Town: Alt. 744, pop. 2521, sett. 1749, incorp. 1760.
Railroad Stations: B. & M. R.R., Main Station, Main St.; Noone Station, Grove St., 3 m.
Bus Stations: B. & M. Transp. Co., Main R.R. Station; the Granite Stages, the Tavern, Main St.
Taxis: 15¢ first half mile.
Accommodations: Two hotels, one open summers only.
Swimming: State Forestry Pool, Union St.
Annual Event: Field day at Camp Sargent.
PETERBOROUGH, a village of national fame through the MacDowell Colony and Sargent Camp, lies in a valley of natural beauty formed by the union of the Nubanusit and Contoocook Rivers. Dignified houses line its hilly streets, set against a background of firs and hills, while Grand Monadnock looms behind it in the west. A combination of industries and summer activities, Peterborough hears on one side the whir of textile looms and on the other the music of Edward MacDowell. This gives the village an air of being larger than it really is and the fine modern buildings, mostly of brick and having a Georgian simplicity, add to the impression.
The summer colonies, devoted chiefly to artistic expression, have brought to Peterborough an intellectual background usually found only in college towns. Especially is this true of the MacDowell Colony, whose registration list is a roster of the fine arts and literature of modern America. This in turn has given the residents a pride in their village which expresses itself in a wise co-operation to maintain well-kept homes, clean streets, and an architectural homogeneity unusual in a New England mill town.
An interesting feature of Peterborough life is the summer school camp of the Outdoor Players (2 m. N. of the village by Summer St.), which occupies forty acres of woodland, with buildings of rustic construction having accommodations for about fifty people, and gives the amateur teacher or professional dramatist an opportunity to pursue consecutive study in specialized courses under teachers of recognized standing. Indicative of its rank in educational circles is the credit certificate given by Boston University, and the long list of special lecturers who have appeared under its auspices. Founded in 1914 by Marie Ware Laughton, it is now operated by the Norfleet Camp.
Taking its name from the Earl of Peterborough, the town was originally granted in 1737. Although a few pioneers found their way here in 1739, it was not until 1749 that the first permanent settlement was made, in the southern part of the town. The early settlers were much handicapped by Indian molestation. Typical of this was when some Indians fishing on the Contoocook River stole their indispensable brass soup kettles, compelling them to return more than twenty miles through a mountainous wilderness for other kettles. Stern Presbyterians from Scotland, they were unused to the arduous work of clearing land, and their first years here were years of great hardship. The town was incorporated in 1760.
In the early forties of the last century, Brigham Young held a successful religious revival here, people coming from all the surrounding towns on horseback and in coaches to hear him preach. Here he was chosen leader of the Mormon Church, after the sudden death of Joseph Smith. When he finally left for the West, 136 leading citizens followed him to Utah. A Peterborough girl became his thirteenth wife; this did not prove unlucky for her, since she remained his favorite for several years.
The cotton industry began in Peterborough in 1818 with the Old Bell, a pioneer factory in the use of power machinery. In 1870, in addition to textile goods, piano stools, machinery, precision instruments, wrapping paper, and lumber were produced in the town, an annual production valued at $740,900. At the same time Peterborough had entered the summer resort business with four hundred visitors each summer. Today the town has a number of industries, most of them in the outlying sections. These include felt-making, cotton goods, and basket-weaving. In addition to a large influx of summer visitors, the town caters to winter sports enthusiasts, for whom it has excellent facilities.
TOUR 1 — 1 m.
E. from the Town House on Grove St.
1. The Town House, cor. Grove and Main Sts. (R), is patterned after Faneuil Hall in Boston. Constructed in 1918 of red brick with white wood trimmings, it carries a low but graceful steeple. The front façade, approached by a short flight of granite steps, has three doors, surmounted in the second story by arched windows set between white Corinthian pilasters. Rounded arches that top the windows of the main auditorium add to the charm of the building.
2. Historical Society Building (open weekdays, 10–5), Grove St. (R), was erected and endowed in 1917 by Mrs. Robert Perkins Bass for the use of the Peterborough Historical Society. An extensive Collection of Early Americana, containing many examples of furniture, implements, and art work, with its nucleus in the objects assembled by Mrs. Bass and Mrs. George E. Adams, is displayed here.
3. The American Guernsey Club, Grove St. (L), in a handsome building of red brick, is the national headquarters of an organization that fosters the development of the Guernsey breed of dairy cattle. The club was organized in 1877, and its office moved to Peterborough in 1894 when a resident of the town, William H. Caldwell, became its secretary. Many of the dairy farms in the State keep Guernsey cattle, and the club has considerable influence on this branch of the State’s agriculture.
Retrace to Town Hall; R. on Main St.
4. The Unitarian Church, cor. Main and Summer Sts. (L), a well-proportioned brick building, was built in 1824. Designed by Charles Bulfinch, one of the architects of the Capitol at Washington, and the State House, Boston, Massachusetts, it is considered one of the purest examples of early New England church architecture. From the main structure rises a clock tower of white wood, with an open-arched belfry. Above this is the clock section, with large urn finials on the corner posts, which supports a low, domed octagonal lantern. The pediment is supported by four Corinthian pilasters, with three arched doorways recessed in the intervals. The small-paned windows are also recessed in rounded arches. Its interior has been preserved in all its beauty of detail, and the pew doors are as they were a century ago. Originally a Congregational church, the majority of the congregation later became Unitarian. This church is one of the few original town churches that were transferred to this denomination (see Religion).
5. The Public Library (open weekdays, 2–9, Sundays, 2–6), cor. Main and Concord Sts. (L), is housed in an attractive building erected in 1893 and greatly improved in 1914 by the addition of a graceful columned portico. Peterborough has the distinction of having established in 1833 the first tax-supported free public library in the United States (see Education). It was also the first library in New Hampshire to remain open on Sundays.
L. from Main St. on Concord St.
6. All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Concord St. (R), transitional Gothic in design and constructed in 1923 of Peterborough granite, is set back from the street in a large plot of ground. In front of it and at one side is the stucco rectory, a well-proportioned dwelling house, which faces, on the opposite side of the plot, a similar structure used as a Parish House. The three buildings form a compact and pleasing unit. A memorial carillon of ten bells, made by Gillet and Johnson of Croydon, England, and given to the church by the children of Charles B. Cheney in his memory, plays three times daily.
TOUR 2—1 m.
W. on Main St. from the Town House; R. from Main St. on Union St.; R. from Union St. on Vine St.; L. from Vine St. on MacDowell Road.
7. The MacDowell Colony, 1 m., is the outstanding feature of Peterborough through its contributions to music, art, and literature. A sign at the entrance reads, ‘Visitors Most Welcome, Save on Sunday.’ Those sincerely interested in the work of the colony are welcomed most warmly. It was founded by Edward MacDowell (1861–1908), the composer, and by his wife, Marian Nevins MacDowell, noted pianist. During the latter part of his life, MacDowell bought an old and deserted farm here, and built a log-cabin studio deep in the woods. In these inspiring surroundings he composed some of his most famous works, among them, the ‘Norse’ and ‘Keltic Sonatas,’ the ‘New England Idylls,’ and ‘Fireside Tales.’ Finding inspiration in the peace and solitude of New Hampshire woods, he planned to develop his estate of about 100 acres into a colony where musicians, authors, and artists might find sanctuary for quiet and uninterrupted work.
In 1907, the Edward MacDowell Association, Inc., was organized for the purpose of establishing this colony, but the composer did not live to see his dream fulfilled, for he died in 1908. Mrs. MacDowell took up the work of developing the colony, which she has accomplished with brilliant success, always being its active manager. By her own lecture recitals, by gifts from the Mendelssohn Glee Club of which MacDowell was conductor, from the club women of New Hampshire, and from friends in different parts of the country, the colony has carried on. In 1927, a drive by New Hampshire clubs paid off a heavy mortgage, and the colony’s property was cleared. As in many artistic endeavors, the going has not been easy, and at present (1937) an attempt is being made to increase the endowment fund.
Today, MacDowell Colony comprises more than 600 acres, much of it beautiful woodland. Scattered among the trees and fields of the colony are 33 buildings, 23 of which are artistically built studios in secluded surroundings. Among the buildings are the Log Cabin where MacDowell worked; Hillcrest, the home of Mrs. MacDowell and the original home of the couple when they spent their summers here; the Eaves, a century-old house, used for a women’s residence; Colony Hall, which contains the dining-room, kitchen, and assembly hall; the Eugene Coleman Savidge Memorial Library, with the notable William N. Humiston Library of Wagner and Bach music; and the MacDowell Colony Inn, on the main road. In the heart of the colony is the Grave of Edward MacDowell, covered in May and June with the pink blossoms of his favorite wild roses.
Among the long list of creative artists who have attended the MacDowell Colony are: Mrs. H. H. A. Beach, one of the foremost women composers in America, Charles Wakefield Cadman, Emilie Bauer, and Arthur Nevin. Among the writers are: Stephen Vincent Benét, Willa Cather, Edwin Arlington Robinson, Sara Teasdale, and Louis Untermeyer (see Literature). Painters and sculptors of equal renown have helped to make the MacDowell Colony representative of the best of the arts in modern America (see The Arts).
Other Outstanding Points of Interest in the Environs:
Wilson Tavern, 1 m. E.; Outdoor Players, 2 m. W.; Old Mills, West Peterborough, 1.6 m. W.; Sargent Camp, 5 m. N. (see Tour 17, sec. b); Noone Mills, 1.5 m. S. (see Tour 15).