July 25, 2016 by Brad Dinsmore

Windham Life and Times – July 22, 2016

Community Beach

Very Early Picture of Community Beach. Gerrish Littlefield’s Cottage.

Buy Enough Vegetables, Coffee or Tea and own a Place on Cobbett’s Pond.

In 1929, some 60 acres of land off Ministerial Road was divided into 975 lots with a beach and a playground. The waterfront lots cost $50, and the back lots were $20. The Great Depression hit, and the lots were slow to sell.

The developer began a promotional deal in the Malden-Medford area where grocery stores redeemed coupons for a lot after a set amount of coffee, tea or canned goods were purchased. Gerrish Littlefield’s cottage was built in Community Beach in October of 1930 after he redeemed “Hatchet” brand coupons in Malden. Most of the photographs are from Carolyn Webber.

July 19, 2016 by Brad Dinsmore

Windham Life and Times – July 15, 2016

The Alosky Family Enjoys Summer on Cobbett’s Pond

Joe and Mary Alosky Relax on Cobbett’s Pond

The photographs show Joe Sr. and Mary Alosky with their kids, Joe Jr. and Mary Ann, on Cobbett’s Pond. Some of the photos were taken at a camp on Farmer Road. Those wooden row-boats were everywhere at the time. I still remember the one’s my grandfather had. The Aloskys eventually purchased a summer home on Viau Road. On the same road where Sue Binns and her family had a summer camp. Joe’s request for a date with Sue, grew into a romance and 44 years later their marriage is still going strong. The camp on Viau Road, was built by Sue’s mother’s family, the Walkers. James Walker purchased that property from William Emerson in 1922. Jason and Halie Alosky, along with their children Lily and Walker now live on the very same property. I will always be indebted to Sue for helping me purchase my property on Viau Road, from the Klemms. Oh yeah, and I am also forever grateful for her fixing me up with her cousin, my wife, Kristie! Only 26 years but it seems like forever! And, the wheels keep on turning, on Cobbett’s Pond.

Joe and Mary Ann. The Family Boating on Cobbett’s.

A Classic, Cobbett’s Pond Wooden Rowboat

July 5, 2016 by Brad Dinsmore

Windham Life and Times – July 1 and 8, 2016

HAPPY SUMMER

THE COBBETT’S POND BOAT PARADE

Photographs from Dot West provide inspiration for this years boat parade on July 9th with the theme: Favorite Travel Destinations. (The boat parade has been cancelled this Saturday due to weather and rescheduled for Labor Day weekend.
Saturday, September 3rd at 12pm.)

July 5, 2016 by Brad Dinsmore

Windham Life and Times – June 24, 2016

ROCK POND | PART FOUR

A BOLT-HOLE WHERE THE CHIEF COULD KICK BACK AND RELAX.

Willis Low was first appointed to the police force before 1941. In the early days, there was no police station so, “most of the police strategy was discussed at the homes of whichever officer was in charge of the particular case. Most of the time it was either the chief’s house or the Zins kitchen. Here would be laid the plans for speed traps, searching a home or camp for stolen goods, etc., but especially careful plans would be made for raids on stills…”

“Most police calls were received by Willis Low with his mother, Mrs. Ethel Low, taking calls and relaying the messages to the other men on duty. This was all done by telephone. You can imagine the interest the neighbors took in town affairs when they heard a cop’s number ringing. All of them were on party lines and one was a sixteen party line with all sixteen rings heard in each home. After Willis married, he of course moved all his police records to his new home on Nashua Road and that is still considered Police Headquarters (1975). His wife took over the answering service and is still on the job although the volume of calls has increased so much there is now a hookup to the police building behind the fire station.”

Willis Low remained the chief into the 1970’s and experienced the tremendous growth in calls after the construction of Interstate 93. As you can imagine, there were times when the chief wanted to escape from all of the demands of the job, which as noted above followed him home. He wanted a place where nobody could find him. Rock Pond is very isolated and really hard to find, unless you know it’s there. He bought the Harry Simpson cottage and updated it into a modern, comfortable summer home. This is the place where he could kick back and relax out of the public view.