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One Grand Park: Remaking New Hampshire Farms Into Summer Homes, 1870-1930

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One Grand Park: Remaking New Hampshire Farms Into Summer Homes, 1870-1930 Skidmore College Creative Matter MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019 MALS 5-23-1999 One Grand Park: Remaking New Hampshire Farms into Summer Homes, 1870-1930 Lorayne Billings Skidmore College Follow this and additional works at: https://creativematter.skidmore.edu/mals_stu_schol Part of the American Material Culture Commons, and the Architectural History and Criticism Commons Recommended Citation Billings, Lorayne, "One Grand Park: Remaking New Hampshire Farms into Summer Homes, 1870-1930" (1999). MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019. 4. https://creativematter.skidmore.edu/mals_stu_schol/4 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the MALS at Creative Matter. It has been accepted for inclusion in MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019 by an authorized administrator of Creative Matter. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ONE GRAND PARK: REMAKING NEW HAMPSHIRE FARMS INTO SUMMER HOMES, 1870-1930 by Lorayne Billings Final Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Liberal Studies SKIDMORE COLLEGE January, 1999 Advisors: Professor Mary Lynn and Professor Deborah Cadman 1 CONTENTS List of Figures........................... .. .. .. .. .. .. 3 Abstract ............................................................................. .. ......................... .... .4 Introduction ................................................................................. ............................................... ....5 PART ONE 1. Early New Hampshire Fam1ing ................................................................... ............................. .... 8 F am1 Location ................................ ......... .................................................................. 8 Beginning Commerce . .. ... .. .... .. .. .. .. .. .... .... .. .. .... .... ... 10 An Economic Transfom1ation ........................................ .................................... ............... 11 2 A Crucial Period in Rural New Hampshire ................ ............................................................. ... 11 Changes on the Farm ....................................................... ... 12 3. Fam1 Success and Failure .............. ............ ......................... .......................................... .. 18 Examining Farming Methods . ......................... ....... 19 Testimonials and Grievances .................................. .. ................. ............... .................... .... 20 Support from the Grange.. ................................ .... 21 Summer Boarders to the Rescue .. .......... ............. ....2 5 Politics and the Boston and Maine Railroad ..................... .... 27 4. The Abandoned Farm Phenomenon .................. .... .. .......... ..... .......... ... ......... ...... ....... .... .. ......... 31 A Historian's Recollections ................................................... .......... ................. ................. 32 The Media Spectacle ...... .. .. ............... .... ... .. ....... ..... ... .......... .............. ... ...... .............. .. ....... 33 Who Bought Abandoned Fam1s during the 1880s? .. .... ......... .... .... .... 34 Fears of the Poor Buying Fanns . ........................... .. 39 PART TWO 5. A Campaign to Repackage the Deserted Fam1 .............. 44 Nahum Josiah Bachelder . .. ................................ 46 Developing Agriculture through Immigration .... .......................... .... 48 Seeking Occupants for Abandoned Fanns .. ....................... .............. .. .......... ... 49 Publications for Advertising Abandoned Farms. ..... .. .. ...... 55 6. Rural Nevv Hampshire at Century's End .. ...... 64 Further Weakening of New England Agriculture . .. ... ......... .. .............. 66 New Hampshire Fanning in the 1890s .... .. .. ........................... ......................... .. 67 Bicycles and Roads in Rural New Hampshire . .. .. .. .. .... .... .. .. .. ... ..... 71 Old Home Week: Invitation to Natives to Return ................................ .... 74 Other Meanings of Old Home Week ............... .......... ... .... ........................... ................. 77 7. A New Century: Sentiment and Reform ..... ........................................... .. .. .................. 79 Worshipping the Past: the Summer Boarder and the Country Life Movement. ................. .... 79 Reformers: Correcting the Countryside .................... ...... ............. ........ ......................... .. 82 2 PART THREE 8. Bachelderism . ... ............................. 88 Bachelder and the Hospitality Business .. ... ... .. 88 Governor Bachelder .. .. .. .... .. .. .. .... .... .. .. .... .. .. .. .. ........... 8 9 Bachelder's Agenda for Abandoned Farms ... ........... ... .... .. .......... .. ... .. ... .. ........ .. .. .. ... .. 97 Master of the National Grange .... .. .. .. .................................... I 03 Criticism Escalates..... ........................................................ ............................. .... l 05 Criticism from Outside . ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .... .... .. .. .. ................................. 1 09 The Last of Bachelderism . .. .. .. .. .. .... .... .... .... .. .. .... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... ............... 118 9. Cleaning House: a New Admmistration .................................................. ... ........ ... ... 119 Bachelder Returns to Farming . .................... 122 A New Order The Greatest Good to the Largest Number of People . .. .... 123 The Coming of the Automobile .. .............. ........ .............. 132 10. Conclusion ............. ..... 136 References.... .............. ............................................ .. 140 lndex ........ .. ......................................... ... 155 3 LIST OF FIGURES Figure l The Switzerland ofAmerica, 1878 .. ................................... ....26 Figure 2. Henry M. Putney and Frank Streeter.. .... ...... ............................................... ... .29 Figure 3. Austin Corbin and the boundary ofCorbin's game preserve .................. ................. ... 37 Figure 4. Nahum J. Bachelder .......... ....... .............................. .. ....................................... ...45 Figure 5. A List of the Deserted Farms of New Hampshire, 1890 . .. ................ .. 50 Figure 6. Secure a Home in New Hampshire, 1890 . .. 51 Figure 7. Lakes and Summer Resorts in New Hampshire, 1892 ......................... .... 56 Figure 8. Bachelder's "Immigration Report," 1892 .. ........................................... ...... 57 Figure 9. New Hampshire Farms for Summer Homes, 1894 .. ..60 Figure 10. The Fells, or the John Hay Estate, Newbury, NH ............................. ........................... 63 Figure 11. Summer compound ofDr Jolm Quackenbos on Lake Sunapee. 1894 ........ 65 Figure 12. Good Roads day.. .......73 Figure 13. Frank W Rollins and H.H. Metcalf ... ...... ... ... ........ ..............................................75 Figure 14. Gems of'the Granite State, late 1890s . .90 Figure 15. NJ. Bachelder' s inaugural dinner invitation, 1903 .............. ........ .... ........... 93 Figure 16. Winston Churchill, popular author......... ................................. ..... ...... ....94 Figure 17. Harlakenden House, Comish estate ofWinston Churchill ..................... .................. ...95 Figure 18. New Hampshire Farms for Summer Homes .................................... ......... 99 Figures 19, 20. Sample pages oftestimonials and autographs ofcelebrated New Hampshire sununer residents, 1905 .. .. .. ...................... ........... .......... 10 l. 102 Figure 21. Nahum J. Bachelder Master ofthe National Grange, 1905 ....................... .. ... 104 Figure 22. '·Deadville" as described by Arthur Gleason, 1905 .. ........ .... .. ......... 107 Figure 23. Editorial cartoon criticizing Nahum Bachelder, 1910 . 111 Figure 24. Obadiah Gardner Progressive granger.. ...... ............ ... 114 Figure 25. Sample page indicating that Bachelder· s publication is still dedicated to showcasing homes ofthe wealthy in 1912 ................................. .. ........ ... 120 Figure 26. Governor Samuel Felker, 1913 ... .... ... ... .... ..... ... .. .... .. .. .121 Figure 27. Andrew Felker, new head ofDepartment of Agriculture, 1913 .... ........... ... 124 Figure 28. New Hampshire Farms: Your Opportunity, 1916 . .... .. 126 Figures 29, 30. Sample pages in publications from the Felker administration, 1916 .. 127, 128 Figure 31 New Hampshire Farms. Available for Farming or Summer Homes, 1916 ......... .. 129 Figure 32. "Opportunity Offered by New Hampshire for Agricultural Progress" ... 130 Figures 33, 34. Signs and roadside advertising in rural New Hampshire, 1920s ................. 134, 135 Figure 35. Field survey map ofabandoned farm sites in Grafton County between 1860 and 1936. ................................ 137 Figure 36 Abandoned homesteads, Grafton County, 1927 ..................................... ............ ...... 139 4 ABSTRACT In the late nineteenth century, the growth of industry, western competition, costs, and poor soil caused some New Hampshire farmers to quit the farm,leaving the buildings uninhabited. New Hampshire state officials were notinterested in rescuing those farms, but were interested in stemming the negative publicity about abandoned farms The state legislature passed an act to encourage immigration into the deserted farms, and Nahum Bachelder, secretary
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