45’s – The Irish Card Game

    I can’t tell you the number of times that my family and friends have sat around the kitchen table playing a rollicking game of cut-throat 45’s. If you are not from the area, you have probably never heard of it. Its is very popular in the Merrimack Valley and Southern New Hampshire. I am at a loss to explain why on all the score sheets, especially if I win, I am declared a “Cheater.” I am certainly not a cheater, just a skillful,  risk-taking player of the game. We play to 120 (Hence Auction 120’s) where you must bid to get points after you reach a score of 90. This makes winning much tougher and lead changes more likely. Each player has 5 cards in a hand, each trick won is worth five points, 10 for high card, and you bid from 15 to 30 to control the trump cards.

    I always thought it was a French Canadian game, since it was these immigrants from Atlantic Canada and Quebec who brought the game to the area when they came to find work in the mills and other places.

    This is what Wikipedia says: “Forty-fives (also known as Auction Forty-Fives, Auction 120s, 120, and Growl) is a trick-taking card game that originated in Ireland. The game is popular in many communities throughout Atlantic Canada (New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island) as well as the Gaspé Coast in Québec. Forty-fives is also played in parts of Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire in New England, United States, as well as in the South Island of New Zealand.”

    “There are several regional variations. Traditional Forty Fives goes to a score of 45 points, hence the name of the game. In the Auction Forty Fives variant the score goes to 120 points and requires bidding. In many areas outside of Canada, Auction Forty Fives is simply referred to as Forty Fives. Although the number 45 has no relevance to Auction Forty Fives, the name persisted. Auction Forty Fives is closely related to the game One-hundred and ten. Forty-fives is a descendant of the Irish game, Twenty-five (also known as Spoilt Five), which in turn is a descendant of a game that King James VI of Scotland popularized in the 17th century called Maw. Scottish emigrants to Atlantic Canada may explain the reason for the popularity of the game there. Maw was first seen being played in 1511 and the earliest written rules of 1576, the incomplete “Groom Porter’s lawes at Mawe,” may have originated from Scotland. James VI was recorded playing “Maye” at Kinneil House at Christmas 1588.The daughters of Elizabeth Kitson, Meg and Mary played Maw at Hengrave Hall at Christmas 1572.”

    “ In the 1920s, French Canadian economic migrants who moved south into Massachusetts and New Hampshire in New England introduced the game, where it continues to be popular, sometimes under the French name quarante-cinq. In this region the game is most popular in southern New Hampshire and the Merrimack Valley of northeastern Massachusetts. Forty fives tournaments are becoming increasingly popular there. For example, the New England Academy of Forty-Fives holds occasional tournaments in Plaistow, New Hampshire, and Methuen, located in the Merrimack Valley, recently held a Forty-Fives tournament…” Why not try playing this fast, fun game with your family this rainy weekend!

Rank of Cards

The ace of hearts is always third-best trump. There are 13 trumps when hearts are trump, 14 when any other suit is trump. Rank of spot cards is different in red and black suits.

Rank in trump suit:

Spades and clubs: 5 (high), J, A, A, K, Q, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

Hearts: 5 (high), J, A, K, Q, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 4, 3, 2.

Diamonds: 5 (high), J, A, A, K, Q, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 4, 3, 2.

Rank of cards in plain suits (no trump):

Spades and clubs: K (high), Q, J, A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

Diamonds: K (high), Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A.

Hearts: K (high), Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.

The rule to remember is, “Low in black, high in red.”

https://bicyclecards.com/how-to-play/forty-five/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forty-fives

Remembering Windham’s Gravel Road

When I started selling real estate in Windham during the late seventies there were still quite a few dirt roads left in town. Morrison Road was a gravel road when we were marketing “Morrison Woods: Can you imagine a 2 acre lot for $19,500. Much of Meetinghouse, Castle Hill and New Road were also gravel roads at the time.

The Campbell Farm – One of Windham’s Open Space Gems.

I happened to pull into the Campbell Farm, open space, parking lot the other day, and I was struck with the rolling meadows. The woodlands are also extensive and run along Beaver Brook. The parking lot for this 64 acre site was empty so you would have had the area totally to yourself, which would be especially beautiful in foliage season. Maybe the conservation commission could publish open space descriptions and trail maps in the Windham News for both new and old residents. And maybe, the town might consider groomed cross country trails on the property at some point in the future; what a wonderful possibility as a way to enjoy winter in town.

Dunkin Beach and the Inflation Lesson

Windham once had five public beaches on Cobbett’s Pond. Duncan Beach, Armstrong Beach, Bella Vista, Sandy Beach and Haleigh’s Beach. They were very popular places and huge money makers. In 1972 Duncan Beach brought in about $110,000 from the end of May to September. That’s $833,897 in 2023 dollars. The best part was most of the transactions including the cost of parking was in cash. The good thing for the customer was it was $5 per car on Sunday, not by the person, so you could fill up the vehicle with as many people as would fit. And who could forget the hundreds of black and white rowboats filling the end of the small pond!

Are you wondering why you feel so broke? Well, in order to have $100,000 in 1972 dollars, you would need $734,511 in 2023 to remain equal. If you made $25,000 a year in 1972, you would need to make $183,627 to remain equal. And now, the U.S. government is running multi-trillion dollar deficits, partially to pay for illegal immigration and Ukraine, which will lead to even higher deficits and inflation as the FED prints more money to plug the whole. If it isn’t stopped soon, we’ll all be bankrupt! Maybe that’s what they want, a bankrupt middle class so we can be controlled.

The Hattie Clarke House

Carla Henry sent me an email last month asking about a farm that a member of her family had once owned in Windham. Her uncle, Louis Lechthaler, owned  this property and used it as a hobby farm in the 1940’s.  At the turn of the last century, many city people would buy farms in New Hampshire to use as summer homes. This home was owned and occupied by Hattie Clark who was the manager of the hotel on top of Mount Washington. She was an independent woman who also owned a home in Florida and carefully invested her money with the advice of her hotel employer. The  family found a box of books about the white mountains that were dedicated to Hattie Clark. Louis Lechthaler bought the house from Hattie Clark. This home was located on a very large parcel of land.  Do you recognize it? Mr. Lechthaler sold the property to Edward Herbert who lived here for a number of years. It was torn down to make way for development and Windham Country Club.

Brookside Motel

“The Brookside Motel: Route 28 & 111, Canobie Lake, NH. Twinbrook 8-2951 (Do you remember when phone numbers were like this?) 2 1/2 mile north of Rockingham Park — 4 miles west of Mystery Hill Caves—Tile baths — Radio and T.V. — 500 feet off highway — Quiet and restful — Private fishing ponds — No license required — Mat and Ann Matthieu.” Before Interstate 93, Route 28 was one of the main routes out of Boston to the Lakes Region and White Mountains. Today Rogers is located in this location.

Windham Junction: When the Trail had Rails

This is a beautiful view of the station at Windham Junction. I think the photograph was taken from the water tower because there appears to be a fill pipe in the foreground above, which was used to fill the tanks of steam locomotives. Also of note, is all for the elaborate signally gear to let conductors know if there was a train crossing. The giant tower in the foreground was used for signaling as well as the apparatus on the roof of the station.

“The Pines – Windham Junction NH.

This home is still standing on Morrison Road, in Windham.

     James-Patterson Hughes was born  Jan.  15,  1810;  Married.  April  29,  1839, Horatia,  dau.  of  Capt.  John  Cochran.     He  worked  in  the  ship-yard at  Medford,  Mass.,  eight  years.  In  1837  he  bought  the  farm now occupied  by  Horace  Berry.  In  1846  he  purchased  the  Thayer farm,  and  in  1849  the  farm  upon  which  he  still  lives,  and  erected his  buildings.  He  has  always  been  an  active,  vigorous,  hard- working, and  worthy  citizen.  He  has  no  sympathy  with  idlers, and  by  industry  and  economy  he  has  accumulated  a  good  property. He  is  the  oldest  man  born  in  Windham  who  still  resides in  town.  His  memory  is  very  retentive,  and  the  scenes  of  his early  life  are  well  remembered.     He  lives  near  the  Junction. The  following  scene  transpired  at  the  raising  of  the  Presbyterian church.  It  had  always  been  the  custom  to  use  liquor  at the  raisings  of  buildings.  The  temperance  reformation  had  commenced, and  it  was during the progress  of  this  movement  that the  church  was  raised,  June  27-29,  1834.  It  was  the  first  building in  which  an  attempt  had  been  made  to  raise  without  liquor. It  was  the  determination  of  the  best  people  in  town  to  raise  this building  without  the  use  of  spirits.  It  was  also  the  determination of  another  class  that  spirits  should  be  used,  and  they  entered  into a  conspiracy  to  carry  out  their  project.  The  latter  element  had not  been  active  in  lending  a  helping  hand ;  but  when  the  house was  nearly  raised,  one  of  their  number,  who  was  standing  near, beckoned  his  friend,  who  immediately  went  to  the  store  and quickly  returned.  Two  or  more  of  their  number  were  upon  the frame.  There  was  a  pail  attached  to  a  rope,  which  the  persons on  the  building  used  to  draw  up  lemonade.  The  man  who  went to  the  store  hastily  put  a  flask  of  spirits  in  the  pail,  which  was rapidly  started  up ;  but  Mr.  Hughes  quickly  struck  the  pail,  over- turned it,  the  bottle  dropped  out,  which  was  immediately  broken, and  the  conspiracy  failed.

West Windham

The bridge over Beaver Brook on Mammoth Road.

Boarding House Days

Before the rise of the middle class and the financial means to buy a summer cottage, people would travel to the country and stay at a boarding house for a week or so. It was a way to get out of the city, enjoy home cooked food and experience a little bit of country life. Windham had many boarding houses operating here at the turn of the last century. The trade faded with the rise of the automobile.