Fairview Lookout was built in the boulders on the hill of the north end of Cobbett's Pond. As one of the high points on the pond, the lookout provided a clear view of the north end of the pond, and the relatively untouched shoreline in the early twentieth century; the photograph shows the view a visitor would have been treated to at the turn of the twentieth century. The picturesque spot also proved to be popular for outings and gatherings.
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In 1895, William Calvin Harris constructed Fairview Cottage on the north shore of Cobbett's Pond, marking the beginning of a growing colony of camps on the pond. It was in the 1890s that cottages began to spring up all around the pond, and Cobbett's popularity began to grow among tourists and summer vacationers from the cities and towns of the Greater Boston area. William Calvin Harris' son, William Samuel Harris, wrote of Cobbett's Pond in 1898:
"There are and always will be multitudes of people to whom no spot is so dear in summer and so conducive to rest and recuperation of body and mind tired with the hustle of city life and the rush and worry of business cares, as the quiet nook on the shore of some of New Hampshire's numerous lakes and ponds, or the breezy hilltop overlooking these gems of landscape." Around 1904, one family, whose name has been unfortunately lost to history, found themselves taken by exactly what Harris had described, and rented the Fairview Cottage. The family, with their several children, spent beautiful summer days relaxing on the front porch of the cottage, with a great view of the pond. On one such day, a chipmunk was friendly enough to find it's way into the laps, and hearts, of the vacationers, who eagerly fed the animal. |
AuthorDerek 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. Archives
November 2019
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