New Hampshire Archives - Stan Amster Photography - Scenic and Commercial Photography in Northern New England.

The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel in Dixville Notch New Hampshire

07/28/2021 07/03/2021

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.

Currently, The Balsams closed to the public after being purchased by new owners for $2.3 million in December 2011, and remains closed as of February 2020 as its owners continue to seek financing for their redevelopment and expansion efforts. In 2014, former American Skiing Company head Les Otten joined the Balsams redevelopment effort. Included in Otten’s current plan is a massive expansion of the ski area to around 1,000 acres and the addition of multiple lifts, including a year-round gondola to the summit and a lift connection across Route 26 to the hotel complex. The expanded ski area would be quadruple its current size and be one of the largest ski areas in the Northeast. Plans also call for the renovation of the main hotel buildings, the Dix and Hampshire houses, as well as a new hotel wing, and renovations to the golf course clubhouse. The plans also call for the conversion of a portion of the existing buildings from hotel rooms to condominiums as well as the potential construction of additional condominium units.

Conway Scenic Railroad 7470 steams into North Conway Station.

07/26/2021 07/03/2021

The Conway Scenic Railroad 7470 steams into North Conway New Hampshire on a hot summer day.

Steam locomotive #7470 was built by the Grand Trunk Railway Point St. Charles Shops at Montreal, Quebec, in 1921 with serial #22/1500. It is a coal fired switching locomotive with an 0-6-0 wheel arrangement; it has 51” driving wheels and 22” x 26” cylinders. It develops 36,700 lbs of tractive effort.

The weight of the locomotive in working order is 87 tons and the tender weighs 65 tons. The locomotive is equipped with super-heaters. Originally built as Grand Trunk Railway #1795, it soon became Canadian National Railway #7470, Class 0-18-a. It was acquired in 1968 by Dwight Smith, and in 1974 joined the start-up Conway Scenic Railroad as #47. It was renumbered to #7470 in 1989.

Honeymoon Covered Bridge in Jackson New Hampshire.

07/23/2021 07/03/2021

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.