1885 Map of Lake Winnipesaukee and Surroundings

[Boardwalk Bluesboy]

Hi everybody. Here is a rare, beautifuly drawn 1885 map of Lake Winnipesaukee (in color!), showing the route of the Lady of the Lake. The map was bound into the first edition of the Boston & Lowell Railroad's "Summer Saunterings", a guidebook to "pleasant places among the mountains, lakes, and valleys of New Hampshire, Vermont and Canada."

Here is a link to the book cover:

http://www.weirsbeach.com/Largejpgs/...unterings.html

You might be interested to know that it took me several hours of work to post the map to my website. First, I had to gingerly reposition the delicate map several times on the scanner and take several test scans before I determined the best procedure for scanning the map. I actually scanned the map in two passes, with one pass being the top half of the map and the other the bottom half. Fortunately I have a scanner with a legal-size bed or it would have taken more than 2 passes. Then, I used Photoshop to carefully stitch the two images together.

Here is a link to the full scale detailed map:

http://www.weirsbeach.com/Largejpgs/1885map.html

Those with the time can compare this map to the 1881 B&M map of Lake Winnipiseogee and Vicinity posted by Rattlesnake Girl here:

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...ead.php?t=4321

and note the differences.

Of course, the main difference being that these maps were prepared by competing railroads with competing steamships. Another main difference was that by 1885 the Boston and Lowell railroad had taken over the Boston, Concord, and Montreal railroad, and the line running past Weirs Beach was now called the White Mountains division. Sometime later the Boston & Lowell itself was taken over, by the Boston and Maine, which reached its peak in 1915, when it controlled 2300 route miles of track, traversed by 1200 steam locomotives, and had 28,000 employees.

These links originate from the WeirsBeach.com history page at:

http://www.weirsbeach.com/topten/reason9.html

With all respects to Rattlesnake Gal, I think you are going to spend more time perusing this map than the earlier 1881 map, as it is in color!

Enjoy!

[secondcurve]

This is excellent work. Even McDude would be impressed!

Thanks

[mcdude]

I LOVE old maps!...and yes I'm "wicked" impressed! The map even has my little lake way down the bottom of the map. (Hills Pond) On the newer maps an advertisement is usually placed over this area. Note that Sunset Lake was called Place's Pond back then and Manning Lake is known as Young's Pond. Thanks Boardwalk Bluesboy!

[Just Sold]

Great Map....I like McDude and Rattlesnake Gal love these old maps and the history they provide. Your links also provided a wonderful historical view of the Weirs too.

Thank you for your contributions here to the history of Winnipesaukee and the Weirs.

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Thanks for taking the time to share your map and information Boardwalk Bluesboy! I look forward to studying it more closely when I have more time.

[nj2nh]

The map is wonderful. Gotta question for you lake history buffs. I notice that Echo Point is referred to as Gerrish Point on the map. Any one know when or how the change took place?

Jersey Girl

[Merrymeeting]

Thanks! Two things I noticed...

I now understand why some may have wanted to rename it Mirror Lake.

I wonder when "Merrymeeting Bay" became more widely known as Alton Bay? (though the map does list the town as Alton Bay). Or perhaps it IS still Merrymeeting Bay?