Yesteryear

Remembering Lakes Region Veterans

By Kathi Caldwell-Hopper

In the past, a special day in mid-November was known as Armistice Day. Today, we mark Nov. 11 as Veterans’ Day, but no matter what the name may be, the day honors those who served. In dedication to veterans, area towns have monuments, lists of soldiers, and special buildings.

In the town of Tilton, Charles E. Tilton used some of his funds to erect monuments and statues throughout the town during the 1800s. In 1849, Mr. Tilton returned to New Hampshire from the western part of the country, where he had made his fortune. It was his mission to beautify the town and, with that in mind, he erected statues of historic fi gures and a monument to honor veterans.

Mr. Tilton donated a large granite stone base upon which a statue of a soldier was placed at the intersection of Main and Winter streets in Tilton. The carving on the stone is called Soldiers’ Monument, and it was dedicated in the spring of 1889.

According to information at www. tiltonnh.org., funds for the bronze statue were raised through public subscription by the local GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) Post. New Hampshire Soldiers Home in Tilton, NH in days gone by.

This was not so many years after the Civil War, and the family and friends lost in that confl ict were never far from the minds of those left behind in towns such as Tilton. (Erecting monuments to the soldiers was a popular way to pay tribute.)

Also in the Tilton area, a home was built for veterans in the 1890s, after legislation directed that a place be built to operate as a state-run Soldiers’ Home. The legislation passed Congress in 1888, according to information at www.nh.gov/veterans.

In the Lakes Region and throughout New Hampshire, as elsewhere in the country, veterans who served in the Civil War were dealing with chronic injuries and illness, such as amputations and what we know of today as post-traumatic stress disorder. Many needed medical help and a place to live. The idea of a Soldiers’ Home was popular, and the search began to fi nd a suitable location.

Once again, Charles Tilton helped. He gave to the state a piece of property called the Savage Farm in Tilton. With around 30 acres in a rural setting, the property was a perfect place for a veterans’ home. It met the criteria of Governor David H. Goodell and the appointed veterans’ Board of Managers. The criteria were that the Civil War veterans admitted must not be able to care for themselves due to wounds, advancing age, or other medical problems.

The large building, when completed, was made of red brick. As this was the decorative Victorian era, the architectural design had ornate touches.

Furnishing such a large building was daunting, but the Women’s Relief Corps raised $5,000 and put that money (a very large sum at the time) to good use purchasing furniture as well as hiring cleaners to make sure the home was spotless from top to bottom.

The New Hampshire Soldiers’ Home was formally dedicated on Dec. 3, 1890. At long last, the deserving veterans had a place to call home.

The fi rst veterans admitted were

•Yesteryear

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from the corps of the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal organization of Union veterans from the Civil War. Information at the New Hampshire Veterans’ Home website tells us the veterans “lived out their lives in dignity in the red-brick Victorian ‘Fortress’ in the Highlands of Tilton.”

As the years passed, the home welcomed veterans of many wars, and the structure expanded to meet the changing needs. In the 1970s, a 50-bed addition took the place of the 1890s original/main building. More beds and enlargements followed.

The stories of just a few of the hundreds of deserving area veterans underscore the importance of providing shelter, medical care, and honoring those who served.

Historically, Veterans’ Day originated as Armistice Day, on Nov. 11, 1919. It honored the end of World War I, which took place on Nov. 11, 1918.

Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and it became a national holiday on Nov. 11, 1938, according to www.military.com.

In 1954, the U.S. Congress changed the word “Armistice” to “Veterans”. At that time, on Nov. 11, it became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

In the 1940s, a news clip in the Laconia Evening Citizen was titled “Car to Be Awarded at Armistice Ball”. The Wilkins-Smith Post of the American Legion held the ball at the State Armory. The ball had been an annual event since 1919 and was eagerly anticipated by veterans. However, during World War II, the event was discontinued. The ball after the war ended was the first Armistice Day observance (as it was then called) since the return of World War II soldiers. Entertainment was by Mal Hallet and his Coca-Cola broadcasting orchestra, with soloist Rita Williams. The grand prize for the evening was a Plymouth Deluxe Sedan.

When World War II raged on, the Laconia Evening Citizen had such grim headlines as “Two Laconia Boys Missing in France”. Another story in the Evening Citizen reported that Capt. Sidney Thompson, of New York City, was visiting a relative in Wolfeboro. Sidney had recently been awarded a Purple Heart and a citation of merit. He served in the African campaign during World War II and must have enjoyed visiting the Lakes Region where it was quiet and peaceful.

Women also served, such as Seaman Virginia Kirkland, who completed her basic training at Naval Training School. She was a graduate of the local Brewster Academy, as reported in the Evening Citizen.

During World War II, men and women from around the Lakes Region did their part, including Henry Allard of the Laconia area. He appeared on the front page of the Evening Citizen, surrounded by his grandchildren. He was dressed in his military uniform, and the headline above the photograph read “Grandad Home After Long Service”. He served as a Machinist Mate on destroyer duty.

Those who served over the decades looked forward to coming home to the Lakes Region and likely remembered fun times swimming, boating, and fishing on Lake Winnipesaukee. Before World War II, many danced to music at Irwin’s Winnipesaukee Gardens at Weirs Beach. After returning from war duty, a place at Weirs Beach where they could camp and socialize with fellow veterans must have been very welcome.

However, long before the first and second World Wars, the Weirs Beach area was a good place for veterans to meet and renew acquaintances with others who fought in the Civil War. There is no doubt the war left many soldiers physically frail and mentally traumatized. After the war, veterans found comfort in talking over wartime experiences with fellow soldiers.

In 1875, the New Hampshire Veteran’s Association (NHVA) was formed in Concord.Recognizing the veterans’ need for a place to get together, the Boston, Concord, and Montreal Railroad donated a piece of property near the railroad’s Weirs Beach station. It was a good location for a campground, with scenic views and the quiet of the country would have been ideal for those who camped in the grove.

The land was on the hillside overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee. In 1878, the New Hampshire Veteran’s Association began holding annual multi-day reunions at Weirs Beach. The events were successful, offering a place for veterans to camp and enjoy being with old friends.

In 1881, the State Legislature provided housing. The buildings completed, according to an article by Mark Okrant, were a Headquarters Building, the 3rd Regiment and First Band Building, and 7th Regiment Building (1885); 2nd Regiment Building and Manchester House Building (1886); the 16th Regiment Building and 1st Cavalry Building (1887); the 9th and 11th Regiments Building and 15th Regiment Building (1888); the National Veterans Association of New Hampshire Building (1891); the 14th Regiment Building (1893); and the Berdan’s Sharpshooters and Heavy Artillery Companies Building (1906).

Veterans and their families vacationed at the Veteran’s Campground, with many in attendance. Trains were a popular mode of transportation, bringing politicians to areas where veterans gathered on special occasions. Large crowds of veterans and others gathered on Grand Army Day and Governor’s Day. Civil War generals and political leaders and hopefuls gave speeches and attended picnics and socials, adding to the camaraderie of the attendees.

In the early 1900s, popular politician and leader, President Theodore Roosevelt, attended the 26th annual reunion, and between 20,000 to 40,000 people came to hear him speak in the Weirs Beach area. The area was decorated with bunting and flags and the lake was filled with steamboats and other vessels and must have been an amazing sight.

A typical and festive event took place on a weekend in August of 1930 at the New Hampshire Veteran’s Campground at Weirs Beach. The Reunion of the Grand Army of the Republic Spanish War, according to a printed piece by the New Hampshire Veteran’s Association, included a Spanish War and Veterans of Foreign Wars Day with a campfire, speeches, and music by the Laconia Municipal Band. Grand Army Day saw speakers and a campfire, and Woman’s Day featured Woman’s Auxiliary speakers, a Civil War reunion, and a campfire. The event closed with a Governor’s and American Legion Day “devoted to pleasure and the one feature a parade under the auspices of the New Hampshire Veteran’s Association,” related information about the event.

Alton’s Savage House was purchased by George Savage in 1850. Mr. Savage, a veteran, ran the large building as an inn until the late 1880s. Some years later, in 1914, his son, Henry Savage, bought the property in memory of his father, according to “Alton a Town to Remember” published by the Alton Old Photograph Committee. Henry ran the inn until 1939, with some of the rooms furnished for the use of the Sons of UnionVeterans and their families. Later, the Savage House became the American Legion Hall. (Major George Savage is pictured in “Alton a Town to Remember” standing with his beloved horse, Old Tom. It is said that Old Tom once saved the Major’s life; the horse is buried in Alton’s Riverside Cemetery near his master.)

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