This photograph records a hike by the Brooks family to the top of Dinsmoor Hill before the castle was built there by Edward Searles. The hike took place between 1900-1903 when the Brook’s were renting a cottage from Will Harris on North Shore Road. I always found pines the easiest to climb as a kid, in spite of the inevitable pitch.
Hauling wood at Johnson’s Farm, Range Road.
This interesting postcard shows the model for the proposed Mother House of the Sisters of Mercy in Windham, NH. The card has no date. The architect was Leo P. Provost A.I.A. of Manchester NH. Leo Provost was born in Manchester, NH., and educated at St. Josephs high school and the University of New Hampshire. Among the buildings Mr. Provost designed was Stoke Hall at the University of New Hampshire. He designed the church for St George’s Parish in Manchester and the St. Jean Baptiste church also in Manchester. The Sisters of Mercy was founded in Dublin Ireland by Catherine McAuley in 1831. The Sisters of Mercy acquired the castle property in 1952.
I still miss the Westminster Chimes that rang throughout eastern portion of Windham throughout the 1960’s. If only the chimes still existed and the practice could be revived. Above right is a photo of the property as it exists today.
Designed by Leo Provost; St. Jean Baptiste, Manchester NH.
Sisters of Mercy Mother House today.
Leo Provost A.I.A. with
Proposed St Georg’s Manchester
Are You Prepared to Create a “Hullabaloo” at the Death of the Sun?
The Devil Comet will also arrive in our sky at about the same time!
I hope you’re prepared for the Great Solar Eclipse of 2024. On April 8th, the world is about to change in ominous ways. What is it about man that we love to scare the hell out of ourselves. I guess it is why we give babies Jack-in-the Boxes, so they can scream in fear and then laugh with delight.
Luke 21: 25-28 [25] “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,[26] men fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world;
The Aztecs and other ancient cultures all paid close attention to the goings on in the sky. The priests and people believed they were symbols that impacted life on earth. The Tzitzimimeh were also associated with the stars and especially the stars that can be seen around the Sun during a solar eclipse. This was interpreted as the Tzitzimimeh attacking the Sun which led to the societal wide belief that during a solar eclipse, the Tzitzimime descended to earth and possessed the souls of men.
In Ancient China, solar and lunar eclipses were regarded as heavenly signs that foretold the future of the Emperor. The ancient Chinese believed that solar eclipses occur when a celestial dragon devours the sun. They also believed that this dragon attacks the Moon during lunar eclipses. In the Chinese language, the term for eclipse was “shi” which also means “to eat”.
“One ancient Chinese solar eclipse record describes a solar eclipse as “the sun has been eaten.” It was a tradition in ancient China to bang drums and pots and make loud noise during eclipses to frighten the dragon away. The Chinese Imperial Emperor Chung K’ang (B.C.E. 2159 – 2146) learned of an eclipse when he heard much noise as his subjects tried to drive away the dragon that was eating the sun. They were successful, but the Emperor’s two court astronomers, Hsi and Ho, were reportedly beheaded for failing to predict the event.”
“Babylonian Clay Tablets…provide physical records of ancient eclipses viewed by humans, in this instance between 518 and 465 BCE. Babylonian astrologers kept careful records of celestial events including the motions of Mercury, Venus, the sun, and the moon on tablets dating from 1700 to 1681 BCE. Later records identified a total solar eclipse on July 31, 1063 BCE, that “turned day into night,” and the famous eclipse of June 15, 763 BCE, recorded by Assyrian observers in Nineveh. By carefully noting local lunar and solar eclipses, Babylonian astronomers were able to predict lunar eclipses and later, solar eclipses, with a fair accuracy. Their tool was the so-called Saros-cycle: this is the period of 223 synodic months (or 18 years and 11.3 days) after which lunar and solar eclipses repeat themselves.”
Speaking of Ninevah, apparently the path of this upcoming eclipse over America will pass Jonah TX and then travel over many towns named Ninevah.
So if you look at the map of the “X” formed by the eclipses from 2017 and 2024 it centers over the New Madrid fault-line which has led some to declare that it will set off a gigantic earthquake in this region. The last earthquake here was in 1814 when there was little development. It was massive; actually causing the Mississippi River to run backwards in its course and much damage. And while seeming doubtful, a similar, dual eclipse “X” over Turkey was followed by a huge earthquake.
According to the Irish Times, “Throughout the ages, eclipses have often been regarded, at best as a bad omen, and at worst as the malign influence of an evil spirit. They signaled the death of the sun or moon, a threat to the established order, and more or less the end of civilization at that time. A popular concept in many cultures saw the event as an attack by a fierce monster – a dragon, a lion, or an evil serpent – which proceeded to devour the body in the heavens. It was generally accepted that the only way of warding off this catastrophe was to create a massive row – known variously as “hullabaloo” or “pandemonium” – by banging drums and pots and pans. The noise never failed after a time to frighten the devouring monster, and forced it to release the sun or moon.”
The Greeks like the Chinese, thought eclipses were dangerous to the person on the throne. In the days before an eclipse was due, commoners or prisoners were chosen to stand in for monarchs — with all the perks of royalty — in hopes of tricking the eclipse so that no bad luck would befall the real king. After the eclipse, the substitutes were usually executed. This appears to have happened during Alexander the Great’s reign, when three partial eclipses were expected in 323 B.C. But the eclipses apparently weren’t fooled by the fake Alexander, and the real one became ill and died soon afterward.
Jason Breshears on Archaix.com says that the Aztec calendar uses the symbol of an “X” to denote the end of ages. “The circles emanating from the image of Tonatiuh represent the four previous Aztec eras, each of which was believed to have ended in apocalyptic catastrophes caused by wild beasts, hurricanes, fires and floods. The Aztecs believed humanity was annihilated each time, and reborn at the start of the next era.”
Oh and I also should mention, just to put the icing on the cake, that the “devil comet” will appear in the sky at the very time of April’s eclipse. “A rare and massive comet with a devilish nickname is set to pass by Earth for the first time in 71 years and may be visible during the highly anticipated April 8 total solar eclipse, according to NASA. Officially named comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, the cryovolcanic comet is known as the “devil comet” due to its formation of two “horns” made up of ice and gas and periodic explosions.
And…the locusts, zillions of locusts will be coming out of the earth for the first time since 1804.
It is interesting that it is a cross that the sun is drawing across the United States. Is it calling us to repentance, weeping, sackcloth and ashes? So buckle up buttercups, the end draws nigh or possibly not; then we humans will celebrate and laugh at our silly fears.
Butterfield Rock was named for a hunter or trapper that slept under the massive overhangs when this area was still considered Massachusetts. Later on, this became an outing and picnic spot for the guests at the many boarding houses located in town. The “boulder” is located on the Windham Country Club property.
A gentleman and a young girl wait for the train at Windham Station. The junction signals are located on mental poles poking through the roof of the station. It appears the signals for crossing trains could be operated from inside the station house itself. The age of the photograph is unknown but appears to be 1920-30’s.
The timber business used to keep many people employed in the Windham area. In fact the timber on the land was once worth more than the land itself. Speaking of Timber, what is going on at the corner of Rt. 111 and Wall Street where the large commercial parcel is being cleared ?
A scenic stone bridge on the Searles Estate with a tower and the barn of the Morrison Homestead in the background.
This photograph was taken about the year 1900, by Mr. William Brooks who rented a cottage from Will Harris on the North Shore. No other cottages are to be seen.
There was a time when the Lower Hall, at the Windham Town Hall. was used for social gatherings rather than town office space. This historic building is in need of repair and there may be a proposed warrant article in this years town budget. Before the advent of auditoriums at the Windham schools, all local events and activities took place at the Town Hall. The photograph above was taken in during the 200th Celebration of the founding of Windham in 1942. Over 400 people enjoyed a chicken dinner in the Lower Hall. This tradition of Town Hall events went back into the nineteenth century. The Derry News article covered an event in the lower hall from February 18, 1881 relating that the Annual Festival took place there: “The Annual Festival was held this year in the lower hall, on Wednesday and Friday evenings, of last week, and was a most enjoyable occasion, and a complete success, netting the Society about $130. The attendance on the first evening was not far from two hundred and fifty, the second night about one hundred. Wednesday even persons were present from all the adjoining towns, and thirty or more from Lowell, Mass. Confectionary, ice cream and button hole bouquets, were for sale, also fancy articles. A beautiful supper was served in the lower hall.” The Grange used to hold their meeting in the Upper Hall and the room that is now a kitchen, was at one time, the location of the Nesmith Library.
Windham NH History 