Stan Amster Photography – Scenic and Commercial Photography in Northern New England.

Menu
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
post
page
ngg_pictures

Historic

West Quoddy Head Lighthouse in Lubec, Maine.

West-Quody-lighthouse-10-10-2014-34
West Quoddy Head is an easterly-pointing peninsula in southeastern Lubec, overlooking Quoddy Narrows, a strait between Lubec and Campobello Island, Canada, that provides access to Passamaquoddy Bay and harbors located on the St. Croix River and other rivers which the empty into the bay. Most of the peninsula is part of Quoddy Head State Park, and the light station is located near the southern end of its eastern face.

A stone sign describes the lighthouse as the “easternmost point in the U.S.A.” It is the easternmost building in the United States (a nearby sign proclaims the “easternmost giftshop in the U.S.”), but the easternmost point is at rocks extending eastward from the shoreThe present light station includes a tower, former keeper’s quarters, service building, and oil house. The tower is circular, and is 49 feet (15 m) in height, with the beacon at 83 feet (25 m) above sea level. The light, magnified by a third-order Fresnel lens, has a range of 18 miles (29 km). The tower is built of brick, and painted in alternating horizontal red and white stripes. A small gabled entry vestibule, also brick, projects from the tower. The keeper’s house is a wood frame structure, 1​1⁄2 stories in height.

West Quoddy Head Lighthouse in Lubec, Maine. Read More »

Middle Covered Bridge in Woodstock Vermont.

Woodstock-Vermont-6-23-2019-22
The Middle Covered Bridge in Woodstock was built in 1969 replacing an iron bridge that had been in use since 1877. The Middle Covered Bridge was constructed following traditional methods. Wooden pegs were used instead of nails, and the bridge was built on dry land and then pulled across the river on scaffolding drawn by oxen walking a capstan. With every turn of the capstan the bridge was pulled 3 1/3 inches closer to its final destination

On May 11, 1974, the bridge was set afire by arsonists. It took three years, and almost $55,000 to complete the required repairs.

In addition to the Middle Covered Bridge in the village, Woodstock has two other covered bridges, which are located in the hamlets of Taftsville and West Woodstock. The Taftsville Covered Bridge was severely damaged in 2011 by Tropical Storm Irene. After extensive renovations it reopened in 2013.

Middle Covered Bridge in Woodstock Vermont. Read More »

The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel in Dixville Notch New Hampshire

NH-7-29-2013-196-2

Located along the old Coös Trail (now Route 26) through Dixville Notch, it first opened just after the Civil War as the Dix House, a 25-room summer inn established by George Parsons. In 1895, it was purchased by Henry S. Hale, a Philadelphia inventor and industrialist who had been a regular guest. He renamed it “The Balsams”, and over time enlarged and augmented the facilities. In 1918, Hale completed the Hampshire House, the towering wing which doubled the resort’s capacity to 400 guests.

 

The Ballot Room of The Balsams is where Dixville Notch’s presidential primary votes are cast just after midnight on the day of the New Hampshire primaries since the 1960s. These votes cast by Dixville Notch residents are among the first to be cast, counted, and reported nationally.

The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel in Dixville Notch New Hampshire Read More »

Honeymoon Covered Bridge in Jackson New Hampshire.

Jackson-Covered-Bridge-7-18-2014-5

In 1873, town residents debated whether to build and/or repair at least two bridges that crossed the Wildcat River.[1] Honeymoon Bridge was built in 1876, just south of the confluence of the Wildcat with the Ellis River, by Charles Austin Broughton and his son Frank. The Broughton family owned a dairy farm on the east side of the Saco River. Serving in the Civil War, Charles had carpentry skills needed to do the work. In 1899, the town of Jackson paid the Goodrich Falls Electric Company to illuminate the bridge. The sidewalk on the side of the bridge was added in 1930 according to town records, and improvements were done in 1965 to improve visibility and provide parking. In 2001 the bridge received a US$64,000 grant that provided for the installation of a fire protection system that included sprinklers, among other things. Further rehabilitation of the bridge was completed three years later. Today, Honeymoon Bridge is an often-photographed tourist attraction.

 

Honeymoon Bridge is one of 20 examples of the Paddleford truss design. The bridge was nicknamed “Honeymoon” bridge from the tradition of lovers kissing under it for good luck. The name dates to at least 1936, with bridge historian Adelbert M. Jakeman possibly giving the bridge its nickname. Honeymoon Bridge is designated as Covered Bridge 51 by the state.

Honeymoon Covered Bridge in Jackson New Hampshire. Read More »

Sunset Lake Floating Bridge (AKA:The Brookfield Floating Bridge) in Brookfield Vermont

Brookfield-Vermont-114-Edit-Edit-Edit
The first bridge on this site was erected in 1820. It was built this way because the lake is too deep for traditional pilings.
The seventh bridge was closed to traffic and torn down in 2008 for replacement due to failure of its flotation system, which was based on foam-filled barrels.
The current bridge, the eighth at this location, is supported by fiber-reinforced polymer pontoons.

It is kinda weird to drive over if you are not use to it.

Sunset Lake Floating Bridge (AKA:The Brookfield Floating Bridge) in Brookfield Vermont Read More »

Picture perfect day in Peacham Vermont

Vermont-8-16-2014-13-2
I thought I would get out on a picture perfect day and head over to Peacham and a few other places in the NEK. The weather was perfect.

In 1763, Governor Benning Wentworth of New Hampshire gave a charter for the region to a group of proprietors, and the town was given the name Peacham (the etymology of the name is unclear). The original proprietors were speculators who surveyed the town, laid a few rudimentary roads, and divided it into lots, though the territory remained unsettled for some time.

 

In 1775, settlers, primarily from Connecticut and Massachusetts, bought the lots and built homes, developing the land for agriculture. The original settlers survived almost entirely through subsistence farming despite the long winters, hilly terrain, and rocky soil. Nine years later, records show a population of approximately 200 people. The first recorded town meeting took place in 1784, and selectmen were duly elected to govern the affairs of the town. Peacham was early on presented with a choice of having either the county courthouse or the county school, and the residents voted for the school. In 1795 the Caledonia County Grammar School received its charter, and the first school was established in a log structure on the Bayley Hazen Road, halfway between Peacham Corner and South Peacham.

 

In 1799, a library was established, which traveled from store to store. A congregational church was founded in 1794 – the first pastor, Leonard Worcester, was well known for his fiery sermons. His son Samuel went on to be an important missionary to the Cherokee people, creating the first typeface for the Cherokee alphabet and gaining lasting fame as the plaintiff in the supreme court case Worcester v. Georgia.

Picture perfect day in Peacham Vermont Read More »

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse in in Bristol Maine.

Pemaquid-Light-5-24-2010-024-Edit
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse. Commissioned by John Quincy Adams in 1827, this Maine lighthouse has the Fisherman’s Museum on the first floor in the Keepers House, and there is the possibility of renting the apartment on the second floor. The Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Park is located at the entrance to Muscongus Bay and Johns Bay, in the town of Bristol. The Town of Bristol purchased the park property from the Coast Guard in 1940 with the exception of the light tower. Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Park is managed by the Bristol Parks Commission.

Without a doubt, this is my favorite lighthouse in all of New England.

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse in in Bristol Maine. Read More »