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View Full Version : Where was "Edgemere" on Paugus Bay?


Waco1148
04-07-2025, 08:58 AM
I'm looking at the old schedule for the "Uncle Sam" mailboat from about the 1920s, and I don't know where Edgemere was. The mailboat trip started from Lakeport, the first stop was Edgemere, and the second was the Weirs, so it must have been in Paugus Bay, but I can't find anything about it.

The other stop that had me puzzled was Woodmere, the next stop after the Weirs but before White Mountain Park on Bear Island, but I think I have figured out that it was mailboat captain Archie Lewis's house, and it was on the tip of Meredith Neck, just before Horse Island.

After White Mountain Park on the south end of Bear, near where the trail goes up to St. John's on the Lake chapel, the next stop was Gypsy Camp, which I think was just north of Cattle Landing, followed by Lovejoy Sands, Fairhaven, (on the Neck across from Loon) Loon Island, Pine, Bear Island post office, Beaver, Three Mile, Sandy, Cow, Birch, Jolly, Mark, the Weirs, and back to Lakeport. That's the morning trip. The afternoon run left out Gypsy Camp and Lovejoy Sands, but included Pearsall's Landing on East Bear, and Dollar Island.

AC2717
04-07-2025, 09:15 AM
I want to say it is present Day South down, over near where the old Railway Switch is located near the shoal Marker diagonally across from Christmas island

Waco1148
04-12-2025, 09:25 AM
It makes sense that it would be on the Southdown side of Paugus Bay, since the people on the Boulevard side could have had mail delivered by road. I remember Southdown as being a dairy farm back in the 1960s, but I'm not familiar with a resort or group of summer cottages that would have needed their own mail boat stop. North of Southdown along the railroad tracks was pretty undeveloped in those days until closer to the Weirs.

Waco1148
04-12-2025, 09:54 AM
I was researching the stops that the Uncle Sam mail boat used to make back in the 1920s, and came across this from one of Warren Huse's "Our Yesterdays" articles from the old Laconia Citizen (later part of Foster's Daily Democrat).

I never knew there was a Sunday Paper boat, and I'm not familiar with several of its stops, so help me out here. Where were Pinehurst, New Point Comfort, Black's Wharf, Grover's, and Shore Acres? This would have been in 1907.

Taking the stops in order from Lakeport, I'm not familiar with Pinehurst.

White Mountain Park was on Bear Island, and the lookout tower was incorporated into the church on the south end of Bear.

I think Gypsy Camp was just north of Cattle Landing on Meredith Neck.

No idea about New Point Comfort, except maybe the name is derived from Old Point Comfort in Virginia which was a strategic location during the Civil War, but not sure if it was on Bear Island or Meredith Neck.

Loon Island is on the map and still a mail boat stop.

Black's Wharf-maybe where Y Landing is now?

Pine, Bear and Long Islands all obvious.

Wawbeek was a summer hotel south of Melvin Village, and Merrymount was between Melvin and Wawbeek.

Melvin Village we all know. Winnipesaukee Inn was where Geneva Point Center is now. Union Wharf was in 20 Mile Bay.

Grover's and Shore Acres-no idea!

And finally, the original steamer Belknap sank in 1841, so this must have been a different boat that I have never heard of either.

Text of the 1907 article quoted by Warren in 2007 is below. Hope this sparks some discussion.

"The Sunday paper boat, Steamer Belknap, had "commenced making its regular trips on Lake Winnipesaukee ... Steamer leaves the public wharf (at Lakeport) at 7:30, making a tour of the lake, touching at Pinehurst, White Mountain park, Gypsy camp, New Point Comfort, Loon island, Black's wharf, Pine island, Bear island, Long island, Wabeek, Merrimount, Melvin, Winnipesaukee Inn, Union wharf, Grover's, Shore Acres, returning to The Weirs at 4 and Lakeport at 4:30. Round trip, 50c. The trips of the paper boat afford an excellent opportunity for a delightful Sunday excursion on the lake."