The Invention of Christmas Lights and a Laconia Man’s Ingenuity

By Charlene Muscatell

This time of year, many of us are feeling the holiday cheer, diligently planning get-togethers and affixing festive decorations to our homes. One household favorite is the addition of strings of white or colored lights to Christmas trees, banisters, doorways and even sweaters. Have you ever wondered how they became a part of holiday traditions? Let’s delve into the history of “Christmas Lights” and see how one local man helped change how we bring a warm, cozy atmosphere to our homes for the holidays.

First, why do we have “Christmas Trees” in our homes? Long before Christianity, many civilizations decorated their homes with evergreens throughout the winter months as they believed it protected their loved ones from evil spirits and illness. This was especially true in European cultures, where they adorned doors and windowsills with boughs of firs and spruce. In the 16th century, the Welsh folk song “Nos Galan” celebrated Winter Solstice and the New Year and included lyrics of hanging holly. This song was later rewritten as the well-known “Deck The Halls” by Scottish Musician Thomas Oliphant to include more Christmas-specific lyrics. By the early 1600s, devout German Christians had traditions of bringing evergreen trees or wood piles with evergreen boughs decorated with lively candles into their homes, centered around Christmas celebrations.

Around the same time in New England, the newly settled American Puritans believed celebrating Christmas was unholy and frivolous, so much so that in 1659, the General Court of Massachusetts enacted a law prohibiting decorations and fining those who didn’t abide. This changed over time as significant influxes of German and Irish immigrants settled and influenced the Northeast.

In 1846, English royals were pictured sketched in the Illustrated London News celebrating the holidays in front of their decorated Christmas tree. It was not the first royal Christmas tree, but because Queen Victoria and her German Husband, Prince Albert, were so loved by their people, this scene popularized holiday festivities and the decorating of Christmas trees. It became very fashionable in both England and East Coast American societies by the late 1800s. The first known Christmas tree in the White House was in 1889, requested by President Benjamin Harrison.

There is an interesting story behind when and how candles were replaced with electric lights to illuminate Christmas trees. As it is widely known, Thomas Edison is credited with inventing the first practical working electric light bulb in 1879 in his New Jersey laboratory. This was an incandescent bulb made with a carbonized cotton filament that lasted over 14 hours. Only three years later, Edward H. Johnson, the Vice President of Edison’s electric company and personal friend of Edison, strung together 80 egg-sized fragile bulbs of red, white and blue to decorate a Christmas tree in the parlor of his New York home. The bulbs were lit up by a filmy electric wire that hung from the ceiling as the tree slowly rotated, making the tree twinkle. This neighborhood was one of the first in New York to have electricity available in homes, so the sight of his twinkling tree was quite the spectacle.

The New York display attracted a lot of attention as a local news reporter spread the word. Noting the interest in the display, Thomas Edison put up lights of his own in front of his laboratory in Menlo Park, now renamed Edison, New Jersey. The lights were seen by foot traffic and passengers in passing trains, gaining attention in surrounding social circles.

Because there was so much interest in the colorful light displays, Edison and Johnson saw the electric bulbs as a solution to the long-standing fear of Christmas trees catching fire by the traditional wax candles and, at the same time, eliminating the mess caused by the dripping wax. They started to sell strings of green or white lights and even offered rental lights. "Electric trees will prove to be far less dangerous than the wax candle parlor trees,” -Johnson proclaimed. Unfortunately, the Edison bulbs proved to be just as prone to starting fires as they also emitted a lot of heat. In 1895, President Grover Cleveland commissioned a tree with Edison bulbs for the first electrically lit Christmas tree in the White House. The large tree held more than a hundred multicolored lights.

According to Business NH Magazine, One cold Christmas morning, more than two decades later, a local Christmas legend was born. In his home in Laconia, New Hampshire, Ralph E. Morris watched as his toddler son Leavitt accidentally knocked a candle over on the Christmas tree it decorated, setting it ablaze and nearly catching the house on fire. Unaware of Johnson’s lights in New York, as news did not travel fast in many circles then, Ralph thought up his own solution to this problem.

At the time, Ralph worked at The New England Telephone and Telegraph Company. The telephone switchboards were built with small flashlight bulbs that lit up when a line was activated. He set his idea in motion, repurposing old bulbs from the switchboards. He spent hours soldering and wiring them together before adding crepe paper to create yellow, orange and green colors and then attached them to an artificial feather tree he had purchased. The design included small filament bulbs with wiring hidden under plastic candle sticks, making them appear like candles. He presented the new tree to his family and friends on Christmas morning of the following year.

From 1933 to 1965, Ralph was also the Executive Theater Manager of The Colonial Theater in Laconia. His time working at the theater allowed for many connections and conversations, including the Christmas lights story. Over time, he surely inspired others to seek less flammable decorating options.

Until the late 1930s, the Morris family, along with many friends and colleagues, believed Ralph to be the original inventor of the electric Christmas string lights, still unaware of the Edison and Johnson lights, which, by then, were becoming more commercially available. Many in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire still to this day believe that Ralph was the first. Although not the case, he may have been the first, especially in the Lakes Region, to come up with a less flammable solution with the use of the smaller bulbs on his setup. The smaller lights were also more manageable and easier to decorate with.

The Morris tree was most recently seen in a collection of Christmas Lights displayed on bulbcollector.com. The Morris family had discovered that the collector purchased it from a family friend on eBay with no noteworthy description, not realizing the potential significance. The collector, through research, had uncovered that the tree was likely originally purchased from a Sears, Roebuck & Co. Catalog, popular at the time. The stem had been painted green and a stronger stand was built to support the newly added lights.

Over time, string lights have gone through mass production by different manufacturers with many improvements along the way. In the 1920s, a thermostat with a strip of metal was added to the bulb of the commercially available lights. When the metal strip heated up, it bent and broke the electrical circuit, turning off the light. When it cooled, the metal bent back, reconnecting the light and turning it back on. This was the development of the twinkle light without the rotating tree.

After World War II, Christmas lights became so popular and widely available that by the late 1940s, outdoor Christmas lights were added to homes and businesses as well. Many incorrectly believed the outdoor bulbs burned brighter and longer if pointed upright and wasted a lot of time decorating. Some early bulbs were molded into shapes of fruit or holiday figures and painted by toy makers. These tended to peel and flake over time from expansion. For decades, string lights were made with incandescent bulbs and you better hope one bulb didn’t fail or the whole string went out!

To increase the sales of string lights, General Electric and Edison's Electric Company encouraged neighborhood contests for the best light displays. Now, there are many string light options including LEDs with shunts to prevent entire strings from failing. They have become an affordable, easily attained product. An estimated 150 million sets of lights are sold yearly in the U.S. alone. They are very much a staple of our holiday season and are used for any occasion from Christmas to weddings and even lighting your patio on summer evenings.

Every year, all across the country, there are innumerable holiday light displays from enthusiastic homeowners to businesses. In central New Hampshire alone, there is an abundance of displays to experience, from “The Gift of Lights” at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway to “The Winter Lights” display at Waterville Valley. The facts included in the above article can be found on history.com, oldchristmastreelights.com and the aforementioned sources. Take a look at our “What’s Up” column for upcoming holiday events. Happy Holidays!

Santa’s Holiday Express

Photo courtesy of Brian Soloman Conway Scenic Railroad

By Lee Caldwell

Prepare for some holiday magic. Santa’s Holiday Express will be leaving the 1874-built Victorian North Conway Station for a trip to Conway and to the land of make-believe.

Trains are scheduled to run on December 1, 7and 8, 14 and 15, and 21 and 23, at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1:30 p.m. The total round-trip train ride is around 55 minutes, with an additional 25-minute stop at the train station in Conway.

The train journey through the Conway Valley is 11 miles, round-trip, and goes through some beautiful farm fields with the Moat Mountains in the background. With its wintery landscape in the valley, a stunning view of Mount Washington, the crossings over the Saco and Ellis rivers, and the view of the Moat Mountains, the train ride, itself, has been described as “pretty spectacular”.

During an interview with Greg Neptune, Conway Scenic Railroad Manager of Customer Service, he describes the train ride as follows:

“Well, the ride itself is a journey that departs from North Conway and heads down to Conway Village. There will be Christmas music playing on the train, and the kids, of course, will get a complementary cookie and hot chocolate. When they arrive in Conway, there will be Christmas decorations, and it’s just a great train ride and a great experience to visit with Santa Claus, get their picture taken with Santa, and to ask the big guy himself what they want for Christmas.”

He continued, “We have our 9:30 train, our 11 o’clock train, and our 1:30 train, so kids and their families can get dressed up, and what is great about Christmas time is, all families get dressed up in their pajamas and come down and see Santa Claus, and where everyone wears matching pajama outfits. It’s really a great time.”

Greg said, “You know, kids get together, and every so often, snowball fights and snowman-building can break out [during the stop in Conway]. Being in the White Mountains, the probability for snow is high. So, last year, we had people break out to a snowman-building contest. You never know what you are going to get into when you are around the magic of Santa Claus!

“There have been some years when we have had events outside, where they see Santa outside at the Conway stop. Some years, Santa is on the train. So really, weather depending, you never know what kind of magic is going to pop up, but they’ll see Santa Claus and get to be able to — ever so important — be able to ask Santa how his Christmas is, but more importantly, to tell Santa what they want for Christmas.”

From his home in the North Pole, Santa Claus, himself, joins the interview:

“The most heartwarming thing I do get, and it does happen a lot (when I ask kids what they want for Christmas) is kids wishing for everyone on this Earth to have a good Christmas, believe it or not. And last year in particular, had a lot of kids asking for those 1990s toys that a lot of people grew up with, like Ninja Turtles and stuffed animals. Barbie is still making a comeback, and Matchbox cars are a popular one this season, for sure.”

Santa continues, “I have heard adults ask for spouses for Christmas. Yes, people want to get married for Christmas. There is definitely an air of — there’s something about Christmas time that brings loved ones together, and this, of course, is always a spark of romance around the holidays. So, people often ask for significant others. They also ask for new vehicles and for new places to live. So, I am going to be busy.”

When asked about the reindeer, Santa states that they are going to fly around while he visits Santa’s Holiday Express. “They are very, very busy during the year. They’re at home doing their calisthenics, getting ready for the big night.”

What do the reindeer want for Christmas?

According to Santa, “The reindeer especially love carrots. Rudolph is a huge fan of carrots. Blitzen, he’s kind of shying away from carrots this year. He likes radishes. But everyone else is on the strictly vegetable diet this year. It is also called the Reindeer Diet.”

When asked if he keeps warm enough, Santa replies, “I have a one-of-a-kind outfit that keeps me nice and warm in all weather types, more specifically, up here in the White Mountains.”

What does Santa want for Christmas?

He replies, “What Santa would like for Christmas is more chocolate chip cookies. I cannot get enough of chocolate chip cookies at Christmas.”

Santa wishes everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season, and invites everyone to join him on Santa’s Holiday Express.

For more information, go to info@conwayscenic.com Reservations may be made online.

Conway Scenic Railroad is located in North Conway, telephone 603-356-5252.

Wineries are Great Places to Unwind

Hermit Woods Winery and Sweet Mercy Kitchen, located at 72 Main Street in Meredith.

By Mark Okrant

Americans love wine. Look around in any quality sit-down restaurant, and there are likely to be dozens of people enjoying a glass. According to 2023 data, there were 11,691 wineries in the United States, and that number has been growing at a 3 to 4 percent rate annually. Nationwide, an estimated one-third of the US adult population drinks wine. Not surprisingly, California is the leader in wineries, wine production, and consumption. How did we reach this point? The truth is that production of wine dates back many millennia.

The oldest-known winery was discovered in a cave in Vayots Dzor, Armenia. Dated to 4100 BCE, the site contained a wine press, fermentation vats, jars, and cups. Amazingly, the oldest evidence of wine cultivation was found in what today is the country of Georgia, where grape wine production dates back even further to 6000 BCE. Other early sites include Persia (5000 BCE), Greece (4500 BCE), Armenia (4100 BCE), and Sicily (4000 BCE). However, China (7000 BCE) has the earliest claim for producing a fermented alcoholic beverage consisting of rice, honey, and fruit.

During ancient times, the Greeks and Romans coupled alcohol consumption with their religious practices, as ancient Greeks worshiped Dionysus, while the Roman god of wine was Bacchus. The consumption of ritual wine was also prevalent among the early Hebrews, then adopted subsequently by Christians. Centuries later, beginning with the voyages of Columbus, grape culture and wine-making were transported from the Old World to the New. European grape varieties were first brought to what is now Latin America by the Spanish conquistadors. Succeeding waves of immigrants, particularly in the 19th and early 20th centuries, imported French, Italian, and German varieties of grape.

During the late 19th century, a devastating insect-borne phylloxera blight attacked vineyards throughout Europe. It was soon found that Native American vines were immune to the pest; thus began a practice of grafting European grapevines to American rootstocks to protect vineyards from the insect. The first US vineyard and commercial winery was established in 1799 by Kentucky State Statute. However, Virginia is generally regarded as the birthplace of American wine. With more than 300 vineyards and wineries, Thomas Jefferson, one of our founding fathers, was particularly passionate about wine and made numerous attempts to cultivate European grape varieties at his estate in Monticello, Virginia. It was not until the early 19th century that American wine truly began to flourish.

Today, wine in this country is associated with the northern California counties of Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino. This region produces a wide variety of wines, from inexpensive to high-quality blends. Most of the wine production in California is based on Old World grape varieties and their wine-growing regions cultivate specific grapes that have become closely identified with them.

Brotherhood Wines in Washingtonville, New York is credited with being the oldest ongoing vineyard in the US. John Jaques began growing native grapes in the backyard of his store as early as 1824. By 1835, he had established a large vineyard and was selling his grapes in the New York City area. As the price of grapes dropped, Jaques converted to wine production and released his first commercial vintage in 1839 under the label ‘Blooming Grove Winery.’

Here in the Granite State, there are an estimated thirty-eight wineries. Based upon a recent census, seven of those are situated in the Lakes Region. These are:

• Gilmanton Winery and Restaurant, located at 528 Meadow Road in Gilmanton

• Black Bear Vineyard, located at 289 New Road in Salisbury

• Haunting Whisper Vineyards and Spirits, located at 77 Oak Ridge Road in Danbury

• Crazy Cat Winery and Café, located at 365 Lake Street in Bristol

• Whippletree Winery, located at 372 Turkey Street in Tamworth

• Front Four Cellars of NH, located at 13 Railroad Street in Wolfeboro

• Hermit Woods Winery and Sweet Mercy Kitchen, located at 72 Main Street in Meredith

In an effort to better understand the issues associated with operating a winery in central New Hampshire, we interviewed Bob Manley, one of three partners—along with vintner Ken Hardcastle and Chuck Lawrence—who founded Hermit Woods in Meredith in 2011. We asked Manley why he and his partners elected to produce wines that do not utilize grapes. Manley informed us that the classic grape used worldwide in wine production is the Vitis vinifera. “This is a Mediterranean grape; it doesn’t grow in New Hampshire due to the region’s extreme winter cold. For wineries in the north and east to use those grapes would necessitate an enormous expense to import them from around the world.” He went on to inform us that there is a North American grape, the Vitis labrusca, but it does not produce quality wines. What most wine in the Northeast is produced from are French or Minnesota hybrids—crosses between Vitis vinifera and Vitis labrusca, however, there are a few producers that have successfully grown and produced some quality wines from the North American Vitis labrusca grapes, notably, the Niagara and Catawba grapes, to name a couple of the more common ones. 

Manley told us, “The conditions here in the Northeast are less than ideal for growing hybrid grapes,  resulting in many (though not all) wineries having to use chemicals to combat the effects of high humidity, which can lead to mildew, disease, and local pest issues. Any grapes that could grow in this region would necessitate using chemical sprays to prevent insect infestations. Those local wineries that choose to produce grape-based wine face a choice of importing California, Chile, or European grapes and processing them here. Otherwise, they would need to purchase juices produced from grapes grown in those same three areas, then process them locally into wine.”

Instead, Hermit Woods opted to produce quality wines using fruits that are indigenous to this region: apples, Aronia berries, autumn berries, blackberries, black currants, black pepper, black raspberries, wild blueberries, cardamoms, crab apples, corianders, cranberries,  daylilies, elderberries, ginger, green tomatoes, honeyberries, hops, juniper berries, kiwi berries, knot weeds, peaches, pears, plums, quinces, raspberries, rhubarb, rose hips, staghorn sumac, and strawberries. As we talked, Manley extolled the ability of vintner Hardcastle to produce wines from fruit that drink like a cabernet, merlot, pinot noir, and other traditional wines. He uses whole fruits that are gently hand-processed, with minimal to zero chemical adjustments or additions. After blending, their wine is aged in oak barrels. Asked to name the Hermit Woods Winery’s most popular wines, Manley cited the very fruity Petite Blue, the barrel-aged Petite Blue Reserve, and their semi-dry Winnipesaukee Rose’.

One of the most positive aspects of this and other wineries within the region is the strong ties that have been established with the surrounding community. These businesses compensate their employees well. Also, a practice we need to see more of: wineries work closely with local farmers, the arts, and area businesses.

Coffeehouses and Roasters: a time-honored tradition

By Mark Okrant

After nearly fifty-four years of marriage, I can honestly say that my wife and I disagree over very few things. One of those, however, is coffee. While I enjoy an occasional glass of decaffeinated iced coffee, she drinks five cups of the hot stuff every day.

Admittedly, coffee has had a very good run since its origin, believed to be in Ethiopia, prior to the fifteenth century. Throughout much of the coffeehouse’s early history, its development was focused on the Middle East. Damascus was the home to several of the first coffeehouses. By the fifteenth century, coffeehouses had appeared at Mecca in what today is Saudi Arabia. Early sixteenth-century locations were in Istanbul—at that time the capital of the Ottoman empire—and in Bagdad, in the Fertile Crescent. Coffeehouses became popular meeting places where men gathered to drink coffee, play chess and backgammon, and be entertained. Subsequent coffeehouses were opened in Cairo and Persia.

The earliest European coffeehouses were established during the seventeenth century in Venice, Italy, Vienna, Austria, and London, England By 1675, there were more than 3,000 coffeehouses in England. These were accessible to all men, regardless of social status. Here, ideas of equality and republicanism were spawned. Finally, during the middle of the seventeenth century, coffeehouses were diffused to the Americas.

According to the National Coffee Association (NCA), 67 percent of adult Americans drink coffee every day, with 36 percent of coffee drinkers consuming three to five cups each day. Meanwhile, according to the NCA, an eye-opening 51 percent of these coffee drinkers purchase theirs from a coffee shop at least one time per week—which brings us to our topic.

A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses serve tea, and cold beverages, such as iced coffee or tea, and non-caffeinated drinks. Also, on some menus are pastries, breads, cakes, muffins, and donuts. A number of these establishments are of the single, mom-and-pop variety, while others are franchised businesses. Coffeehouses are much more than a place to buy and consume a cup of coffee. Many of the best ones serve as “centers of social interaction,” wherein writers write, readers read, thinkers think, internet users use the internet, and small groups gather to entertain one another or discuss the hot political topic of the day.

During the early 1950s, coffeehouses served as the home of the Beatnik culture; later, during the 1960s, they were places to listen to some of the best folk music at that time. In 2002, Brownstones Coffee of Amityville, New York opened its first location as a breakfast-oriented coffeehouse. As that model increased in popularity, the trend grew in the form of Starbucks and similar franchises.    

The Lakes Region is not unaffected by the quest for a good cup of coffee and some accompanying food. Here is a partial list of some favorites. We offer this sampling—in no particular order—as a starting place, not as a suggestion that you end your personal search here.

Wayfarer Coffee Roaster Lakeport Wayfarer Coffee

626 Main Street, Laconia 781 Union Avenue, Suite 2, Laconia

This pair of establishments is owned and operated by former Seattle residents Karen and Reuben Bassett, and their local partner Ben Bullerwell. When the first of these businesses opened in 2015, it was in response to their perceived need to bring quality coffee to the region. Today, they are known for their coffee, sourdough toasts, and fine pastries. This team operates the Wayfarer Marketplace which offers local beer and wines, farm produce, and has a section for local artisans to present their crafts.

Seven Suns Café

21 Railroad Avenue, Wolfeboro

This establishment specializes in the delectable combination of good coffee—cappuccino, Americano, tea latte, and Affogato (espresso over ice cream)—as well as a variety of delicious crepes.

Mellow Moose Coffee House

136 Daniel Webster Highway, Meredith

This establishment offers great coffee, espresso, lattes, chia lattes, teas, and some of the area’s best hot chocolate. It serves made-to-order breakfast sandwiches and a daily quiche, as well as soup, salad, and sandwiches for a light lunch.

Identity Coffee

312 Daniel Webster Highway, Meredith

This establishment offers something extra—excellent views of Lake Winnipesaukee. Coffee and lattes are the specialties of the house. One highlight for those with dietary concerns—they offer gluten-free breads and bakery items.

Cup and Crumb

1040 Whittier Hwy, Moultonborough

This establishment is a coffee shop and bakery combination. Coffee specialties include a range of espressos. Each day, freshly baked pastries, muffins, and breakfast sandwiches are made on site.

Lucas Roasting Company (roasters)

7 King Street, Wolfeboro

This establishment is a coffee roasting company that regards itself as a community—linking coffee farmers, to roasters, to baristas, to consumers. This establishment services residential consumers as well as businesses of various sizes. Orders are met with quick turn-around, as coffee and espresso will be roasted, delivered, and shipped within a 24-to-48-hour window.

Harmony Coffee House 

21 Central Avenue, Wolfeboro

This establishment specializes in atmosphere, highlighted by a cozy fireplace. It offers coffee, espresso, latte, mocha, cappuccino, americano, cortado, hot chocolate, teas, and a variety of cold brews. All-day breakfasts and lunches are served.

Rise and Shine Coffee House

400 Main Street, Wakefield

This establishment offers a full range of coffees, as well as teas, hot chocolate, various iced drinks, and five varieties of smoothies. Quick breakfasts and pastries are also available.

The coffeehouse is a time-honored tradition. Like their predecessors, coffeehouses in the Lakes Region have become much more than a place to sample quality coffee products and good food. These are places where young couples meet, businesspersons make significant deals, political ideas are spawned, and a considerable amount of contemplation occurs. If you have not already done so, head right over to a coffeehouse on this list or choose one of your own. You might just meet up with my wife.

Ghostly Lakes Region Tales

The tombstone of Esther 'Granny Hicks' Prescott Hyde, the 'Witch of New Hampton'.

By Kathi Caldwell-Hopper

The Lakes Region has many tales of olden-day witches and creatures that go bump in the night. Ghosts are said to roam the hills and valleys of the Lakes Region; many of the tales are not well known but are repeated more often as Halloween approaches.

Such is the tale of Granny Hicks of New Hampton, New Hampshire. Long ago – Granny was the unfortunate victim of a witch hunt. She was knitting one day and realized she needed more yarn to finish a project. She went to a neighbor’s home to ask to borrow some wool, but the woman slammed the door in her face. At a time when people could be labeled as a witch or sorcerer simply for being a bit different, Granny Hicks was known in the town for being an eccentric busybody. Her neighbor wanted nothing to do with Hicks. It was unfortunate that the next day, the neighbor’s child became ill and died, according to “Myths and Mysteries of New Hampshire” by Matthew P. Mayo. The townspeople believed Hicks had cast a spell on her neighbor’s family.

Hicks was shunned from that time onward and endured local children throwing rocks and taunting her. A group of men in a drunken stupor destroyed her home. In revenge, Granny Hicks predicted their deaths. Although she soon died (probably from old age) the men all met their demise as Granny had predicted.

In the Ossipee area, a frightening tale of murder tells of ghostly happenings. The story relates that a man named Archie killed everyone in a hamlet of the town. Once his terrible act was completed, he threw the bodies into a pond and then hanged himself outside his house. Archie’s ghost, unable to rest, is seen walking in the area to this day.

Another Ossipee tale tells of a little girl named Polly who was struck and killed by a train in the area. Her distressing cries can be heard in the nearby woods at night.

Many would be surprised to learn that the gentle Shakers of Canterbury Shaker Village believed in spiritual encounters. The village was the home of the believers in Mother Ann Lee’s religion, with members commonly called Shakers. Many men, women, and children lived and worked at Canterbury Shaker Village in the 1800s and into the 1900s. The peaceful religious group was known to show compassion to all.

It is less well known that the Shakers believed in ghosts, or “spirits,” as they called them. While many Christian beliefs find the idea of ghosts or a spirit world to be off-limits or downright absurd, to the Shakers, it all made sense.

There are many written accounts of Shakers being visited by spirits of departed fellow members and others. A Shaker member wrote, “We have frequently been visited by a tribe of Indians (spirits of Indians), who used to live in this country, and whose spirits still come back here occasionally.”

Séances, along with ghostly sightings, were common among the Shakers. In the 1800s and early 1900s, if the neighbors of the Canterbury Shakers had known about the practice of calling forth the spirits of the dead, they would likely have been quite distressed. Séances were looked upon as akin to witchcraft.

For the Shakers, however, ghost sightings and calling upon spirits were simply ways to communicate with those who had passed to heaven. If one believed in an afterlife, it stood to reason those in the afterworld might wish to speak with loved ones on Earth. If thought of in this way, ghosts seem to make perfect sense, and it is much less spirits.

None of the Halloween creatures and ghosts can frighten people as much as a witch. Tales of the powerful creatures said to be in collusion with the devil strike fear, especially at Halloween.

During the 1700s and 1800s, any woman who was a bit odd or eccentric could be labeled a witch. At the height of the witch-hunting hysteria, a woman had only to anger a neighbor for the cry of “witch!” to spread in a community.

New Hampshire had its own witch hunts and folk tales of evil women and men who frightened and did their terrible deeds to locals in the 1700s and 1800s.

One woman labeled a witch was said to live in Meredith Center and was known only as Mrs. T. Her main crime in the 1800s seemed to be her habit of borrowing things from her neighbors on a regular basis and never returning the favor.

One day, she asked to borrow butter from a neighboring woman who had none to lend. Mrs. T did not like to be refused in her borrowing and went away, muttering curses and threats to the woman.

Perhaps to oblige Mrs. T, the neighbor set about her usual butter churning because she had no butter herself. She worked at the butter churn for hours but could not achieve results. Finally, the butter churner, suspecting witchcraft, said, “If Mrs. T is in that churn, I will get her out.” She dropped a red-hot hook from the fireplace into the butter churn, and soon butter was produced.

Mrs. T’s children ran to the woman in the neighborhood and related that their mother was very ill. Mrs. T died soon after, and it was said she had a terrible burn on her neck in the shape of a hook, just like the one the butter-churning neighbor took from the fireplace.

According to Eva A. Speare, author of “NH Folk Tales,” a witch once lived in Plymouth, New Hampshire. Her tale was told by a local hermit named “Old Dr. Dearborn” who lived in a small cottage in a remote part of Plymouth. He was sick and asked for food and medicine from his nearest neighbors. Local girls were responsible for carrying food and supplies to Dr. Dearborn.

One day, as the children visited the hermit, he told them of his encounter with a witch. He said that when he was a teenager living in Campton, his father owned a fine horse, which the hermit often rode.

When riding the horse, the hermit passed the home of a woman, Dolly, who was said to be a witch. Suddenly, a black cat ran from Dolly’s porch and leaped to the horse’s neck.

The horse stopped in its tracks and refused to move, even when the rider used a whip. The black cat, also feeling the whip, clung to the horse’s neck. Eventually, the cat ran off, and the boy went home.

The next day, when the boy went to check on the horse, it didn’t have a mark on it, and it seemed like its usual healthy self. But as for Dolly, a neighbor soon arrived and related that she was nearly dead, “covered with welts and bruises and scarcely breathing from fatigue.”

The hermit finished his tale by saying, “You see, I almost killed the old witch when she turned into a black cat and bewitched my horse.”

If witches strike fear into our hearts, walking through a cemetery on a dark night can set the stage for a ghostly or bewitching visitation. A New England cemetery, with lichen-covered stones leaning this way and that in the ground, can cause even the bravest of people to become fearful.

Inspiration Point on Little Round Top in Bristol. (Tom Caldwell Photo)

In the Bristol area, on an autumn’s day, as a teenager took a walk in the woods, his destination Inspiration Point on a hill above the town. Hiking up a trail, he knew the path by heart, having taken it many times over the years. It was a blustery fall day, with leaves blowing from the trees, a bright blue sky, and brilliant sunshine. It was a perfect day for a fall hike.

Once he reached the top of the mountain, he sat quietly and gazed over the town of Bristol far below. Inspiration Point is an open-air, mountain-top area with wooden benches and a large wooden cross for outdoor ceremonies and services. He had the place to himself and became lost in meditation.

After a time, he felt he was not alone and glanced to one side to see a woman sitting quietly on a bench. He said her clothing looked odd, as if from another time, and she appeared lost in thought. They did not speak or make eye contact, but he felt uncomfortable and decided it was time to leave. Walking towards the footpath, he glanced back and realized the woman was gone. A chill ran through him because he knew she would have had no time to walk away, and there was but one path down the mountain; she had not passed him but seemed to disappear into thin air. Obviously, his hike down the mountain was taken at almost a run!

Fear of cemeteries was not always as intense because, in the early days of central New Hampshire settlement, people buried their loved ones on their own land. Towns were few and far between, and people made family graveyards near their homesteads. There was less fear of a cemetery where well-known loved ones were buried since those loved ones were a mother, father, grandparents, or a sibling.

Between the early 1800s and 1920s, three types of stones were most common: marble, used mostly around the mid-1800s, and soapstone and slate, used before marble became popular.

The 1600 and 1700 gravestone carvers in New Hampshire also worked as woodworkers or blacksmiths. One central New Hampshire gravestone carver of some fame was a man named “Hookster,” a religious revivalist. His method for passing judgment on the deceased was unusual. Those he considered in line for redemption had smiling faces carved on their gravestones, while the “unawakened” received a scowling face on their stone.

If you have lived in the Lakes Region for any amount of time, you may have heard about the supposed ghostly encounters at the Alton Town Hall in downtown Alton. There have been reports of heavy footsteps, furniture moving independently, doors opening, and voices talking when no one is in the building.

No End to Wonderful Fall Hiking Opportunities

Beaver ponds with views of the mountains beyond as viewed from the Zealand Trail. (Tom Caldwell Photo)

By Thomas P. Caldwell

Autumn is a great time to do some hiking, with cooler temperatures and fewer insects to mar the experience. Early fall also provides beautifully colored foliage, adding to the attraction of the natural landscape, waterfalls, and vistas.

Central and Northern New Hampshire offer plenty of hiking opportunities for people of all abilities, and there are a number of day hikes that make it easy to get out in nature and take in all that wonderful scenery. From quick-and-easy treks to more challenging trails, the choices are abundant.

A good place to start is the trail system at The Castle in the Clouds in Moultonborough. Maintained by the Lakes Region Conservation Trust, there is the easy Shannon Brook Trail, which passes several waterfalls on the 0.7-mile path — perfect for introducing young children to the joys of hiking.

One of the waterfalls along the Shannon Brook Trail in Moultonborough. (Tom Caldwell Photo)

For more of a challenge, the property also has moderately difficult trails to the 1,801-foot Bald Knob peak, Turtleback Mountain (2,192’), Mount Roberts (2,566’), Faraway Mountain (2,872’), Mount Shaw (2,989’) and Black Snout Mountain (2,664’).

Hiking in Wonalancet, between Sandwich and Tamworth, provides a quiet atmosphere with not as many other people on the trails. The Brook Path is an easy 2.1-mile flat trail that follows the Wonalancet River through a forest of hemlocks and northern hardwoods. The stream has many small cascades and pools, ending with a wooden dam.

Nearby is the Mount Mexico Trail, a 5.2-mile moderate loop that takes an average of three hours to complete. There are several stream crossings, and portions of the trail are not as well-marked, so it’s easy to wander off but just as easy to find one’s way back onto the trail. During early fall, the leaf cover protects hikers from the heat, but when the temperatures abate and the leaves have fallen, there is the benefit of having better views. Good footwear is recommended.

Parts of the Zealand Trail are rocky with lots of tree roots, so wearing good hiking boots are recommended to avoid sprained ankles. (Tom Caldwell Photo)

Hiking boots are also recommended for the 2.9-mile Zealand Trail in the White Mountains. While the trail is rated moderate, with much of it running along the bed of an old logging railroad, there are sections where the hiker has to scramble over small boulders and along dry, rocky stream beds where a twisted ankle could turn a pleasant trip into misfortune. The attraction of the Zealand Trail is its passage through areas with flat rocks alongside the Zealand River, where one can enjoy swimming and sunbathing; beaver ponds with views of the mountains beyond; and, at the top, an Appalachian Mountain Club hut that offers spectacular views of the White Mountains.

It is possible to extend the Zealand Trail hike by continuing on the Ethan Pond Trail to Thoreau Falls, but that means a trip greater than 10 miles. An alternative is to extend the trip with an overnight stay at the AMC Zealand Hut and make the Thoreau Falls hike on a second day. With reservations, the AMC will provide an evening meal for those staying at the hut.

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Hitting the Shannon Brook trail in early September, the leaves had not yet started to turn colors, but a brisk breeze warned that it would not be long before foliage season would be here. Nonetheless, there was a steady stream of hikers — singles, couples, and families — making their way along the trail and stepping off the path to get a better look at the various falls, with names like Roaring Falls, Twin Falls, Whittier Falls, The Cascades, Emerald Pool Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Falls of Song.

The trail is wide and gently descends, making it easy to walk in either direction. There is only a steep climb for 0.2 miles by the lower bridge.

Most of the side paths to the waterfalls are equally easy, but reaching some of the falls requires a bit more dexterity, and getting back up would be a challenge for some.

The fall colors are starting to appear alongside the Zealand Trail in this view. (Tom Caldwell Photo)

It was mid-September when we took the Zealand Trail and, being farther north, there were already some signs of the coming foliage season. Peak foliage could not be more than a few weeks behind.

After a gentle incline, the trail became steeper, with a tangle of roots and boulders that required a slower pace. It was an 84-degree day, perfect for relaxation but not as great for scrambling over obstacles. However, the cool river running alongside the trail providing plenty of places to rest and recover, perhaps have a snack and rehydrate for the trail ahead.

Soon, it was back into full woods where there were occasional bursts of color. Despite the hot day, there were many hikers ascending and descending the trail. When the path leveled out on the old train bed, with the leaves providing some welcoming shade, it was easy to quickly recover from the more taxing portion of the trail.

Then the trail was skirting a large pond, partially dammed up by the beavers that were constantly making work for the trail crews, which have built wooden bridges over areas where the water has backed up. In the distance was a tree-lined hill with hints of color, and beyond that, a gray, flat-topped mountain. It was a place where it would not be unusual to see a moose cooling off in the water.

It took about 1.75 hours to reach the 2.3-mile mark where the A-Z Trail crossed, and a sign indicated that the AMC Zealand Hut was just 0.5 mile ahead. It was at that point that the trail began rising more steeply, and the final 0.1 mile was very steep, although supplied with stone steps to make it easier to navigate.

These are just some of the trails in the region that make for perfect fall hiking. The Appalachian Mountain Club and Lakes Region Conservation Trust have maps and guides to other equally good paths to follow, as well as directions to find them.

Happy trails!

Flying High at Morningside Flight Park

Assistant Manager Gisele Dierks of Morningside Flight Park picks up her hang-glider as she prepares to go to the top of the 450-foot launch site at the Charlestown facility. (Lee Caldwell Photo)

By Lee Caldwell

Nestled in the Connecticut River Valley in Charlestown, Morningside Flight Park is New Hampshire’s home for all things hang-gliding and paragliding. In addition to offering lessons and selling equipment, they have mountaintop zip-line tours and outdoor laser tag, plus camping and rustic cabins.

Upon arrival at the facility, two paragliders are sailing down the green hill on a gentle current of air. The paragliders are leaving from the 150-foot launch site and appear to be doing very well as each lands gracefully. A truck waits to carry them back up the hill for another launch.

Assistant Manager Gisele Dierks, nicknamed Gigi, is the daughter of one of the founders of the flight park. The site is a former dairy farm, and some remnants of the original buildings remain. Gigi shares that some pilots from the 1970s approached farmer Phil Haynes regarding the use of his hill. His response: “Sure, as long as you teach me.”

One can only wonder what the cows thought about the human birds swooping down the hillside.

Gigi’s father, Jeff Nicolay, started working with Phil and they operated the flight park together for almost 40 years. In 2011, after the deaths of both the original founders, Kitty Hawk Kites, based out of North Carolina, purchased the flight park, which today is celebrating its 50th year of operation.

Gigi explains the differences between paragliding (“uses all light, flexible materials”) and hang-gliding (“uses aircraft-grade metal and has a fixed wing.”) Other differences include seating: In paragliding, one sits upright in a comfortable sling-type seat. In hang-gliding, the pilot is horizontally suspended and hangs face-down. Hang-gliders typically fly in higher winds than paragliders, but they both can reach to the same heights and travel the same distances.

Hang-gliders, with their rigid metal structure and triangular-shaped wing, weigh around 50 pounds. Paragliders, with their more flexible materials, weigh about seven pounds, not including the harness set.

One gentleman passing by smilingly comments, “Seven pounds keeps you in the air.”

Whether they are flying a hang-glider or a paraglider, the pilots at Morningside Flight Park always fly with a reserve parachute for safety, in case of emergencies. Says Gigi, “The parachutes are attached to just the pilots in our harnesses, but we are attached to the wings, so all three of us (wing, chute, pilot) come down together.”

The flight park offers tandem hang-gliding. In tandem hang-gliding, the student (or participant) is hooked into the glider with the pilot. The glider designed specifically for tandems boasts a larger wing area for more lift and tricycle landing gear to simplify take-offs and landings. The tandem hang-glider is pulled into the air by an airplane and launched from the sky.

The cost for both a new hang-glider and a new paraglider is in the $4,000-$6,000 price range. All associated gear is extra.

The rules are the same for hang-gliding and paragliding, and like most flight parks, a rating (license) is required to fly solo. Proper training is essential for the sport.

A paraglider who launched from a 150-foot site above the field, lands safely at the bottom. (Lee Caldwell Photo)

Gigi shows the classroom where students start by learning the basics, including interpreting the all- important weather conditions and the mastering the safe airspace maps. For lessons, there is a hang-gliding simulator. Students must be at least 14-years-old to both take lessons and to fly tandem. According to Gigi, one 96-year-old flew tandem, and some folks in their 60s and 70s have taken paragliding lessons.

Gigi shows her hang-glider and then hops into a pickup truck with a special hitch for transporting hang-gliders. We zoom up, up, up a narrow, paved road past a pond, past the 150-foot launch site, past the 250-foot launch site, past some rustic cabins that are offered for rent (which are currently being renovated), past the fifth-oldest oak tree in New Hampshire (a 440-year-old behemoth called Grandmother), past a 380-year-old oak tree (called Grandfather), past rare and indigenous species of plants, to the top of the hill at the 450-foot launch site. A plaque commemorating Phil Haynes and Jeff Nicolay is located near the launch site.

The view, facing roughly westward, is spectacular. In the distance looms Mount Ascutney, a widely known ski peak in Vermont. Gigi comments that one of the challenging hang-gliding flights is to sail from Ascutney to Morningside Flight Park. There is a tradition that those first-timers who accomplish the flight are thrown in the pond for a celebratory swim.

She also affirms that the sunsets there are amazing and that, in the morning, the mist rising from the Connecticut River, just beyond the distant trees, is also beautiful.

At the top of the hill perches a small, white cabin called The Castle, which is available for rent. Its porch overlooks the valley below and the launch sites. Three wooded platform cabins are being renovated for use. There are spots for tents and campfire pits nestled among the trees. The 160-acre flight park borders on a land trust with hiking trails.

In the woods behind the uppermost launch site are the zip-lines and zip-line platforms. The former offers two tours: a basic Mountain Top tour (perfect for youth) and the longer, more exciting, Superman tour, with a 1,100-foot run.

Laser tag is played in the woods. Described as “paintball without the sting, mess, or environmental impact,” laser tag has guides taking participants through a variety of games in a one- to two-hour period, using the Tippman brand state-of-the-art laser tag system.

Gigi encourages reservations for all activities.

For more information, call 603-542-4416, or visit www.flymorningside.com to book online. Morningside Flight Park is located at 357 Morningstar Lane in Charlestown.