603 NAVIGATOR / OUR TOWN
The Mountain View Grand is one of the few remaining grand hotels among the many that once flourished in the White Mountains.
Wistful in Whitefield A town that remembers times gone by
BY BARBARA RADCLIFFE ROGERS | PHOTOGRAPHY BY STILLMAN ROGERS
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hitefield lies in a vale between two hillsides. Approaching either from the south on Route 142/116 or from the north on Route 3, you drop into the center of town. The valley was a natural choice for the railroads making their way through the White Mountains, and the town became a hub for freight and passengers. The Boston & Maine Railroad, Maine Central, and the Concord & Montreal Railroad all passed through Whitefield, served by three separate depots. Take a close look at the current Dunkin’ Donuts on Union Street and you’ll see the unmistakable shape of the former station. Not quite so obvious is a second one, moved from its previous trackside location and now the American Legion Hall, next to the fire station on Route 142/116. A third station was at Hazen, near the current Mount Washington Regional Airport. 14
nhmagazine.com | November 2021
All these train lines converging in one town, with their junctions and sidetracks, required some coordination. Alongside Union Street, where the Boston & Maine and Maine Central tracks intersected, you can still see the ball signal that indicated whether it was safe to pass through. Erected in 1875, the ball was still being used 100 years later, and was the last of these signals in use in the United States. Union Street (Route 3) is Memory Lane for more than rail enthusiasts. Two shops between the old depot and the ball signal will interest fans of vinyl and vintage stereos. Chris’s Nostalgia Shop sells vintage records, cassettes, movies, CDs and other music memorabilia. If you long to hear Lena Horne in the original-cast album of “Jamaica” or the Bee Gees’ 20 greatest hits, or to throw a Motown dance party, Chris’s is the place to look. For the equipment to play those 78s, 8-tracks and VCR tapes, cross the street to Blake’s Electronics. A fan of electronics since
childhood, owner Eric Blake’s shop is an ever-changing collection of new and vintage audio, stereos, televisions, surround-sound equipment and guitars. Union Street leads to Whitefield’s Common and King’s Square where, like the rail lines, three routes intersect — 116, 142 and U.S. 3. This is where the village of Whitefield began in 1815, when Asa King bought the lot that included what later became the Common. His son and son-in-law deeded the Common to the town as a playing field in 1833, and in 1875 the bandstand was added. By 1907, a 15-member band played summer concerts for locals and increasing numbers of tourists. Unlike many New England village centers, King’s Square does not include the typical church. Instead, the two most prominent with their white spires, St. Matthew and the
