History of the Neck and Islands
History of Meredith Neck and the Meredith Islands
When the first colonial pioneers settled the town of Meredith in the 1760s, they had almost no knowledge of Meredith Neck and no interest at all in the Winnipesaukee islands that bordered the town. Now, more than 250 years later, these properties are among the crown jewels of the vibrant and growing tourist and retirement community that was recently hailed as one of the top ten vacation places on the entire East Coast.
The land that comprises Meredith was largely uninhabited wilderness at the time the first English colonists established their meager footholds on the New Hampshire seacoast in the early 1620s. To be sure, it was not always wilderness. Native Americans had populated the interior of New Hampshire for more than 12,000 years. They followed seasonal patterns that brought them to the Lakes Region during the six month Spring and Summer seasons where they fished and planted and enjoyed the salubrious atmosphere that we still celebrate with either our own seasonal migrations or more frequently our year-round presence. At their peak, it is estimated that their numbers in New Hampshire reached about 50,000 people. But the Indian population was decimated in the late 1500s when diseases inadvertently introduced by the earliest European explorers swept through their communities. Then during the 1600s and 1700s, they were further weakened and ultimately forced out by several conflicts, mostly as a result of wars between France and England but also from wars with the New York-based Mohawks.
Meanwhile, the colony of New Hampshire was growing, however slowly. It remained centered on the seacoast and amounted to about 10,000 souls by the end of the 1600s. But in the 1700s, the population began to grow. Almost all of the growth was made up of farmers who needed extensive tracts of land in the rock strewn and hilly countryside to find good cultivatable fields. Most of the population growth resulted from improved living conditions and the colonial penchant to have very large families. Families of six to ten children were more the norm than the exception. And with farming the predominant way of life, the demand for more and more land was inescapable.
In the mid-1700s, the Lakes Region became part of the push for more land. It comprised the northwestern portion of what was known as the Masonian grant. This was a land grant given to the colony’s original founder, John Mason, in the 1620s. The grant comprised a large swath of uncharted territory some 60 miles inland from the New Hampshire seacoast. In the 1740s, the grant was acquired by 12 politically connected seacoast citizens who were focused upon the expansion of the colony. Known as the Masonian proprietors, in 1748 they began a process of dividing the grant into separate townships to foster the expansion. Meredith and Sanbornton were the first two townships authorized by the Masonian proprietors. The townships were offered free of charge to groups of colonists who agreed to finance and spearhead the settlement of each. The sponsoring colonists became known as township proprietors.
The blueprint for each new township included dividing the land into three divisions with each division in turn divided into individual lots of from 95 to 120 acres each. The lots were then ‘drawn’ by lottery to the name of a township or Masonian proprietor, each of whom therefore got legal ownership of three lots in the township.
Originally, the grant of the township that became Meredith did not include Meredith Neck or any of the islands. It was not until 1754 that Meredith Neck was added to the township after the township proprietors petitioned for additional land because the numerous water bodies in the region had reduced the amount of land they had expected to receive. The Neck became known as the Third Division in the new township which was known as New Salem. The islands were not part of the township nor were they given any thought at all by anyone in these early days.
The actual settlement of Meredith did not occur until the early 1760s, after the last of the so-called French and Indian wars which had made any prior settlement in New Hampshire too hazardous. The first colonists, led by Ebenezer Smith, established farms in the First Division of Meredith that is now Laconia. By 1768, when the town was formally incorporated as the town of Meredith, there were still only 29 people settled here.
Despite its addition in 1754, Meredith Neck was not properly surveyed until 1770 when Ebenezer Smith divided the Neck into 82 lots comprised of 95 acres each. Nevertheless, the region remained largely inaccessible until 1774 when a new road was built across the northern tier, connecting the town’s main First Division road, known as the Province Road, to the town of Moultonborough. The path of this new road began at the junction of today’ s Parade Road and Pease Rd.; ran along what is now Main Street in Meredith Village; then for the first couple of miles followed Rte 25; and finally took the path of what we know as the Old Center Harbor Road. Side roads off of this new “highway” quickly emerged. Most significantly for the Neck, Barnard Ridge Rd. was one of these, becoming the primary access point to the lower Neck.
The first settler on the lower Neck was probably Samuel Carr who began in 1774 clearing the land that comprises the farm at 37 Meredith Neck Road. He was soon joined by Joseph Roberts who established a farm nearby (now 12 Meredith Neck Rd.).
Additional settlement of the lower Neck proceeded slowly. Due to the American Revolution, the lower Neck did not see much further activity until the early 1780s. Among the first to settle there were Weare Leavitt, Joseph Leavitt, Benjamin Mead, and James Gilman who all established farms in the Page Pond - Blueberry Hill Rd area. By 1800, farms had pushed further south to the end of today’s Meredith Neck Road, connected by road spurs such as Old Follett Road, Eaton Avenue, and Old Hubbard Rd.
During the first half of the 1800s, the farmers enjoyed increasing prosperity arising from a confluence of circumstances that conspired to create what is known as the “sheep craze.” Conflict with England, the rapid emergence of the textile industry, and the acquisition of Iberian Merino sheep gave Meredith and New England farmers their first real cash crop. The U.S. government, in an effort to protect this important new industry, imposed tariffs on imported wool, underpinning the price of sheep’s wool that lasted into the 1840s. A by-product of the sheep craze were the ubiquitous stone walls built to keep the sheep within their lands.
But the sheep boom gradually disappeared around mid-century. The tariffs were eliminated about 1845. More impactful, New England farmers found it increasingly difficult to compete with Midwesterners who enjoyed far more abundant and fertile lands. The development of the railroad system, beginning in the 1830s, enabled the Midwestern farmers to ship better product to the East coast at prices below those charged by the New Englanders.
As a result, by the latter 1860s, Meredith’s and the Neck’s farming population began to decline. Some switched to dairy farming, allowing the Neck to remain a modest, bucolic farming community into the 1880s. Nevertheless, this was an era of fundamental change for Meredith. More and more young people headed west where better opportunities beckoned. Those who stayed moved into the villages and cities where the concentration of large corporate businesses offered the best career opportunities. Thus the end of the 19th century marked a fundamental turning point for the town and the Neck, a turning point that coincided with a different dramatic change on Meredith’s islands.
The Islands before the 1880s
As noted at the outset, the Meredith islands were little interest to the earliest settlers. It was not until 1772 that even the Masonian proprietors, who “owned” them collectively as part of the original grant, took up the question of establishing individual ownership of them. They commissioned a survey of them by James Hersey, one of the earliest settlers of Sanbornton. Hersey’s survey allowed for the allocation of the islands among the individual Masonians. But the islands were still not incorporated into any of the towns that had been granted around the lake. The neglect came to a head in 1799 when their orphan status reached the level of state politics, prompted by the purchase of Governor’s Island by Eleazer Davis of Alton. New Hampshire legislators probably recognized that island property could not be taxed if it were not part of a local municipality. They allocated six of the largest islands to the nearest towns with Bear and Stonedam being annexed to Meredith. Jurisdiction of the more than 260 other islands did not occur until Belknap county was established in 1840.
Of the Meredith islands, the largest, Stonedam and Bear, were the only two with sufficient land to be attractive for year-round settlement. Stonedam Island was the first. By the mid-1790s, Francis Bowman had established a residence there and sold a large tract to another settler, Ben Wilkinson. They built a bridge/dam across Sally’s Gut, giving the island its name. Bear Island was another story. Robert Bryant, one of the town’s original 1760s founding settlers, purchased the island in 1801. He established a farm on the southern end of Bear with his house located where the St. John’s on-the-Lake chapel is now located. By c. 1810, Bryant had sold lots to the Bickford and the Nichols families. By the 1850s a thriving community existed on the island comprised of a few dozen people, a school, and a ferry boat to and from the island. They were joined seasonally by other Neck farmers, particularly the Lovejoy family, who purchased or rented pasture land there. Among the other Meredith islands, only the larger ones such as Three Mile (1826), Pine (1827), Beaver (1830s), and Blackcat (1830s) drew the interest of nearby farmers who used them for seasonal grazing.
In 1849 transportation innovation in the form of the railroad and the steamboat began to create fundamental change on the lake. The train offered fast, inexpensive travel to families and groups from the large population centers to the south; and the Lady of the Lake passenger steamer opened up the lake and islands to these travelers.
In the mid-1850s, Bear became the first island on the lake to become a tourist attraction. By then, the original farming families had moved to the mainland, purchasing farms on the lower Neck. With one significant exception, the island had become used for seasonal grazing and timber harvesting. The exception was at the northern end of Bear where Waldo Meloon purchased the farm on that end in the latter 1850s. Waldo began the ‘tourist’ era on Bear by creating a hospitality business for large groups of Lady summer day-trippers. He turned the northern tip of the island and its “beautiful grove of white maples” into a visitors’ area where picnickers could enjoy the island and lake. Swings made of hemp ropes were hung from several of the trees. He converted a barn near the landing into a bowling alley. On occasion, he put up a “refreshment tent” in the grove. He and his family also provided meals at his farmhouse “up the hill.” He acquired some rowboats that tourists used for fishing. And he also raised an American flag at the highest point on North Bear (now known as Sunset Rock) to which guests could hike and take in the majestic views of the White Mountains.
Different Interests in the islands developed after the Civil War. Mainland-based fishermen increasingly identified favorite fishing spots amongst the Meredith islands. The emergence of smaller steamboats and more free time attendant to the industrialization of the region offered many to spend more and more time enjoying Winnipesaukee.
These early vestiges of lake recreation finally accelerated in the 1880s into the first major stages of tourism and vacationing on Meredith Neck and the islands. From the 1890s on, ever increasing numbers of both visitors and seasonal residents made their appearance. Meredith’s economy shifted to accommodate the growing presence of the visitors. On the islands, the most noteworthy response was the development of the Bear Island House by Solomon Lovejoy in 1886. It became a hugely popular vacation spot. In 1886, Solomon also took another major step to establish boating access to the lake from the Neck when he purchased a half acre of land and a small building directly across from the hotel. This location became popularly known as ‘Lovejoy’s Sands’ as well as Lovejoy’s Landing and grew into a jumping off spot for many visitors. Further, Sol entered the real estate development business when he sold some of his Bear Island’s shoreline to people interested in building their own ‘camps.’
By the first decades of the 1900s, the entire Meredith shoreline, whether island or Neck, began drawing interest from vacationers. The mainland was attractive to wealthier visitors who purchased a number of the now inactive farms. Others bought smaller lots, initially in the area of Lovejoy Lane and further down near Cattle Landing.
Island seasonal residents increased fairly rapidly with the passage of time. Local businessmen were drawn to the islands. Meredith’s E.C. Mansfield acquired an 87 acre parcel opposite Cattle Landing. Laconia’s James Aiken acquired 89 acres on southern Bear; and Meredith’s Clough family divided up the Beavers. Pine was acquired by a group of wealthy Methodists, some of whom purchased mainland farms as well. Three Mile was developed by the Appalachian Mountain Club. Lots on the larger islands became popular destinations for less-well off vacationers who came for the camping and fishing. Among them, teachers and ministers (especially Methodists) made up a disproportionate percentage.
The smallest Meredith islands were especially popular with fishermen. They acquired them and built small cabins to enhance their favorite pastime getaway. Houses of one sort or another were built on Loon, Goose, three of the four Carry islands, the Dolly islands, Horse, the smaller Beavers, Hawkes Nest, and Welcome among others.
Yet another aspect of this era was the emergence of boys’ and girls’ camps in the Lakes Region. Meredith Neck and Bear Island played a big part in this development. By the early 1920s, there were two camps on Bear. Similarly the Neck became home at different times and places to other camps.
The flowering of the tourist and vacation era was a boon to the economic health of Meredith, what with its farming heritage long over and its modest manufacturing capacity largely limited to the Meredith Linen Mills. New businesses that catered to the vacationing populace emerged.
Lake-based service actually began shortly after Robert Bryant and the earliest farming families settled on Bear Island in the early 1800s. The famous Aunt Dolly Nichols and her husband, Joseph, were the first service providers, establishing a ferry between the island and Cattle Landing. In subsequent years, Dolly augmented that service by selling supplies (especially liquor). The arrival of the Lady of the Lake in 1849 added a new dimension as she regularly brought supplies and provided transportation services during the summer. These services were also provided by an increasing number of smaller steamers beginning in the 1850s. By the 1880s,Sol Lovejoy had his own steamer, while his Neck neighbors, Charles ‘Henry’ Bickford and a partner, Willie D. Brown, also owned a steamer that not only provided boating services to lake visitors but also provided provisions.
These service providers were complemented by professional carpenters who assisted vacationers on specific projects. One of the most sought after in this regard was James P. Leighton of Center Harbor. He built the observation tower on Bear in 1898 for E.C. Mansfield which is now part of the island Chapel. He also built all of the larger buildings on Three Mile Island in the early 1900s.
But as the vacationing population really began to take off in the early 1900s, a new type of island service provider emerged. These people established homes among the seasonal island residents to increase business opportunities. The first person to take this step on Bear Island was George Washington Greene whose hard work, multiple skills, and typically good humor were warmly remembered by vacationers. Greene established himself as an indispensable handyman for numerous island dwellers. He cultivated a small seasonal farm on Bear where he also had a small orchard. In addition to fruit and vegetables, he provided ice to islanders and ran a taxi-service for them. In c. 1903, he also took on the contract to maintain three of the newly installed light buoys that the state had set up around the lake for navigation purposes. Greene was also an entrepreneur who hoped to use real estate to make his fortune. He attempted a large vacation-oriented subdivision on Meredith Neck abutting Stonedam Island in 1910, but the development was not successful. He sold it in 1913 to a wealthy vacationer, Charles Hubbard.
In 1906 George Merrill and his family developed an even larger service business on Bear. Laconia natives, the Merrill's bought waterfront property on the mainland (now Y Landing) as well as building a summer home next to the island mail dock. They were entrepreneurs and became local legends for the full range of services that they provided. These services included carpentry, an ice delivery business, and a store. In later years, they also tried their hand unsuccessfully at real estate development on Pine Island and the Neck’s Fairhaven development across from Loon Island. The Merrill's island business eventually spawned another one, that of Wilbur Fay. He moved to East Bear to establish his own summer business. Like others before him, he delivered ice and groceries, and provided hauling services, carpentry, and plumbing.
During the early 1900s, the pleasure boating industry was in its infancy. There weren’t any boatyards on the lake, and repairs and maintenance had to be managed by individual boat owners in most cases. In the 1880s and 1890s, most of the vacationing boat traffic on this part of the lake originated out of Lakeport and the Weirs. As the vacationing and boating population grew, the demand for more boating services and facilities rose with it. The first boat livery or rental place was established at the Weirs by the Blackstone family in 1899. Public docking at Glendale became available around the same time, providing parking for vacationers who hired small steamers to take them to the islands. The first boatyard on the lake was perhaps the forerunner of Goodhue Hawkins in Wolfeboro, established in 1903. Nothing similar to it emerged on the western side of the lake until 1919 when Jim Irwin developed a boatyard at the Weirs.
With the rapid increase in the summer population during the 1920s, the need for boating services presented a big opportunity on Meredith Neck. It was seized by Shepherd and Adelaide Brown of Malden, MA. The two were no strangers to the lake. Adelaide (called “Addie” as a child) had been coming up to the Bear Island House since at least 1894 when she was only 11 years old. Her parents, George and Henrietta Murray, were annual summer visitors for many, many years. Shep Brown was also from Malden, MA and was an avid fisherman. Addie undoubtedly introduced him to the lake during their courtship years. He and Addie married in 1909, both age 26.
Eleven years later, they were still struggling to find their place in the world. They were living with Addie’s parents in Malden in 1920, and Shep was employed as a manager in a thread factory. Presumably still visiting the Bear Island House after the conclusion of World War I, they witnessed the growth in summer boating around the Neck and nearby islands. In 1924, they decided to establish Shep Brown’s Boat Basin. They purchased the house and wharf at Lovejoy Sands from Sol Lovejoy. Shep and Adelaide also bought a house in the heart of Meredith Village on Highland Street in the early 1930s. About the same time, they leased and operated a service station at the base of Meredith Bay.
It was after World War II that vacationing activity in the region really exploded. Over the next 30 or so years, the island summer population more than doubled. The foundation underneath this rapid increase in vacationers was the multi-decade combination of rapid national population growth, a strong economic expansion, and increasing prosperity among a wider cross-section of the American populace. Between 1950 and 1980, the population increased 48% from 152 million to 227 million people. Much of the increase resulted from the sharp rise in the birth rate known as the ‘baby boom’ generation. Over the same 30 year period, the Real Gross Domestic Product of the United States increased almost 300% from $2.2 trillion to $6.5 trillion. The work force was buoyant as new industries emerged (e.g. aero-space) and old industries expanded (e.g. automotive). The economic benefits were shared broadly. During the 1950s and 1960s, the highest increases in mean family income were found among the lowest 80% of the population (indeed the highest increases were gained by the lowest 20%). Mean income increased from $20,332 in 1950 to $40,999 in 1980.
Vast improvements in transportation also played a big part in the rapid increase in vacationers after 1950. The most important was the proliferation of automobiles which made getting here far easier. Nearly 58 million cars and trucks were sold during the 1950s, approximating one new car for every two adults in the country by the end of the decade. The development of the interstate highway system provided a further impetus to the vacationing public.
Another aspect of transportation improvement was the evolution of the leisure boating industry. The invention of fiberglass revolutionized boat building and allowed it to become a commodity business. At the same time, improvements in outboard motor technology led to increasing reliability. Both of the above made boating much more affordable for everyone interested. By 1960, nearly every islander had his or her own transportation to and from the mainland. The growth led to the establishment in 1958 of another boatyard on the Neck, Hennen’s Marine, on the mainland opposite Pine Island.
Driven by this backdrop, the number of vacationers increased sharply on Meredith Neck and the Meredith islands. New subdivisions appeared in places like Fish Cove and just about every other stretch of shorefront. The technology revolution of the 1990s ushered in a new dimension to the vacationing scene. What once were small summer cabins increasingly became huge houses. And what was once a clearly defined summer season from late June until Labor Day became at an April through October season. Moreover, more and more people moved permanently to Meredith, its population growing from 2434 people in 1960 to 4837 in 1990 to more than 6500 in 2020. The growth in year-round residents was matched by the growth in the popularity of Meredith among short term visitors (tourists). The masterful conversion of the old Village mill yard into a world class resort area in the 1980s launched the town on a path to recognition as one of the 10 best vacation towns on the East Coast.