146 



Sl)c JTanncr's illontl)hj Visitor. 



Bes iiikI r;iniajrps ns well for tlifi ippiil.-ir 8liif;ps 

 OS l(>r |piivnto vehicles, rt^sliii}.' llicir liiiillicriw lif ih 

 ill the |iiililic bii.<iiiessiiii(l lili^iiiioii (>( ilie wlinle 

 eMi'iiilcd rdiiiily. ftleuiKleiin^'aliiKitl iimli'i' llie 

 windows of the hotel, eiiilioweied with the wild 

 iiui|'le, iish iind elm, the I'emi^'ewa.ssell iiiiiliiif.' 

 the several hiiii.ches which come in from ahoie 

 ill different diieclioiis, passes on in a enininiied 

 Kiicci ssion of nilinilig waters exieiidiiig lieliind 

 the af;e of the present occiipyiii;.' race, even liir 

 lieyoiid the iiiiHritten tradiiimis of the aliorifii- 

 nal sons of the forest. And yet, how compani- 

 tively recent is this river in ils present Im d to 

 the exisieiiee of the higher allnvioii of a former 

 grcrater water siirlitce ; and thai disiant forma- 

 tion myriads of ages younger ihan the iipheavi'd 

 granite inoniitains and hill.^ whose liases are the 

 resting places of the soil of more ricenl liirma- 

 tion ! At our miil-day arrival at Plymontli, al- 

 lliongh every creiiime of the horse kind nhoni 

 ftlr. Biirnham's eslahlishment had lieeii dispatch- 

 ed in extra carriages and eniiveyaiice lor the ac 

 ciiiiiiilaled moimlain tr.ivellers, agreeahly lo the 

 verhal hint of mvitalion he hail sent ns, ready after 

 an early dinner, IMr. H. had at the ilunr a carriage 

 and span ol horses uiili three gentlemen lireuth- 

 iiig the elastic cheerfulness imiiihed from the pure 

 air o/' till.' moimlain region, le.idy to accompany 

 ll-J'ili a jalliit lo " Prospect Hill,'' li'iir miles east- 

 ward of Plymontli, over which rims the dividing 

 line between the towns of lloldernessand Camp- 

 ion. The carriage, upon a good road over the 

 bridge in Camptoii near Judge Livermoie's at 

 the lidls of the river not to be surpassed hj those 

 of the Passaic in New Jer.sey or those of 'J'reii- 

 toii III New York, taking ns within a mile of the 

 moiiniain top — there meeting the gnat grandson 

 of ihe Webster roiinexion w lio,alilioiigli a stran- 

 ger, bad voliintieied a horse and sadflle liir the 

 accommodation of lhi> lame short winded iniin ol' 

 the company wiihoiit his previous kiinwliiltie, ihe 

 faiilil'ul beast carried biiii to ihc highest pinnacle 

 of the iiioiintain from which like some eipiesiii- 

 uii roinmimdcr the hills and farm buildings spot- 

 led around might be overlooked and spoken to as 

 an army of men arrayed around its commander. 

 The prospect from this riiihtly named " Prospect 

 Hill" is not to be exceeded Iron) ihat of Ked Hill, 

 ftloimt Belknap, or any other (losition in New 

 England. No part of central New Hampshire is 

 fiiji-r than the two towns of Holderiiess and 

 C.impton divided in part hy the Prospect Hill, 

 whose highest point of elevation is some two 

 Ihonsaiid feet above ihe village of Pljinoiith ;ii 

 the river. Holderiiess exu-nds loiigiindiiialU 

 eiisiward from the Pemigewassett, einhiaciiig 

 much of large Sipiani and the entire of little 

 Sipiain lake with Sipiam river in its whole ex- 

 tent. The Sipiaiii lake itself is separated from 

 the larger Winnipisseogee lake only hy a parling 

 of about one mill', the waters of each at the out- 

 let taking dift'n lit directions lo meet at Frank- 

 lin some thirty miles below. Ai the north fiiot 

 o( Prospect hill lies the town of Campion with 

 rich (iiriiis on either side of a valley extending 

 beyond the westerly boniid of Holderiiess o\er 

 the river tonching upon Kiimney, the first town 

 west of Plymouth upon the Baker's river. To the 

 liorili and iiortli-ea>t of Prospect hill (iirther dis- 

 tant is the town of Thornton going up tow.-irds 

 the Old Man of the Monntain and the Notch, and 

 10 the east of this valley came in successive 

 mountain streams fVoiii valleys hilherlo lillle ex- 

 plored and treated as of no value — called upon 

 the maps " nngrunted lands." 'I'he moimtidns 

 rising like wave upon wave in the view (iom Pros- 

 pect hill, troni Jecorway peak in the norlheast, by 

 Moosehillock on the west, over tin; Connecliciii 

 river niilil the eye strikes the Green Monntain 

 riinge, embrace of themselves niiicli less of the 

 space lliiin wn would suppose from their appear- 

 niire. 'I'liere are slreams and valleys extt'iidiiig 

 lliroiigh and all around them. The largest sources 

 of the Merrimack are in branches from the easi 

 imiiing with the Pemigewassett before arriving 

 at the great lidls in Campton : these valleys (lir up 

 the monntain sides, abonnd in cxcclleni timber, 

 much of il of the evergreen kind, pine, spruce 

 and heiiiliick. Where ihesi' great trees grow the 

 soil is always gooil. (JriMhinlly „s these valhvs 

 open by the temptations of the splendid timber, 

 setileinents will creep in. 'J'he locations of many 

 fine farms among the moimiains ol New Hamp'- 

 tbire have been made in the last twenty years; 

 aud all tliat Imi« boon done iu lUit liuje is liui ihe 



begi.'ining. Rich as Col. Holmes, one of the pi- 

 oneers ol Campion, and independent and gem - 

 rolls like him, may I ceoine the stalwart enter- 

 prise of a generation lollowii.g his example liir- 

 llier into what has been considered tiie large 

 track of valiiehss mountain waste of the old 

 Granite Stale. 



Jn the nearer view from Prospect hill at the 

 east and south-east down almost a ^erpeiulieiilar 

 pilch of a thousand li-et we look a little south of 

 the Campion ponds, into the beginning of a win- 

 ding valley ibiongii ihe whole extent of Holder- 

 iiess, soiilli and sunih-west over that, and the 

 Kipiam lake ilnicllv upon the thne prominences 

 ol the Hid Hill — by that lo the Os.-ipee lange, 

 lo lakeAVinnipisseogee in iis w hole extent bevond 

 that, to the higher prominences of York eoimiy 

 in the State ol iMaiiie — lailher soniji and west to 

 the elevations of lirookHeld, .\lion and New Hiir- 

 liaiii — nearer at hand, IMonnt Belknap and its 

 consort sisters of the Gimstock range — laiiher 

 sonili and sonih-west far as the eye can reach 

 down to the line of .Massaehnsetls by the Anilo- 

 ver and Rowley bills to the Blue Hill.s, over 

 monnlains rif the ranges which crown the siic- 

 '•es-ive sources of ibe Iribntaries to the Merri- 

 mack in Ihe dis'ance of some hnnilred anil tilt) 

 miles of its ineandi ring.s. A ch ;n- view is had 

 of great and liiile Sipiain willi iheir islands — a 

 spotted view ill seveial poinls of \\ nmipisseogee 

 indrnled with many necks and iiiierspeised wiili 

 islands upon which are seviial fine lariiis, said 

 lo be himdieds in noinber, many of them of suf- 

 ficient size ill appearance to make the lake limk 

 at a distance like a medley of ponds or smaller 

 lake.s. Ol these the long hay in Meredilh ap- 

 puns as one ; I mi id' the ponds at a lii;;lier eleva- 

 tion snrroimding the lake the view here as upon 

 every other prominence is shin out, vviih the ex- 

 ce|ilion perhaps ol .Measly pond in Meredith upon 

 the sIiH.im between v\liich iil.d the mam lake in 

 lidls supplying water-power has grown up the 

 village ol Meredilh coining dow n lo the lake shore 

 ten milns above iMeredith Bridge village. Upon 

 the level of ihe Measly pond several feet above 

 Ihe lake comes up from the soiilli the route of 

 the Boslon and iMoniieal railroad. From Pros- 

 pect bill '111- whole disiance almost from Mere- 

 ililb Bridge by ihc ha\ and lake and Measly pond 

 into the Sipiain valley and iheiiee by Plymoiiili 

 np Ihe Bilker's river valley almost to the toot ol 

 ]\loos( hillock, We have a bird's eye view, over 

 ilie greater pan of w hich the naked lye might 

 descry the running of a Iraiii of raihoiid ears. — 

 The remarkable level of this whole disiain-e, the 

 point of waters as between the two hiki s being 

 almost even, is worthy of observation. When 

 Mr. Bnrnham shall finish the carriage road 

 which may he made, and which he contempliites, 

 lo the pinnacle of the truly iianied Prospect bill, 

 parties of ladies and gentlemen will find a new 

 source of pastime, besides ihe splendid scenery 

 which nature has lavished upon this belter part 

 of the world, the transit of railroad cars in the 

 eoniiniied distaiici' of ihiity miles eilher way 

 bearing ipiick inleHigence and i assent; ers or iiier- 

 ehandize as well between Great Biilain and her 

 cidonies of the two Canadas, as brlueen a most 

 fioinisbing anil fertile region of New l'',iii;land 

 with its great seaport melropolis. Prospect hill, 

 like every other I igli elevation of New Hamp- 

 shire we have visited, finni.-hed its belter pas- 

 tille as we approached nearer lo the lop : fat cat- 

 tle and horses were 'sporting on the green feed 

 there, while the long ah.sence of rain wilh the 

 denser rays of many days hot sun had expelled 

 almost every vestige of {jreen upon Ihe lower 

 pastures. 



TvMi or three capital fiirniPis in Campion live 

 near the base of Pios|iect hill: lhe\ are of a name 

 which iiiighl indieale lliiit lliey came as they did 

 from the ancient town of Salem, piiduibly des- 

 cended from I hose w ho religiously believed in 

 the existeiice of witches. We lived long in New 

 Hampshire wiihoni travel, in a posiiion which 

 had made lis acipiainted with persons and fami- 

 lies in every town ol the Slate — with many per- 

 sons in several of the towns. A later iicipniin- 

 laiiee at their homes wilh a lew, leaves ns to re- 

 gret thai so little time is left lo evieiid this last 

 gralilving source of eiijoyinent. Our posiiion in 

 life, if soineiimes of value lo the friends who 

 agreed wiili ns in opinion, has In en one of thai 

 sort ofannojance lo those who belii veil the 

 ri^tii ws^' to b« not our wij^, tb«t Uuu crvuiwl 



perhaps an lia'iitiial feeling of dislike, if not of 

 tear, not unlike that leli lor the vv in lies by our 

 pious ancestors of Sah-iii. We were sorrji, coin- 

 ing down lioiii ihe moniitiiin, to enconnier in 

 the gentlemnn whose stable had graliuloiisly 

 furnished llie fond lor our heasi.s, one who had 

 idleii heard liom us and peihaps read about 

 lis, lint never beloresaw ns. After mistaking a- 

 notber of the eompuny for our introdiiciion : 

 " Well, Ibis is Kx-Goveinoi Hill ; eiilier yon or 

 me, I fear have long deceived and ii ishd the peo- 

 ple, and done deliiment to the Slate." Asking 

 liis age and finding him lo be some ball a doz- 

 en years onr senior, and looking uhonl upon 

 his tidy house and barns, ihe water eoioing lo 

 h s yards in a eontiniied stream, and ihose \ards 

 cleaned by the liirmalion of shovelled manure 

 piles liir the ninlilly resiing place of ihe inileli- 

 kine — the fields eiiclosid wilh permanent smne 

 walls, the galls and bars all w hole and sale ; the 

 well dressed women looking from the v\inilows 

 and the younger nichin.s, all well dressed, ap- 

 proaching near eiiongh lo listen and stare; — look- 

 ing him in the tiice — *' Sir, I am ipiiie sure ihat re- 

 siding all voiir life oni of travelled roads beyond 

 the reach of miicli mischief yon are mil the author 

 of the bad deeds and infinences which strike you 

 with abhorrence: if von ihink it of me, your 

 opinion can iieiiher mend the evil or do me iiow 

 much good or harm. Should i live lo see you 

 again sir, it v\ ill gratify me much to find that 

 cli:ii|i:e wroi|i>hl on your iniinl froiri encjiiiry 

 which will leave you to think no worse of me 

 ll an I now think of yon." Such is one of prob- 

 ably huinlieds in the Stale who in a eoiir.se of 

 thirty years have honeslly and constantly lu-en 

 ojiposi d lo our opinions and belief — w ho have 

 ihoiigl t our heie-ies mnnstroii.':, and pobably eii- 

 terlain llie belief that for them there is yet to be 

 inflicted a much hij^her punishment than has yet 

 been received. 



We came off the mountain over the Holder- 

 iiess road (contrary lotheadiice ofoiirCa pion 

 Iriend who insisted Ihat the road we c.ime over 

 through this town was the l.eltei) leadiiii: liy ex- 

 ceeding good hind and well cnliitaled farms and 

 Ihe Fpiscop.'il church solitary and alone in Gralioii 

 conniy, built many years ayo, and long siisLiuied 

 hy the Livermnre connexion, and slill lingeiing 

 diiriiiL' ihe lifetime of its pastor, of fifty years, 

 and many years representative of the town, in 

 the Legislature, now grown too iidnin and aged 

 for p.iroehial or civil service, meeting and pas- 

 sing the elegant extended intervale plat wilh the 

 ample Dii III iioiise and biiililinus. siibiirbaii lo, ami 

 iibnost iie:ir enoiiLih to he of the Pl\ inontli vil- 

 lai:e itself, the property and residence of Mr. Joy, 

 what for maiiv years was cnnsidered and treated 

 as Ihe farm ot fiirms in New Hampshire. — 

 Scarcely a stone's throw across the river was ihe 

 land of the Wehsters and the Livermines divi- 

 ded — two of the I owerful names ol'gieatesl per- 

 sonal influence in the eoiintj of Gialion. 



'I'he Iracdi of the contemplated railroad follows 

 the Pemiiiewasscit ri\er the west side crossing 

 near llohlerness village, hugging Iroiii necessity 

 close to tin' inierMile or river hanks w here the 

 broken ledges narrow ilowii the valhy. Much 

 of that part of Plynioiilli north of Pn iiL'ew aier 

 and Hellion is of high elevation; the liirms in 

 some instances are perched high upon hills .■mil 

 monnlains, one of which in the sonlh-west cor- 

 ner of the town is of greater elevation than the 

 Prospect hill at the east. Coming into Plyitioiilli 

 village up one river it turns westerly soon upon a 

 nearly level direct line of some eight eir ten 

 miles over llie higher intervale of Rniniipy, gen- 

 erally iilion ihe noilh side of Baker's liier. pas- 

 sing at ihe lower part of ihe low n the former 

 residence of ihe family of Weld eonspicnoiis as 

 men of we.dlh. and dealers in merchandize, the 

 homesiend and residence in latter years of the 

 Hon. Josiali Uniiiey, whose first wile was of the 

 .same family. The mail stage road passing on 

 the soiitli side of Baker's river leaves the heller 

 part of Rninney at the north and northeast with 

 the meeting-house afil village of ibe centre iipiiii 



the same side. West IS my mieiing liniiso 



and village, a few inilesubme, wilhin the samo 

 lownsbip, is upon the sooth side. The more ea- 

 .sy and eipially level romi for light travel lies a- 

 loiii; the north side of the river, crossing; wilhin 

 ihe liieils of Plymonlh. The May hew tiirnpike 

 from Bristol village by the shore of the Newloniid 

 l«ka over the bill* t>l' lit hron, cu<« I'ti' lliu di»- 



