites described below, drivers resetting their trip odome­ Southern New England Chapter ter to Zero at specified places in the detailed directions, to permit a more accurate readout in the event of separation President's Comments from the convoy. • On Maine Route 236 North survive the turntable pit The Southern New England Chapter will be sponsoring and foundation of the three-bay locomotive house for the the Society for Industrial Archeology's 33rd Annual Portsmouth, Great Falls & Conway RR. This interchange Conference centered in Providence, Rhode Island. The con­ was known as Conway Jet, and later Jewett. ference will run from Thursday, June 10 to Sunday, June 13, • Just off Maine Route 236 North and across the bridge 2004. Conference Hotel is the meticulously restored spanning the Great Works (Asbenbedic) River stands the for­ Providence Biltmore with paper sessions, business meeting mer Burleigh Woolen Mill at Rocky Gorge. Permission has and luncheon at the nearby Rhode Island Convention Center. been granted to enter the clapboard-over-brick main mill The Blackstone and Quinnebaug Valleys were the site building, and while there will be off-limits sections for safe­ of the Society's first Fall Tour in 1972. Rhode Island hosted ty reasons, there remain several vantage points to see and another fall tour in 1978. Since that time the area has under­ photograph the surviving buildings, the falls, and the river gone significant change. Major industries have closed down gorge. and moved their operations to areas featuring low cost labor • At South Berwick, not far from Maine Route 236 and overhead. Providence suffered a period of decline and North, stands the iron and steel trestle spanning the Salmon mills were abandoned and demolished. In recent years Falls (Newichawannock) River between Maine and New Providence had a renaissance. Investors restored architec­ Hampshire. Food can be purchased and lavatories will be turally significant and civic buildings. A new convention available here. center and hotels brightened the center of the city. New and • Attendees will consolidate into three or four vehicles refurbished restaurants have made the city a destination for and drive a few miles to the timber boxed pony truss over­ connoisseurs. head bridge at Rollins Farm in Rollinsford, NH. Only these The surrounding area features a diverse array of medi­ convoy vehicles will be permitted to enter the private land um-sized industry. The Southern New England Chapter has where the boxed pony stands, one of only six remaining in toured many of these and we expect some of them to be on North America. The mini-convoy will return to the Salmon the Annual Meeting tours. The area is home to many muse­ Falls trestle for lunch and the spring business meeting. ums and restorations that highlight the industrial revolution, Attendees who wish to dine al fresco in the Salmon Falls vil­ maritime subjects and an outstanding example of a site that lage park should bring a bagged lunch. The meeting will be features preservation, restoration and operation, The New held after lunch at a specified time. England Museum of Wireless and Steam. The area presents • North of North Berwick on Maine Route 4, and three a unique opportunity for SIA members to visit significant miles west on Quarry Road, lies the former Swenson pink historical sites, museums and surviving industrial opera­ granite quarry at Bald Hill, boasting an impressive number tions. of surviving structures, including its derrick, engine house, The "Call for Papers" will probably go out in November. boiler, etc. Vigilant safety officers of the chapter will be on If you have material on early industrialization of Southern duty at this potentially risky site. New England or maritime activities in the area please con­ • The spring tour ends at the granite quarry, with direc­ sider developing a presentation for the conference. We also tions available for the most direct route to the Wells Exit of intend to have a lively "Show and Tell" session. If you have Maine 1-95, five or six miles distant. an interesting brief presentation on any lA subject please IMPORTANT: Those who intend to participate in this consider sharing it with the attendees. meeting and tour should contact field tours committee chair A number of members of the Southern New England Nelson Lawry at [email protected] or (603) 742-0543 as Chapter are familiar with the area and have volunteered to soon as possible to better estimate the number of hand-outs help organize and conduct the 2004 SIAAnnual Conference. needed. He should also be contacted if there is rain (not sim­ As the time for the meeting approaches we will need more ply overcast) and any question if the tour will proceed that volunteers. Individuals who have research and writing skills day. are encouraged to help with preparation of the tour guide­ So there is no confusion, the official start time is 9:30 book. We will need tour guides to direct the tours, talk about . a.m. on Bridge Street, at the north end of the Sarah Mildred the area and arrange photo stops. If you want to volunteer Long bridge (By-Pass U.S. 1 North), with a no-exceptions you may contact me or Greg Galer at slip-slide of 9:40 a.m. The starting gun sounds at that time. robert.stewart 13@ att. net or ggaler@ stonehill.edu. Nelson Lawry Bob Stewart Rollinsford, NH West Suffield, CT SlA New England Chapters Newsletter 3 Northern New England Chapter three of the past four field v1s1ts have been to New Hampshire mills, so a strenuous effort will be made in the President's Comments immediate future to downplay both mills and the Granite State, at least for the primary site on the itinerary.