Highest Wind Ever Observed by Man

Cog Railway 019, originally uploaded by MurphMutt.

The highest winds ever recorded by man (231 mph) was recorded at the Summit Observatory on Mt. Washington, NH April 12, 1934

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The Great Ice Storm of 2008 leaves an indelible mark on the residents of New Hampshire and north western Massachusetts to the degree that references are part of our daily dialog.

Those of us who lived here through the Great Ice Storm compare notes of where we were, the damage caused, what we did until the lights came back on, and in my case, how much damage remains to be cleaned up on our properties.

A few other meteorological events equal the ice storm. The Great Hurricane of 1938 reportedly twisted trees so badly throughout New England that the bark pattern spirals even yet today on trees that were saplings during the hurricane.

New Hampshire has another claim to meteorological fame in the weather observatory atop Mount Washington that recorded the highest wind speed ever recorded by man.

The 231 mile per hour wind speed occurred on April 12, 1934 or four years prior to the Great Hurricane and over 70 years prior to the Great Ice Storm.

December Ice Storm

USS Albacore

USS Albacore, originally uploaded by erik.swenson.

the USS Albacore, making steam against the rising tide of weeds


USS Albacore

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Welcome Aboard — USS Albacore (AGSS-569)

The third Navy vessel to bear the name, the Auxiliary General Submarine (AGSS) Albacore holds a place in history as the first Navy-designed vessel with a true underwater hull of cylindrical shape that has become the standard for today's submarines worldwide.

Designed, built and maintained by the skilled engineers and craftsmen of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Albacore served as a sea-going test platform from 1953 to 1972. Albacore's teardrop-shaped hull was the prototype for the Navy's nuclear powered submarine force and was the first boat built specifically to operate underwater. Prior to Albacore, submarines had been characterized as surface vessels that could submerge. With her revolutionary hull design and state-of-the-art systems, Albacore provided the Navy with an engineering platform to evaluate systems and design features before including them in future classes of submarine. Her motto was Praenuntius Futuri (Forerunner of the Future) and her mission was experimental.

Commissioned in December of 1953, Albacore was only 2/3rds the length of a World War II Fleet Boat and, when outfitted with her special high capacity silver-zinc battery, could out run a contemporary nuclear submarine. In 1966, she set the record as the world's fastest submarine having attained an underwater speed of nearly 40 miles per hour.

Used for testing control and propulsion systems, sonar equipment, dive brakes, escape mechanisms, and various innovative theories and equipment, Albacore was truly a unique Navy floating laboratory.

In September of 1972, Albacore was decommissioned and placed in reserve at the Inactive Ship Facility in Philadelphia. Ten years later, Portsmouth City Councilman Bill Keefe began an effort to return Albacore to her place of birth as a permanent display. It took two years, lots of paperwork and committee meetings before Albacore was towed from Philadelphia to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. In May of 1985, Albacore was maneuvered through a dismantled railroad bridge and a cutout section of four lane highway toward her final resting place. It took nearly six months and a system of locks before she finally was settled on a concrete cradle at Albacore Park.

Your tour of Albacore begins outside the entrance to the museum. There are a series of five outdoor podiums and panels with push buttons that are part of a self-guided audio tour. An additional eleven audio sites continue the tour inside Albacore. The narratives relate not only interesting facts about the boat but also include comments by former crew members of incidents that occurred while they were on board.

Albacore provides a unique opportunity to see where a crew of 55 worked and lived. You will see some of the unusual features of this prototype submarine and hear some of the experiences of her crew.

For information on how to get to Albacore Park, hours of operation and tour charges, please check the Visitor Center section.

Find out more information...

YES WE DID!

Barack Obama, originally uploaded by StarrGazr.

Londonderry, NH

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President Elect Barack Obama

Obama tops McCain in NH

By HOLLY RAMER – 15 hours ago

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The state that gave Barack Obama his first primary setback supported him when it counted Tuesday.

The Illinois Democrat defeated John McCain to claim New Hampshire's four electoral votes. The call was based on an analysis of voter interviews conducted for The Associated Press by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International and early vote returns.

Also, Democrat Jeanne Shaheen ousted Republican Sen. John Sununu in a bitter rematch of their 2002 race. Shaheen is the first Democrat elected to the Senate from New Hampshire in 33 years.

And Democratic Gov. John Lynch won a third term in a landslide, beating GOP state Sen. Joe Kenney.

Though Obama had held a solid lead in polls heading into Election Day, he had cautioned his supporters not to get cocky, given that he lost the primary to Hillary Rodham Clinton back in January under similar circumstances.

But this time, his organizational advantage and the Democratic Party's growing strength in New Hampshire propelled him to victory.

"I think he'll do a great deal to restore our reputation in the world," said Democrat Alasdair Drysdale, 58, a professor from Portsmouth. "He's got the best temperament, the right temperament. I like his energy, his intellect and his fundamental decency."

For McCain, who had campaigned heavily in New Hampshire, it was his first loss in a state that twice had launched him toward the GOP nomination. He won an upset victory here last winter in the Republican primary after his campaign had been all but declared dead.

An AP exit poll showed Obama scored high among moderates and independents in New Hampshire, with close to two-thirds in each group pushing him to victory.

The exit poll showed Obama also won voters who had strong worries about the nation's economy and a desire to elect a president who could bring about change and reflect their values. Obama and McCain held ground among their party's political bases.

In the Senate race, Sununu had portrayed the former governor as a "taxing machine"; she depicted him as President Bush's equally evil twin.

Six years ago, when Bush was still popular, Sununu defeated Shaheen by 4 percentage points. This time, Shaheen had the twin advantages of Obama's coattails and a demographic shift that has helped the Democrats. A study by the University of New Hampshire estimated that one-quarter of the electorate has changed since 2002, with young voters and newcomers to the state more likely to identify themselves as Democrats.

Senator Joe Biden

Senator Joe Biden, originally uploaded by StarrGazr.

Vice Presidential Candidate
Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester, New Hampshire

Watch a video of a portion of the speech.

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1st NH Regiment

1st NH Regiment, originally uploaded by steffie@lilypad.

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Strawberry Banke, Portsmouth, NH

Hudson, NH Town Pound

Hudson, NH Town Pound, originally uploaded by StarrGazr.

For the New Hampshire Town Pounds Project

Reprinted from

Telegraph, The (Nashua, NH)

July 28, 1998
Page: 7

Memo: We will keep at it forever, or until we visit or contact all 259 towns and cities in the state It's a labor of love. We just love them.'-

Louise Frank of Barnstead speaking for herself and husband Tom, who call themselves the Stone Pound Seekers Pounds


down old pounds

JESSIE SALISBURY Telegraph Correspondent
Amherst's town pound was lost to development, and Mont Vernon never had one. Wilton's is on private property, while Lyn deborough's is one of several lis ted on the National Register of Historic Places.

Town pounds, those old fieldstone enclosures with or without gates for keeping livestock, area generally misunderstood relic of local history."

They are a piece of history in danger of being lost," Louise Frank said recently during a stop in Wilton. "A town is fortunate to have one." Wilton's is behind the Unitarian Church in Wilton Center, and it took awhile to find someone who could direct her to it.

Frank and her husband, Tom, residents of Barnstead for the past 30 years, call themselves the Stone Pound Seekers. They are looking for the old stone structures, documenting their finds with notes and pictures. So far they have visited or contacted 88 towns, mainly in the southern part of the state. Of those, Louise said, "Fifty-five have pounds, four have markers where the pounds used to be, and 29 never had one."

Area towns they had not yet visited include Merrimack, Brook line, Nashua, Pelham and Litchfield.

She was intrigued by a visit to Hollis, where they found a Pound Road, but not yet a pound. There was one, however, she said, in the former town of Monson, and wondered if it was in what is now Hollis.

People who think of pounds at all usually think they were for holding lost or strayed cattle, as indeed they may have on occasion. However, most of the pounds were built before 1800, and they were for impounding livestock taken by the town in lieu of property taxes.

The laws of the Royal Province of New Hampshire, until 1686, authorized the town constable to imprison a person who could not pay his taxes. In 1868, the law was amended to allow seizure of property or land.

In 1791, the new state of New Hampshire allowed the tax collector "upon neglect or refusal to pay taxes, and after a notice of 14 days, to distrain the goods, or chattels" of the person so neglecting his duties. Goods were kept four days, during which time the owner could redeem them. After that, the goods were sold at auction. In many cases, the most valuable property a person owned was his livestock, and the town needed a place to hold it.

The pounds were all similar to this description in the 1906 Lyn deborough history: "In 1774 the town voted to build a pound, 25 by 30 feet, the wall to be six feet high, faced on the inside, three feet thick at the bottom and one and half feet at the top, and to be capped with a timber-frame. It was to have a convenient gate with a lock."

Newer towns don't have them. Greenville separated from Mason 125 years ago. Mason has the pound. Mont Vernon was formed from a section of Amherst and a piece of Lyndeborough. Both parent towns had one, but Amherst's was lost to a development."
It's amazing they have survived all these years as dry stone construction," Tom Frank said. He is the more history-oriented of the pair, while Louse takes the pictures. She also has a file on each town they have visited. But many they have found are in poor condition with brush growing inside them and walls tumbling. In such cases, they write to the local historical society trying to stir up some interest.

Finding some pounds has been an adventure, they agreed, and said Sutton's was the hardest so far to find.

It was "up on a mountain," she said, "and we walked up in the rain. When we found it, there was a sign on it naming the pound keepers."

They started their quest last year after they had driven by the pound in Atkinson many times. "Atkinson has a nice historical society and they keep it up. In some towns it's been neglected," Louise said.

They wondered if their own town, Hampstead, had a pound. Tom, a member of the Historic District Commission, didn't know. "The town office didn't know," he said, "but we found someone who did. Now an article is being proposed for the Town Warrant to deed it as part of the Historic District." They are also discussing the care of the site with the local Boy Scout troop who are taking it on as a troop project.

Louise stresses that they are not authorities on town pounds, nor even proper historians. "We are just interested people, doing what we like to do."

Both Franks are retired, Tom from a position with AT&T and Louise from selling real estate. "It is a lot more fun doing this," Tom said. They usually cover four towns on a day trip, he added. That keeps it in the fun category."

We will keep at it forever, or until we visit or contact all 259 towns and cities in the state," Louise said. After that, she hopes to organize all of the information into a directory. "It's a labor of love. We just love them."

Copyright 1998, 2004 The Telegraph, Nashua, N.H. All Rights Reserved.

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More photos from the project

Map of New Hampshire Town Pounds Project

Washington, NH

Washington, NH, originally uploaded by juliaf.

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Washington Common
Congregational Church (1840), School (1884), Town House (1787)

Washington, NH was incorporated on December 13, 1776 (first Town incorporated in the name of Pres. George Washington), another first int he nation!

Washington also boasts:

• Highest Town Center in New Hampshire (elev 1507 ft)


• Town Hall, built in 1787 is one of the oldest in daily service


• Town covers 50 square miles, and contains 26 lakes and ponds

Found on Information on Washington, NH:

Two young men in Pepsi uniforms join the four of five of us at the [general store lunch] counter. I learn later that they are in the store to work on the Coke machine. One of them says, "Is there, like, a city of Washington?" This brings hoots from us barflies at the counter. He tries to recover, "I mean, like a center, with stores and stuff." We still think this is very funny. Maybe it's his earnestness; maybe it's us.

"You're in it, buddy," says Bill. "This is it." He jabs his finger toward the floor for emphasis. Behind his hand he tells us that they are from Massachusetts. I think they hear that, and are meant to, but don't mind at all. Clearly they are having a hard time believing that they are in the center of Washington, New Hampshire.

From Last House on the Road, by Ronald Jager (Chapter 20)

A few more sunsets for NEGS 503

A few more sunsets for NEGS 503, originally uploaded by brianblackden.

New England Southern 503 and 2370 will cease operations August 1, 2007 due to Guilford Railroad pulling the rail lease that NEGS operates on.

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UNH Graduation

AMR_0356.JPG, originally uploaded by fotocraz.

Bill Clinton winks at some Coeds at the UNH graduation as George Bush looks on.

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Now for a bit of lesser known NH History...

New Hampshire Almanac: Fast Day

The history of Fast Day is not known by many. Here you can read about it!

The unique and quirky New Hampshire holiday called Fast Day no longer legally exists. In 1991 the New Hampshire legislature abolished Fast Day in favor of creating a new holiday, Civil Rights Day (Chapter 206, Laws of 1991). The legislature, quite properly, wanted to honor civil rights activists such as Martin Luther King, but it was "...not the intent of the general court...to create an additional paid holiday for state employees." Therefore the archaic Fast Day was abolished.

Fast days were a common occurrence in the early days of the colonies. These were days of public humiliation, fasting and prayer proclaimed by the royal governors of the colonies to avert or repent for calamities such as plagues, earthquakes, crop failures, etc. Fast days were generally held before the spring planting, and a thanksgiving day was held after the harvest. Fast days were celebrated with a sermon, abstinence from secular pursuits, and at least partial abstinence from eating. Cotton Mather wrote "We may not eat or drink so much, nor may we eat or drink so well, on such a day, as at another time.".

The earliest known fast day proclamation was in Boston on September 8, 1670. New Hampshire’s first recorded proclamation of a fast day was in early 1680. The President and Council of the Province of New Hampshire issued a document in February 1680 that called for a meeting of the General Assembly for March 16th. They appointed February 26th as a "day of humiliation" to ask God to "bless us with peace & prosperitie", favor the upcoming meeting and to "favor spring & seede time". People were cautioned to abstain from work and attend church (Provincial Papers of New Hampshire, vol. XIX).

John Cutt, President of the Council that declared this day of humiliation, became the reason for a day of "public fasting and prayer." Cutt was born in England in 1613, emigrated to the colonies in 1646, and became a prosperous merchant in Portsmouth. On January 1, 1680 New Hampshire, previously under the wing of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, became a royal colony with a separate government. This government consisted of an appointed council of 9 men with a president (John Cutt), and an assembly of representatives from the towns. However, the elderly Cutt fell ill, and on March 1, 1681 the Council and General Assembly designated the 17th of March 1681 "A day of public fasting and prayer." They felt that Cutt’s illness and the recent sighting of a comet were signs of "divine displeasure." The day of fasting and prayer was unsuccessful and John Cutt died on April 1, 1681.

Despite this lack of success, the colonists continued to observe fast days on a regular basis. However, by the late 1800’s the observance of a fast day had lost much of its original religious meaning. There was therefore a push by most state legislatures to abolish this holiday. In 1894 Massachusetts abolished Fast Day and substituted Patriot’s Day. Maine soon followed suit. In 1897, Governor Ramsdell of New Hampshire urged the legislature, who annually proclaimed a Fast Day on various dates, to totally abolish the holiday. Instead the legislature passed an act in 1899 making Fast Day a legal holiday (Chapter 11, Laws of 1899). The date was flexible.

It became the custom for the governor to designate the last Thursday in April as Fast Day. This continued until 1949 when the legislature established Fast Day as the 4th Monday in April (Chapter 270, Laws of 1949). New Hampshire continued as the sole state to have Fast Day as a legal holiday until 1991, when Fast Day fell to the new Civil Rights Day.

Gilbreth, Donna. "Rise and Fall of Fast Day". New Hampshire State Library. 1997

The New Hampshire Almanac is compiled by the New Hampshire State Library from state statutes and other sources as noted.

Hillary Clinton in Hampton, NH

Hillary Clinton in Hampton, NH, originally uploaded by marcn.

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The Race to the White House begins in New Hampshire

From now until the First in the Nation primary, New Hampshire will be abuzz with candidates and political figures hoping to end their trek in the White House. Please follow along with our photographers to get an intimate view of what it is like to be in NH the year before a presidential election.


Flickr Slideshow

Spring Showers?

Spring Showers?, originally uploaded by StarrGazr.

And now we break from our beautiful flow of Caribbean photos to bring you back to the reality that is New England.

Well this was a fine wake up call today! So much for Spring. The real problem is that we lost many tops of trees and branches to trees with the ice storm back in January, this rain/slush/snow is also extremely heavy and we have lost many more.

I guess this means no Easter Egg hunt in the backyard this year. Even if it were all to melt today, everything would be so saturated and soggy.

On another note, my 20D has been shipped back from repairs!! YAY!!!

I miss my camera SO much!

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Spring snow dumps on upper Northeast

Today was supposed to be the stadium opener for the Manchester Fischer Cats, it was snowed out. NH Baseball Team Asks Fans To Shovel Stadium

Schools were closed.

Trees were down.

Power is still out.

Thousands Without Power After Spring Snow

NH Outages May Last Until Weekend

One life was lost.

Spring snowstorm kills Dracut man in NH

NH Powerless Against Heavy Snow

What a day. At least it ended with sunshine and much melting.

More Photos

Flickr Slideshow

Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse

Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, originally uploaded by roxieffcc.

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Located next to the Coast Guard Base, at Fort Constitution, it guides ships to the Piscataqua River. Located in beautiful New Castle (which originally was part of Portsmouth). The first lighthouse built here was in 1771, part of the original Colonial Lighthouses. This light pictured here was complete in 1876.

And Now For Something a Little Different

While this is not a photo from one of our members, I do think this is an amazing video and was shot atop our very own Mount Washington in -34 degree temperatures. Mount Washintgon, home of the worse winds in the world!

Walking on Air

Walking on Air, originally uploaded by StarrGazr.

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One snowstorm this year and everyone, it seemed was out sledding. Roby Park in South Nashua is a popular spot for area residents that even includes snowmaking. But with the weather being so warm this year, I haven't seen any snow being made. This day, the slope was full of people all out having fun, young and old alike.

The other thing about NH youth is I think they are cold blooded which explains why they wear sandals but no jackets in the winter.

Highest NH Peak

Highest NH Peak, originally uploaded by Winged Foot.

In case anyone was wondering, it is finally winter in NH...

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I know, two in a row from Mike...but I couldn't resist.

Breathtaking!

Obama at University of NH at Durham.

Obama at UNH 3, originally uploaded by edyment81.

I'm actually taking a picture of that guy on the ladder taking a picture of me...

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"I don't know what you guys did this weekend, but I announced I'm running for the presidency of the United States," said U.S. Senator, and presidential hopeful, Barack Obama, receiving wild applause from the crowd of 3,000 packed into the University of New Hampshire's Field House Monday night to hear him speak.

Obama Rocks UNH

Old Man of the Mountain

140-4094_IMG, originally uploaded by JeffS_NH.

Old Man of the Mountains

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NH's icon.

The Old Man of the Mountain

May he rest in peace. I don't think NHites will ever forget him. Truly the stuff legends are born from.

More links to good information on this natural rock formation.

The Old Man of the Mountain is No More

c. 30,000 b.c. - May 2, 2003

The Old Man of the Mountains: c. 30,000 b.c. - May 2, 2003 It was uncertain when the outcropping actually fell because clouds had obscured the area Thursday and Friday. A state park trails crew reported Saturday morning that the Old Man of the Mountain was gone.

On Saturday, May 3, the staff of goLittleton.com scaled the Old Man's former cranium to obtain visual documentation of the geologic mishap.
Three large turnbuckles, which had spanned an (ultimately fatal) fiberglass-epoxy covered crack, now grasp at thin air....

From Wikipedia

The profile has been New Hampshire's state emblem since 1945. It was put on the state's license plate, state highway-route signs, and the back of New Hampshire's Statehood Quarter, which is popularly promoted as the only US coin with a profile on both sides. Before the collapse, it could be seen from special viewing areas along Interstate 93 in Franconia Notch State Park, approximately 80 miles north of Concord, New Hampshire.

From About.com

In November of 2003, a plan to honor the legacy of New Hampshire's icon was finalized by the Task Force. The first phase of the plan was completed in May 2004 with the installation at Franconia Notch Parkway viewing areas of high-tech viewers that show what the Old Man of the Mountain looked like before it fell. An award to honor individuals and organizations for their work in preserving the Old Man's legacy was also established in 2004.

Phase 2 involves the creation of a sculpture-lined walking path around Profile Lake. The Old Man of the Mountain Legacy Fund, in cooperation with the State of New Hampshire, is currently reviewing proposals from artists.

The Old Man of the Mountain Revitalization Task Force also recommended construction of an expanded museum at the base of Cannon Mountain and possibly a large-scale replica of the natural wonder. Fundraising for this third phase of the project is still underway. You can contribute to The Old Man of the Mountain Revitalization Fund by sending a donation to: Old Man of the Mountain Revitalization Fund, c/o Governor's Office, State House, Concord, NH 03301.

Holdin' On

Holdin' On, originally uploaded by Wanderin'EYE.

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So, where has winter gone?

Punxsutawney Phil says spring in on the way...So what ever happened to winter this year??

From punxsutawneyphil.com:

Phil Says Spring is Right Around the Corner!

Phil's official forecast as read 2/2/07 at 7:28 a.m. at Gobbler's Knob:

El Nino has caused high winds, heavy snow, ice and freezing temperatures in the west.
Here in the East with much mild winter weather we have been blessed.

Global warming has caused a great debate.
This mild winter makes it seem just great.

On this Groundhog Day we think of one thing.
Will we have winter or will we have spring?

On Gobbler's Knob I see no shadow today.
I predict that early spring is on the way.