15 minute read
YesterYear
from TheLaker_6_6_2022
by The Laker
Those Fascinating Islands
By Kathi Caldwell-Hopper
Every lake has islands and all hold fascination for landlubbers. Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire’s largest lake, has islands, both large and small. All the islands have stories steeped in history, with folklore tales ranging from a female ferryboat operator to the cows of Cow Island.
There is nothing as inspiring as attending an outdoor church services, whether on the shores of the lake or on an island. Two such unusual church service locations exist in the Lakes Region to this day and offer vacationers and others some memorable options for worship.
Bear Island is one of Winnipesaukee’s larger islands, and it has a goodsized summer population. Some years ago, the Bear Island Association published the original Bear Island Reflections, a book that chronicles the history of the people and homes on the island.
Bear Island is home to a beautiful church called St. John’s Church-onthe-Lake. There was not always a church on the island and early vacationers rowed to attend Sunday services on Meredith Neck. Islanders, however,
A view of some of Winnipesaukee’s island.
wanted a solid place of worship, and set about constructing something permanent on Bear Island.
Two ministers had a dream of a church for the island, where residents could attend and be spared the long boat ride to a church on the shore. Reverend Edward Melville Parker, the Bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire, and the Reverend Kenneth Ripley Forbes of Connecticut and Birch Island saw the need for a summer chapel on Bear Island. They wanted a chapel to be built upon the highest point on Bear Island.
At the spot where they foresaw a chapel, a big observation tower already existed. It was built about 1900 and offered beautiful views of the lake and surrounding area. It was the perfect location for an island church.
In 1926, a piece of land was purchased on Bear Island for the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. It was the spot of the tower, which was repaired and enclosed, with a sanctuary built of local stone erected around the tower. Islanders donated funds to help cover the cost of building the chapel. In July of 1927, the new chapel was dedicated in memory of Bishop Edward Parker, who had died before the realization of his dream.
The new and architecturally unique chapel intrigued mainlanders, and boatloads of worshippers from the Weirs and other towns would arrive for island worship during the summer.
The services were interesting and the atmosphere very camp-like. Folded wooden chairs were set in rows with a hymnbook placed under a round straw cushion on each seat. Some worshippers used the straw cushions for kneeling during the services, while others sat upon the cushions.
Governor’s Island, one of the larger Winnipesaukee islands, is attached to the mainland by a little bridge. Currently inhabited by year-round residents who enjoy the exclusive community,
• Yesteryear
continued on page 11
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• Yesteryear
continued from page 10 the island was originally a grant from the King of England to New Hampshire’s governors before the Revolutionary War.
The first official to live on the island was Governor Benning Wentworth, who had a summer home there. After the Revolutionary War, the island was purchased by Eleazer Davis, a resident of nearby Gilford. Eleazer gave the island to his son Nathaniel, thinking that if his son lived on the uninhabited island, the younger Davis would stop his wandering ways. Eleazer’s dreams of his son turning over a new leaf were realized when Nathaniel founded a prosperous settlement called Davisville on the island.
Over time, Davisville was abandoned as residents returned to the mainland. (Probably the isolated life did not appeal after a time.)
In 1870, the Governor’s mansion burned. About 10 years later, Stillson Hutchins, a politician and publisher from the District of Columbia, bought the island and rebuilt the mansion. Due to the upgrades of property made by Hutchins, wealthy people purchased land and built summer homes on Governor’s Island. Its habit of residency and large homes continues to this day.
Horse Island was named because of a folk tale tragedy involving a horse and its master in the days of steamboats and paddleboats on the lake. According to Lake Winnipesaukee by Bruce D. Heald, a horse was mounted on a treadmill geared to paddle wheels. As the horse trotted along in place, the boat would be powered. A horse boat was wrecked near this island during a storm and the owner of the boat drowned. The boat’s horse was found later wandering about the island. The horse put up a fight when friends of the drowned man tried to bring the animal back to the mainland. Folklore has it the horse wanted to remain near his dead master. Because of this sad tale, the island was named Horse Island.
When the original excursion steamboat Belknap was wrecked on Lake Winnipesaukee during a very violent storm in 1841, a nearby island was dubbed Steamboat Island in memory of that tragedy. Nearby, Birch Island is connected to Steamboat Island by an unusual arched bridge. The bridge was built in 1933 of a rare type of wood known as hornbeam. This wood is so tough that it cannot be cut with a knife.
The history of Rattlesnake Island offers a different tale. According to Wikipedia.org, because of the hump shapes…or perhaps because at one time it is believed the island was infested by rattlesnakes, the island got its name.
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Long Island is the largest island on Lake Winnipesaukee with many homes. At one time, Long Island boasted two big hotels that were full during the busy summer season, many attractive homes of wealthy people and a post office and school. Most notably, it was the site of the estate of Doctor F. E. Greene, who owned the Nervura medicine name.
Many visiting the Lakes Region question who (or what!) inhabits Cow Island. The island got its name when the very first Guernsey cattle imported to America were placed on the island. The cows had been brought to inhabit the island in the 1830s, according to information by Nancy DePorter at www. nancydeporter.com.
After the War of 1812, the owners of Cow Island sent Paul Pillsbury to the location. He erected several buildings, including a grist mill on the highest peak of the island, which helped power the mill by wind. The mill was 40-feet in height and about three stories tall.
How did the mill’s lumber get from the mainland to the island? Pillsbury was forced to wait until winter and ice over the lake to bring the timbers across the lake.
The mill was popular for grinding flour and feed for cattle and it was the only mill nearby. The mill ran for many years, until a fierce storm damaged it beyond repair in the early 1900s.
When Sleeper’s Island began inhabitation by people, the time was the 1780s. At first it was known as Flander’s Island, but the name was eventually changed to Sleeper’s Island.
The fact that a castle was built on the island is reason enough to find this a fascinating story/place. In 1911, island owner William Hale had an idea to build a unique structure on the island and set about the construction of the castle.
The skilled men who built the island castle were the same artisans who built Castle in the Clouds in nearby Moultonborough. Mr. Hale named the building Hale’s Castle and lived there for years. Like all property, the island changed hands over the years, but eventually the land was divided and bought by those wanting a private summer living location.
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With its iconic call and plumage, the Common Loon is a much-loved summer sight in the Newfound watershed. Loons are threatened across the state, including on Newfound Lake. This year, the Newfound Lake Region Association is working with the Loon Preservation Committee (LPC) to help improve the chances of Newfound’s loons to survive and thrive.
Despite recent population gains, loons are still a threatened species in New Hampshire, facing risks from lead fi shing tackle, shoreline development, lake traffi c, increased numbers of predators, contaminants, and climate change. These threats are clear on Newfound Lake. In 2018, two loons died on Newfound Lake due to lead poisoning from ingesting lead fi shing tackle, and while Newfound has had nesting loons since 2010, in that time only two loon chicks have successfully hatched and survived.
LPC Volunteer and Outreach Biologist Carolyn Hughes reports: “The LPC has monitored Newfound Lake for loons since 1976. Until 2008, pair presence was spotty—there would be a pair there for one year but gone the next. There also were, in some years, single loons inhabiting the lake. It wasn’t until 2008 that the lake gained a consistent pair. They’ve been there every year since. They fi rst nested in 2010, then didn’t nest again until 2015.
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Since 2015, they’ve nested every year. Unfortunately, their productivity rate is nearly half the state average. They’ve only managed to hatch two chicks, one in 2015, and one in 2018. On the bright side, both of the chicks that hatched did Survive to fl edging age.
On the south end of the lake, around Mayhew Island, there has most often been just a single unpaired loon. There is only one year where there was a pair around Mayhew Island. That was 2011, and that pair nested three times throughout the course of the summer. Unfortunately, all three nest attempts failed: the fi rst for an unknown reason, the second due to human disturbance, and the third due to water level changes that swamped the nest. Since 2011, we haven’t documented a pair there again, just the single loon.” The average nesting loon pair in New Hampshire will fl edge, on average, one chick every other year. With only two chicks fl edged in seven years, Newfound’s nesting pair is far behind. To help nesting loons on Newfound, NLRA assisted the LPC in installing a nest raft in the Hebron Marsh area of Newfound Lake. Nest rafts help nesting loons cope with natural or human-induced water level changes that can fl ood nests or leave them too high and dry, provide alternate nest sites to help loons displaced by shoreline development and recreational use of lakes, and offer protection from some predators.
A nest raft can be part of the solution, but there is more work to be done. You can help loons by removing lead tackle from your tackle box, giving loons plenty of space on the lake (150 feet at minimum), and promoting the protection of their natural habitat. Hughes says, “We’re hoping that with the raft in the Hebron Marsh, and the NLRA’s help to ask folks to give the loons space, we might see improved breeding success in years to come.” Learn more about the work of the NLRA at NewfoundLake. org and the LPC at Loon.org.
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