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THE ABSALOM HASELTON FARM ON RANGE ROAD

8/27/2016

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    Absalom Haselton was born in Manchester, NH on April 13, 1828. Shortly before marrying his first wife, Hannah Jane Hall of Derry, Haselton purchased the farm of John-Noyes Brown located along Range Road during the summer of 1852. However, Haselton himself had little or no experience farming, as he was primarily a ship carpenter and wharf builder. He had spent time plying his trade in various parts of the country, including Pensacola, Florida, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. Eventually he returned to the North, finding work locally near the ports of Boston, Massachusetts and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. While residing in Windham, his first wife died in December of 1860. In 1865, Haselton married his second wife, Eliza-Dean White of Methuen, Massachusetts. He had three children by his second wife, joining the four children he had by his first wife. The younger of the children were certainly living at home on the Range Road farm on May 6, 1882, when Absalom Haselton died. The previous night he had retired to bed, seemingly healthy, and awoke the next morning free of pain or any sign of illness. However, after briefly speaking to his wife, Absalom suddenly died of heart disease without any warning.
    Following Absalom's death, the farm was purchased by Eliphalet Colburn in 1883. The property changed hands numerous times from the late nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. According to "Rural Oasis", Wallace Cole and Charles Dow purchased the home in 1890 and sold it to Charles J. Miers in 1918. Miers sold it to Frank Miers just six years later. The latter Miers then sold the property to John Evans in 1933. In 1938, Evans sold the property to Cecil Bahan, who sold it nine years later to Bernice Hollett. Hollett, resold the property within a year to George Butterfield, Jr. In 1950, Butterfield sold the house to Rita Chadwick, for whom the house has been known in recent times as the "Chadwick House." Unfortunately, the Federal style home, built in 1830, was torn down in 2014. The cast iron hitching post topper shown below was used on the property during the late nineteenth century to tie off a horse. It was placed on the farm, likely near the home for the use of the family or visitors, either during the latter part of Haselton's ownership, or by Eliphalet Colburn shortly after he purchased the farm.
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19th century hitching post topper from the Chadwick House on Range Road
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The Chadwick House as seen from Range Road in 2007. (Photo courtesy of Google Maps)
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windham in wwii

8/20/2016

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   In 1941, as early as a few months before the US entered the war following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the US Army's 26th signal company made its way through Windham. Unfortunately, very little information is known about their stop in Windham. A US Army unit came to Windham in 1941, and stopped at Bella Vista Beach on Cobbett's Pond. Several Windham residents held leadership positions within the group, including Bill Sykes. However, it is unknown whether or not that unit was the 26th signal company, or if the photograph below was taken in the vicinity of Bella Vista Beach. Shown in the picture is a Dodge WC-6 Command Car, as well as other 4x4 vehicles. To the right is a US Army motorcycle with sidecar.
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26th Signal Company in Windham (1941)
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COBBETT'S POND BOAT PARADE - 1958

8/13/2016

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      The annual boat parade has long been a tradition on Cobbett's Pond.  For decades the residents along the shores of Cobbett's Pond have decorated their boats in a variety of themes. At one time the parade also included a Miss Cobbett's Pond contest, with the winner getting to ride on a boat decorated specifically for the beauty contest. This year the boat parade will take place on September 3rd with a theme of "Favorite Travel Destination".  The winner of the contest will receive a plaque which they can proudly display at their home until the next the boat parade.
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Miss Cobbett's Pond 1958
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1958 rocket ship boat with sign "Meanwhile back on Earth?"
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HISTORY IN COLOR: A SUMMER DAY ON COBBETT'S POND (CA. 1933)

8/6/2016

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      Colorizing old black and white photographs has been made easier in the past several years due to advances in technology such as Photoshop. Professional artists have been able to use their skills to bring life back to historic images of prominent figures and scenes. More than 150 years after the last battle of the American Civil War, one can all but feel that they are right on the battlefield by browsing through colorized images of the event. Images ranging from portraits of former presidents, including Abraham Lincoln, to iconic images, such as those of the Great Depression, can easily be found in color via a quick Google search. However, it is not only the important moments in history that benefit from colorization. When skilfully executed, colorized images can draw people back into a time and place far removed from the modern era. Below is a photograph taken on Cobbett's Pond in 1933, which has been colorized with such attention to detail that it looks like it could've been taken yesterday. ​
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Helen Obst and her four children: (right to left) Wilfrid, Raymond, Dorothy, and Mildred.
Advances in machine learning have led to the development of software that can colorize a black and white image. While the available software produces results far from the work done by an individual artist, they can produce interesting results. The best such program is: http://demos.algorithmia.com/colorize-photos/ and will colorize an uploaded photo within seconds.
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    Author

    Derek Saffie is an avid Windham historian who enjoys researching and sharing his collection with all those interested in the history of the New England town.
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