100 Years Ago in Windham

Top Left: “Goldings” or Golden Brook as it passes under Cobbett’s Pond Road (Photograph taken about 1910). Top Right: “Deer Ledge” now know as Deer Leap.

W.S. HARRIS | THE EXETER NEWSLETTER

“WINDHAM, October 2.— Mrs. N.W. Garland has a dahlia plant with flowers of a lavender color, but one branch bears blossoms that are pure white.”

“J.E. Cochran and son Olin are building a large new hen-house and intend to enlarge their poultry business in the spring.”

“James E. Armstrong, formerly of this town, died recently in Lempster, and the body was brought here for burial.”

“Isaac A, Cochran, of Melrose, Mass., a member of the prominent Windham family, died lately at the age of 73 years.”

“Mrs. Flora O. Armstrong, the widow of George W. Armstrong, the donor of our library building, died recently at the Hotel Somerset, Boston. She inherited from her husband an estate of a half million dollars or more, which goes to her son and daughter.”

“Rev. Abraham Dunton, much to the regret of many, will terminate his pastorate here very soon and will remove to the scene of former labors in Illinois. His sermons during the two and one half years of his service here have been uniformly excellent; the social qualities of both Mr. and Mrs. Dunton are exceptional. We fear it will be a long time before their places here are filled.”

“The brook that flows out of Cobbett’s Pond and pursuing a southerly course joins Beaver Brook near Pelham Center, is called Golden Brook. The name originally was Golding’s, derived from a Peter Golding, of Boston, who as we are informed by Edwin M. Currier, of Dracut, Mass., purchased in 1682 a tract of  200 acres originally laid out to Jonathan Negus, ‘clerk of the writs.’ This land lay on the brook about a mile northeast of Pelham Center, near where it empties into Beaver Brook. The site of an old dam is still pointed out, where was located ‘Golding’s Mill.’ This man or some of his family undoubtedly owned land in Windham on the brook, as the early town records of Windham mention ‘Goldings meadow’ in 1762, ‘Goldings Road,’ 1742, or ‘Goldings Highway,’ 1749, as well as ‘Goldings Brook,’ in 1742. A small natural pond in the south part of this town and connected with the brook has been marked as Golden Pond on the maps for one hundred years. It is usually spoken of by people in its vicinity as Rock Pond, and Mr. Currier says this was its ancient name by which it was frequently referred to in the Dracut town records and the registry of deeds of Middlesex County. The name was sometimes Ledge of Rocks Pond, evidently derived from the remarkable cliff in its vicinity, known as Deer Ledge.” W.S.H.