New Hampshire Trivia & Tidbits - Page 2

Looking for New Hampshire trivia? Try our list New Hampshire little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

—Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Willa Cather spent some summers and falls in Jaffrey (pop. 5,476) and is buried at the Center Burial Ground. Several of her novels, including My Antonia, were either written in or about Jaffrey.

first appeared: 1/11/2009

—Before Colonials settled central New Hampshire, the Pemigewasset Indians lived in a village in what is now Franklin (pop. 8,405). On Willow Hill, a glacial boulder with a large bowl-like depression suggests tribe members used the rock to grind their corn.

first appeared: 12/29/2008

—Grains of sand suspended in the current of the Cockermouth River are responsible for carving Sculpted Rock Natural Area, located between Routes 3A and 118 in Groton (pop. 456). The river has carved unusual shapes in the walls of the canyon and potholes in the bedrock.

first appeared: 11/30/2008

—The annual snow-sculpting contest in Jackson (pop. 835) is a qualifying event for national and international snow-sculpting competitions. Over three days in January, sculptors perform their artistic magic in teams of three on columns of snow 8 feet tall and 4 feet in diameter.

first appeared: 11/16/2008

—Charles Anderson Dana, who was born in Hinsdale (pop. 4,082) in 1819, served as managing editor of the New York Tribune and later editor of the New York Sun. He also wrote Recollections of the Civil War and The Art of Newspaper Making.

first appeared: 11/2/2008

—Steve “Bye-Bye” Balboni, who attended Manchester Memorial High School, played for a decade on major league baseball teams, including the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers. Because of his ability to hit home runs, he earned the nickname “Bye Bye.”

first appeared: 10/19/2008

—Concord (pop. 40,687) was the home of James R. Hill, a successful 19th-century harness-maker who was among the first to take advantage of the demand for harness equipment from the Gold Rush and the Civil War as well as foreign markets. Among his clientele was Barnum & Bailey’s Circus.

first appeared: 10/5/2008

—Built in 1850 and reconstructed in 1889, the Railroad Bridge in Contoocook Village in Hopkinton (pop. 5,399) originally carried the Concord and Claremont Railroad line across the Contoocook River. The bridge, which was washed off its abutments by a 1936 flood and a hurricane in 1938, has been restored and now is used by pedestrians.

first appeared: 9/21/2008

—Built by James Rundlet in 1807, the Rundlet-May House in Portsmouth (pop. 20,784) is filled with ornate furniture, reflecting its original owner’s success in the textile industry. The house also contains technology ahead of its time, including an elaborate venting system.

first appeared: 9/7/2008

—The 155-foot Cochecho covered bridge in Dover (pop. 26,884) is for pedestrian use only and is part of the city’s Riverwalk project in Henry Law Park.

first appeared: 8/24/2008

—The Mount Kearsarge Indian Museum Education and Cultural Center in Warner (pop. 2,760) is dedicated to increasing the public’s awareness of American Indian traditions, philosophies and art. Among its offerings are exhibits of Indian artifacts and crafts, and special events such as powwows.

first appeared: 8/10/2008

—Bob Montana, who graduated from high school in Manchester in 1940, was the creator of the popular cartoon “Archie,” which first appeared in 1941 in Pep Comics. The following year, an entire comic book was devoted to Archie and his gang. Following Montana’s discharge from the U.S. Army in 1946, “Archie” became a newspaper strip.

first appeared: 7/27/2008

—About 100 marked graves, dating back to the 1700s, can be found in St. John’s Cemetery in Portsmouth (pop. 20,784). Among those who rest in the underground vaults are 18th-century notables Wentworth Benning, the royal governor, and the Rev. Arthur Browne, the first rector of Queen’s Chapel.

first appeared: 7/13/2008

—The Bath Bridge, which spans the Ammonoosuc River in Bath (pop. 893), is the fifth covered bridge to stand at the site; the previous four were destroyed either by flood or fire. The original structure was built in 1794 and was demolished by a flood, as were bridges two and three. The fourth was destroyed by fire in 1830.

first appeared: 6/29/2008

—Polar Caves in Plymouth (pop. 5,892), a series of caves and gorges, were formed 50,000 years ago as a continental glacier moved south over the state. As the ice sheet thawed, great blocks of granite fell from Hawk’s Cliff, forming the caves and passages through which a person can walk.

first appeared: 6/15/2008

—The crumbling remains of the 1814 Walbach Tower in New Castle (pop. 1,010) still are visible near Fort Constitution. Built during a British blockade of Portsmouth Harbor, the tower was named for Col. John de Barth Walbach, a German native who joined the American Army in 1799.

first appeared: 6/1/2008

—The Discovery Room at the state Fish and Game Department’s headquarters in Concord (pop. 40,687) provides visitors with a glimpse of the state’s various landscapes and wildlife inhabitants. Among the sights to take in are a life-size model of a moose and her calf and a beaver pond, as well as streams, ponds, meadows and forests.

first appeared: 5/18/2008

—The residents of Dixville Notch (pop. 26) and Harts’ Location (pop. 40) have a head start on voters elsewhere around the state on Election Day. Voters can begin casting their ballots at midnight, taking advantage of a state law allowing towns with 100 or fewer residents to vote early.

first appeared: 5/4/2008

—Henry Styles Bridges, the state’s governor (1935-37) and U.S. senator (1937-61), lived in a house built about 1836 in Concord (pop. 40,687) from 1946 until his death in 1961. After his widow died, the house was left to the state and became the governor’s official residence in 1969.

first appeared: 3/9/2008

—Actor and comedian Adam Sandler, who grew up in Manchester and attended Manchester Central High School, was known as the class clown. He made his first stage appearance at age 17 in a Boston comedy club. His hit comedy films include Happy Gilmore, Mr. Deeds and The Wedding Singer.

first appeared: 2/24/2008

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