ki > .t.i/X\7Jiy..r«/ ^ 33 5r> .^OFCAIIFO% .^;OFCAIIFO%. ^^AavnaiH^ ^ 'J:?i3Df(vsoi^ ^/sa3AiNamv .^\^E•UNIVERS/A "5^ ^lOSANGElfj-^ ^tlIBRARY^/ %03nV3JO^ C5 .^\^EUNIVER% ^lOSANCElfj;^ o u_ %a3AINn-3V\V ^OFCAJ'PnD, ^OFCAlIFaff^ mis.. 55 > •r< A^UIBRARYOc. -^lllBRARYQxr .\WEUNIVERS/A o '^30>^ '^ > o "^aaMNn-jwv CO -7' O -"^ -«— k - ^.OF-CA1IFO% ^(?Aava8n# "^c^AHvaan^ &Aavaaii# ,^WEUNIVER% ^lOSANGElfj;^ ^OF-CAIIFO% o o %a3AIN(l-3V\V cw >• ^ so "^/^a^AiNH-mv^ vj^lOSANCEl^^ %a3AINn-3V\V -^lUBR -v;^llIBRARY<9/ 33 ,«;,OFCAL1FO% .^.OFCAIIFO/?^^ CD ^^Aavaani'^ ^(^Aavaaiii^ \WEUNIVF: .^WEUN!VER% (YO^^ ^^lllBRARYO^ ^ 1:3 ^ ,^\^EUNIVER5'//, <: ^lOSANCElfx> o ^ so AlIFO%, ^.OFCAIIFO/?^ CO =0 > .^OF-CALifO% THE HISTORY OF WEARE, NEW HAMPSHIRE 1735—1888. BY WILLIAM LITTLE, DAVID CROSS, JOSIAH G. DEARBORN", ABNER P. COLLINS, ROBERT PEASLEE, SYLVESTER C. GOULD, Town Committee tvho furnished the material. Jlubltshcti t)» the JToton. L0^VT:LL, MASS.: Printed by S. W. Huse & Co. 1888. Copyright, 18SS. By the Town op Weare. AA PREFACE. TO PRESEKYE the aimals of Weare was an idea long cherished by the citizens. Josiah G. Dearborn and Abner P. Collins each began collecting historical facts and family records about 1850; but a town history was not written. After years of waiting, a meeting was held at the town-house, March 1, 1882, to take measures to prepare and publish one. Twenty-eight men were present; John L. Hadley was chairman, and Albert B. Johnson secretary. They selected a general committee of twenty-six persons* to aid in the work, and a publishing committee, consisting of David Cross, Josiah G. Dearborn, Abner P. Collins, Robert Peaslee and Sylvester C. Gould, who were to collect material, write the book or procure a writer, and i)ublish the same when authorized by the town. At the annual town-meeting, March 14, 1882, five hundred dollars was appropriated towards paying the preliminary expenses, to be expended by the publishing committee, and John L. Hadley, Albei-t li. Johnson, Abner P. Collins and Robert Peaslee were chosen a linance committee to approve the bills. Under this arrangement many Abner P. Collins, John L. Hadley, Albert B. Johnson, Robert Peaslee, Moses A. Hodgdon, Daniel P. Woodbury, Zepliauiah Breed, Charles E. Hoag, * General Committee. George W. Colby, Jason P. Dearborn, Harrison Simons, Eben B. Bartlett, Ira Gove, Oliver D. Sawyer, Levi B. Laney, David Cross, Cyrus E. Wood, Sylvester C. Gould, William B. Gove, Josiah G. Dearborn, Manley TJaymond, Caroline Johnson, Mrs. Jessie Johnson, Dana B. Gove, Dr. James P. Whittle, Newell Evans. *-v*^ >r rr^cz.rd IV PREFACE. circulars were distributed. :i large amount of material gathered and a writer engaged. The town, at its annual meeting, March 12, 188.5, approved the action of the committee, instructed them to publish an edition of the historj' not to exceed one thousand cojiies, the same to be the prop- erty of the town, and authorized the selectmen to hire fifteen hundred dollars to carry on the work. The writer of this history made a beginning of the work about Oct. 1, 1884. To facilitate his labor he once had his residence for a short period in Weare. He also visited the town scores of times, climbed all its hills and mountains, saw all its sparkling ponds and lieard the music of each rill, brook and river. He went to the town-house, the meeting-houses, every school-house and each cemetery. He read every town book and report, all the church records, and for days listened to the tales of olden times. As the years went Ijy, his interest in this history so increased that the labor became a real pleasure. He was greatly assisted by the members of the publishing com- mittee. Josiah G. Dearboi'u and Robert Pe'aslee spared no effort, time or expense to procure information and perfect the work. They also gave particular attention to the history of the first set- tlers, — whence thej^ came, when and where they settled. This necessitated the examining of an immense number of old deeds, and a thorough search of the records of the counties of Rockingham and Hillsborough. As a result of tlitir labors, we have the excellent chapters on settlers and town lots, and one of the very best town maps. Abner P. Collins assisted them somewhat in this work. He also gave us many pleasant anecdotes, and, as will be seen, is the author of the excellent genealogy. Sylvester C. Gould aided greatly in furnishing ancient volumes and pamphlets, of which he has a fine collection, in procuring old manuscripts, in reading proof and in making numerous happy suggestions. Others who rendered nmch help were Jolin L. Hadley, Ira Gove, James Priest, Zephaniah Breed, George Simons, Warren F.. Collins, George C. Gilmoi-e, Mrs. Moses A. Hodgdon, Carrie E. Paige, Lucetta Foster and Jacob Follansbee, who had a wonderful memory of events. Many more gave in their mite, foi- all which we are exceedingly grateful. George C. Patten, civil engineer, of Deering, did much gratuitous PREFACE. V work in drattiiig and i)reparing the map, and also nica^urt'd tho altitude of Mounts William and Wallinj^ford. The town has been remarkal)ly fortunate in preserving its records (excepting those of the proprietors), and the first town book, the first church book, tlie Meshech AVeare papers and the Revolutionarj- war rolls are historical treasui'es. The lists of tax-payers and the census are new features, not to be found in any other town history. By the first the name of nearly every man, who has lived in town, can be learned ; and they also show a curious fact. — that tliere are now a third more tax-payers, \\heu the population is_but one thousand five hundred and seventy, than there were when it was jiearly two thousand eight hundred. The census gives the name and age of nearly every person living in town in 1887, and a hundred j'ears hence will be a most interesting document. The tables of longevity show that the present generation, instead of growing "wiser and weaker," as is often said, is growing wiser, healthier and stronger, and that about four times as many people now live to be eiglity years old as there were near ttie begimiing of the present century. This is due to better education, temperance and a more proper regard to the laws of health. We have tried to make this work a little less arid than the or- dinary town history. We think that many of the chapters will Ix* very agreeable, and that those on the "Olden Times,*' "The Pine- tree Kiot," "Game," "A Round Trii» to Salem," "Witches," "Farm- ing" and some others, will be found very pleasant reading. Of course, the chapters on "Roads," "Town Lots" and "Town Officers" are not to be read; they are only for reference or hard study. 'J'here is an abundance of matter in the book, and in this resj)ect it will compare well with similar histories. It is also well illustrated, there being over seventy pictures, costing more than three thousand dollars. The friends and pupils of Moses A. Cartland owe a debt of gratitude to Miss Carrie E. Paige, for soliciting the money and furnishing his excellent i)ortrait. The \\hole cost is about seven thousand dollars; and reckoning the time of each |)erson who worked, more than twenty years have been spent upon it. The nnstakes that we would correct are few and will be louud in the table of "Errata." The reader may fiiul some others, and it is hoped he will make the projjcr rectifications. VI PREFACE. We would return thanks for the many liospitalities rendered, par- ticularly to Josiah G. Dearborn, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Peaslee, Mr. and Mrs. Abner P. Collins, Mr. and Mrs. Moses A. Hodgdon, Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Bartlett, Mr. and Mrs. Harry H. Simons, Mr. and Mrs. Alonzo C. Follausbee, Dr. Abram B. Story and Josiah Dow Chase, whose home afforded us such charming drives and excellent views. In conclusion, we would recommend that in the future the citizens of the town keep records of the deaths and ages of all old people, fatal casualties, frosts, floods and hurricanes, comets and meteors, fires, the migration of birds, early and late planting, harvesting, the amount of crops raised and dairy products, the building of houses and mills, changes in churches, erecting of school- and meeting-houses, the laying out and improvement of cemeteries, industries and all other interesting things that may happen, and that these records be preserved. If this shall be done, then Weare, sometime in the next century, can have a better town history than has yet been written. TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAriER. PAGE. I. Topography and Names 1 II. Geology .... 14 III. Flora .... 20 IV. Fauna .... 30 V. Masonian Title 33 VI. Boundary Line 42 VII. Indians .... 50 VIII. Halestown 61 IX. ROBIESTOAVN 69 X. Settlers .... 93 XI. The French and Indian ^\ 'AR 120 XII. Incorporation 127 XIII. The First Church 140 XIV. Schools .... 1.56 XV. Courts .... 161 XVI. Additional Settlers . 166 XVII. The Olden Times . 179 XVIII. The Pine-tree Riot . 185 XIX. The Revolution — 1775 192 XX. The Revolution — 177G 203 XXI. The Revolution — 1777 209 XXII. The Revolt tion — 1778 222 XXIII. Ti 1 E R evolution — 1779 227 XXIV. The Revolution — 1780-81 232 XXV. The Revolution — 1782-S3 240 XXVI. The Friends or Quakers 246 XXVII. Game 254 XXVIII. Schools .... 265 XXIX. The Dark Day 275 XXX. The Antipedoraptists . 278 XXXI. Boundary Lines . 286 XXXII. Meeting-houses 296 VIU TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTER. XXXIII. The Congregationalists XXXIV. A Round Trip to Salem XXXV. The Shakers . XXXVI. The Small-pox XXXVII. The Universalists XXXVIII. Town-houses . XXXIX. The Antipedobaptists XL. Schools . XLI. The Freewill Baptists XLII. The 1812 War XLIII. The Spotted Fever XLIV. Meteorological XLV. The Militia . XLVI. Paupers and the Poor Farm XLVII. The Ministerial Fund XLVIII. Calvinist Baptists XLIX. First Freewill Baptists L. The Pound LI. Witches . LII. Masons Lin. Temperance LIV. Craney-hill Church LV. Second Freewill Baptists LVI. Third Freewill Baptists LVII. The Surplus Revenue LVIII. The Adventists LIX. The Railroad LX. Farming . IvXI. The Rebellion LXII. The Congregationalists LXIII. The Universalists LXIV. Roads LXV. Division of the Town LXVI. Cemeteries LXVII. Industries LXVIII. Miscellaneous LXIX. Town Lots LXX. Town Officers Genealogy Index of Persons General Index PAGE. 305 308 313 316 320 327 334 340 351 360 368 369 375 383 389 394 402 410 413 418 422 429 433 439 446 451 454 462 470 489 495 498 512 518 528 563 663 690 709 1033 10.39 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. William Little (see p. 021) Mount Wallingfokd, from Weare C'euter Mount William, from Mount William Pond . The Traveler The Dolmen The Great Boulder The Old Oak (at the south-east corner of the town) Plan of Halestoavn Pea8Lee's Mill (site of the tirst saw-mill) Sarah Dearborn Home of Sarah Dearborn ^[ouNT Odiorne Mount Lovell Mount Crotched View from Mount Dearborn (looking south) . View fro:m Mount Wallingford (looking north) Friends' North Meetint^-house .... Boundary Lines of Weare Birthplace of David Cross (see pp. 396 and 454) MoiNTs William and Wallingford Olive Cross (see p. 805) . The Old North Meeting-house ]\[OUNT KEARSARGE KlNCANOW'ET OR Dl'NBARTON lllLLS Plan of the Oi>d Soith Meetinc^ Hiram Simons .... (tEorge Simons .... Outlet of Mount Willia.m I'ond Residence of George Simons Site of Old Town-house Old Town-house Bestored . The Town-house Raymond Cave .... -house PAGE. Frontispiece 1 11 18 18 20 61 65 89 184 184 184 184 184 184 184 246 287 ■ 298 298 298 298 298 298 ;wi ;}25 ;{2() :v.n :«i 3:51 :!;u 332 337 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. North Weare School-house Home of Nathan G. Chase Summer Kesidence of Caroline Chase Tiffany White Mountains Mount Lovell Great Monadnock JosiAH G. Dearborn Phinehas Stone . Jonathan Stone . Phinehas J. Stone Calvinist Baptist Meeting-house (East Weare) North Weare Meeting-house East Weare Freewill Baptist Meeting-house David Cross James Priest Abraham Melvin John Bartlett . Oliver W. Lull . John L. Hadley . South Weare Meeting-house East Weare . Lewis Simons Moses A. Hodgdon James Simons Moses Sawyer Harrison Simons . Log Cabin Moses A. Cartland Harrison Hobson John Hodgdon Abram B. Story . Samuel C. Eastman Robert Pkaslee . John F. Colby The Old Colby Homestead Mount William and Barnard Hi Home of Moses Peaslee . Moses Peaslee . Mary (Johnson) Peaslee . Falls at First Mill Site Home of Samuel Philbrick Amos Stone .... Jonathan Marshall . PAGE. 340 348 348 348 348 348 349 365 366 380 394 433 441 454 456 465 467 478 490 492 529 531 535 542 553 556 563 598 628 629 631 633 663 783 786 967 967 967 967 967 971 994 1030 THE HISTORY OF WEARE. ADDENDA. REVOLUTIONARY WAR SOLDIERS. In Vol. Ill, War Rolls of the Revolutiou, published since this history was printed, appear the names of the following soldiers who served in that war from Weare or for Weare : Jonathan Flood, Samuel Dustin (of Hales- town), John Duston, Stephen Richeson (of Ilailstown), Joseph Tucker, Moses Basford anil John George. The last live were in Captain Kidder's company. Colonel Xichols' regiment. Parish Richardson, who in early times lived in Weare and had a famous dog case, moved to Acworth and was a soldier in the Revolution. ERRATA. The following errors have been discovered, which the reader is desired to turn to and correct : — Page 3 — Line 23, for "Lenoxville" read "Princeton." " 100 — Line 4, for " range three " read " range two." " 169 — Line 23, for "lot fifty-seven, range one," read "lot ftftj'-eight, ran^e two." " 300— Line 51, for " Sam ," read " Sam Waters. (I 349 — Line 45, for "Jeremiah Green" read "Abraham Green." " 409 — Line 21, for " 1847 " read " 1872.- " 519 — Line 6, for " range one " read "range four." " 525 — Line 21. Sarah Dow was not the lirst person buried in the yard. " 607 — Line 2, for " Sylvester Nichols hanged himself " read " Augustus Nichols shot himself." " 666 — Lines 9 and 10. transfer ". John L. Leach and Henry IT. Leach," to line 9. 671 — Line 55, erase " Mill site, 33." 672 — Line 9, insert "Mill site, 33." 673 — Line 16, for "John" read ■■ James." 675 — Line 47, insert " 6 " before " Isaac." 676 — Line 28, erase "Joseph George; 4." 679 — Line 11, insert "who sold" before "fifty." 680 — Line 1, for " 1741 " read " 1749." 680 — Line 19, insert "site 8, Perry A. Eaton; 9, owned by 'I'homas Raymond, occupied by tenants." 686 — Line 21, for "Patrick Brown" read " P.-latiali Brown." " 686 — Line 29, after " 4 " insert " Jonathan Worthley ." " 693 — Line 38, for " Jeremiah Peaslee " read " Jeremiah Philbrick." History of Weare, New Hampshire. CHAPTER I. TOPOGRAPHY AND NAMES. "VVeare* is an upland farming town, full of low mountains, high hills, sparkling ponds, winding rivers, rapid trout-brooks, and scores of musical rills. Its latitude is 43° 4' north ; longitude, 71° 44' west. It is in New Hampshire, county of Hillsborough, fifteen miles from Concord, the state capital, eighteen miles north-west of Manchester, and seventy miles from Boston. The town is bounded north by Henniker and Hopkinton ; east by Hopkinton, Dunbarton, and Goffstown ; south by Goffstown, New Boston, and Francestown; and west by Francestown and Deering. Its area is 36,628 acres, or more than 57 square miles ; and it has 23,892 acres of improved land. The average length of the town is over 7f miles; the breadth is 7 miles 110 rods, and it is the largest town, in territory, in the county of Hillsborough. t Weare has four elevations called mountains, fifteen considerable hills, two rivers, more than thirty brooks which have names, three ponds, and several small "tarns." MOUNTAINS. Mount Dearborn (1229), twelve hundred and twenty-nine feet high, has the greatest altitude. It was named by Prof. C. H. Hitch- * The mime "Weare" means an enclosed place on a river. — Sanftorji'* Ilist. of y. n.,p.421. tThe east line of Weave is S miles and -.'T ritils lonij, the west line 7 miles and 2.50 rods, the south 7 miles 110 rods, and the north 7 miles ami 0-2 rods. HISTORY OF WEARE, NEW HAMPSHIRE. cock, State geologist, on his map of the state, for Hon. Josiah G. Dearborn, who owns a farm on its south slope. The summit is surrounded by woods, obscuring the view; the west side precipitous, the other sides gentle slopes, with woodlands, fertile fields, and pastures, Caleb Atwood was the first settler upon this mountain, and his buildings were the most elevated of any in town. Mount Wallingfoed (1213) is very nearly in the center of the town. It has two crests: the west one twenty-three feet the higher. It was measured by George C. Patten, surveyor, in 1883, by leveling from North Weare depot. The name. Mount Wallingford, was given it because one of the original proprietors, Thomas Walling- ford of Dover, owned the lot which included it. Breed hill is a common name for it, from Ebenezer Breed, who once owned the pastures upon it, where hundreds of sheep browse every year. Its view is the most extensive of any in Weare. On a clear day, one can see in the south-west the woody crest of Duncan hill in Hancock; then to the west, Mount Pitcher in Stod- dard, the mountains in Antrim, and Mount Lov- ell's blue cone in Wash- ington. North-west are Sunapee's long blue ridge, Kearsarge's great dome, Cardigan's peak of rock, and Mount Carr's fir- arched bow. In the far north is the great White Mountains cluster, Moosi- lauke, with peak, crest, and dome, — a huge mass; Lafayette, sharp and needle-like, pricking the blue ; Liberty and Flume, conical haystacks ; Sand- wich's dome and White- face, Tripyramid with a gray slide* upon it, and LIST OF MOUNTAINS THAT CAN BE SEEN FROM MOUNT WALLINGFORD, AND THEIR ALTITUDES. Duncan hill, Hancock 2,003 ft. Mount Pitcher, Stoddard 2,170 " Mount wmard, Antrim 1,500 " Mount Tuttle, Antrim 1,700 " Mount Robb, Antrim 1,700 " Mount Lovell, Washington 2,487 " Deering hills, Deeriiig 1,300 " Craney hUl, Henniker 1,420 " Stewart Peak, Warner 1,808 " Mount Sunapee, Newbury 2,683 " Bald Mink hill, Warner 1,528 " Mount Kearsarge, Warner 2,943 " Mount Cardigan, Orange 3,156 " Mount Ragged, Andover 2,256 " Mount Carr, Warren 3,522 " Moosilauke, Benton 4,811 " Mount Kinsman, Easton 4,200 " Mount Lafayette, Franconia 5,25!) " Mount Haystack, Franconia 4,,500 " Mount Liberty, Lincoln 4,500 " Mount Flume, Lincoln 4,500 " Mount Osceola, Livermore 4,400 " Mount Welch, Livermore 3,500 " Sandwich Dome, Sandwich 3,999 " Salmon mountains, Sanbornton .... 2,300 " Tripyramid, Waterville 4,200 " *Made by the gi-eat rain storm Oct. 4, 1869. MOUNT WALLINGFORD AND MOUNT WILLIAM. Mount Washington, wliite and Lazy, and highest of all, seen over the middle }3eak of the last. And then a troop, marching Indian file to the east, are Osceola, Kancamau- gus, Passaconaway, Pau- gus, and Chocorua. Os- sipee, with huge, wooded and gnarly tops, stretches southward beyond Win- nipesuakee, " the Smile of the Great Spirit"; and Copple Crown, Great Moose, and the Blue hills of Strafford file away still further towards the south. Pawtuckaway, with its trio of humps, is almost due east; the twin Unca- " noonucs, south-east ; and in the broad south, Joe English, Wachusett in Massachusetts, Pis- cataquog, Temple, Pack Monadnock, and Crotched mountain with its ragged, scraggly crests. Two cities and seven villages, with their church-spires, tall chim- neys, and white cottages, are clearly seen : Manchester, Concord, Goffstown, Dunbarton, Gilmanton, East Weare, Hopkinton, Weare Center, and North Weare. Three ponds sparkle in the sun : Duck pond to the north. Mount William pond to the east, and Negro pond in New Boston, at the south. This view from Mount Wallingford is as broad and grand as that from any other mountain of equal height in the state. Mount William (1158) is situated nearly due east from Mount Wallingford. It is partly wooded, has a precipitous, rocky, eastern side, and was used as a sheep pasture by Mr. Abraham Melvin. Tlie crest is a bald ledge and looks down on Mount William j)ond. The view is similar to that from Mount Wallingford, but is not quite so extensive. Mouirt Washington, Coos C,293 ft. Whlteface, Watorvillc 4,007 " Kancaniuugus, Liverraore 3,500 " Passaconaway, Waterville 4,-200 " Mount Paugus, Albanj' 3,200 " Chocorua, Albany 3,.540 " Ossipec, Tuftonborough 2,950 " Bean hill, Xorthtield 1,515 " Mount Belknap, Gilford 2,394 " Copple Crown, Brookfleld 2,100 " Great Moose mountain, Brookfleld . . . 1,404 " Mount Bald, Brookfleld 1,500 " Mount Teneritt'e, Milton 1,100 " Mount Catamount, Pittsfleld 1,341 " Mount Blue, Milton 1,415 " Mount Blue, Strafford 1,151 " Blue .Job, Farmington 1,400 " McCoj' mountain, Epsom 1,590 " Mount Pawtuckaway, Nottingham . . . 892 " Uncanoonucs, Goflfstown 1,333 " Scribner hill, Goffstown 950 " Joe English, New Boston 1,100 " WaclAisett, Lenoxville. Mass 2,025 " Piscataquog mountain, Lyndeborough . 1,300" Lj'ndeborough mountain, Lyndeborough 1,.500 " Temple mountain, Temple 1,755 " Pack Monadnock, Peterborough .... 2,289 " Crotched mountain, Francestown . . . 2,066 " From Mount Misery .can be seen Great Monadnock, Jaffrey 3,186 " 4 HISTORY OF WEARE, NEW HAMPSHIRE. It is told, that Col. Robert Hale, with a party of explorers and surveyors, was traveling up the Piscataquog about the year 1735. From an open meadow by the river they saw before thera this mountain, and by mutual consent they called it Mount William, for Capt. William Raymond, their townsman, who led a company of soldiers to Canada in 1690, to fight the French and Indians. Some claim that the name comes from a Mr. Williams, a "squatter," who built his cabin upon its side some time in the last century. A dim tradition gives the name another origin : that, in early times, "a man on horseback" was journeying by the mountain, ac- companied by an Indian guide on foot named William. The latter was very tired, and the gentleman, pitying him, told him to get up behind and ride, saying, "Mount, William"; whence the name Mount William, — a somewhat improbable story,* which any one can believe, or not, just as he pleases. Mount William appeaijs on Carrigain's map of New Hampshire (1816), from surveys made in 1805. Mount Misery (1000) is in the south-west part of the town. Its top is covered with a large growth of trees, which do not hide the view. Great Monadnock and other mountains to the west loom up grandly from it. Hodgdon meadow is at its northern base, Ferrin pond at its western foot, and on its southern slope are some of the finest farms in town. Mr. Andrew Philbrick, who died at the age of eighty years, said it was so called because, when the surveyors were first laying out the lots, one of the men was taken sick and died on the mountain in great misery. Tliere are those who dispute this origin of the name, and Mr. Jesse Nichols tells how one of the first settlers, who often got tipsy and was terribly lazy, having frequently to cross this mountain in the hot summer, would sit down on nearly every stone he came to, "mop his forehead," and exclaim, "Oh, misery I " And from this the name. There is another tradition, but, as yet, we have found no one to vouch for it : that the surveyors found it very rough and rocky, and one of them, in agony, cried out, "Oh, misery! " A fourth origin for the name is, that there is a Mount Misery in * Zeplianiali Breed said the story was told him by an old lady who died many years ago. THE HILLS OF WEARE. O Hampstead, near the north line of Plaistow.* Some of Weare's settlers came from that section, brought the name along with them, and applied it to this mountain. The reader can take his choice of these legends, or find another to suit him better. HILLS. The fifteen hills of Weare are, with a few exceptions, situated near tlie borders of the town. Commencing at the south-east part, near Oil Mill, we have first the KuNCAXowET HILLS (1129) ; t ^ long ridge with many crests, which are in Dunbarton, but whose western slope extends into Weare and forms the eastern boundary of the Piscataquog valley. The namej is of Indian origin, from "kunnaway" (a bear), " wadchu" (a mountain), and " et" (a place) ; meaning " the mountaiti place of the bear." The hills are mostly wooded, but have some farms upon them. Sugar hill (1000) is a fertile ridge, two or three miles long, in the north-east part of the town, near Dunbarton. It has many fine farms upon it, and its name comes from the fact that rock-maple trees once abounded tliere, and maple-sugar was made. Burnt hill (1000) is west of Sugar hill and north of the Piscataquog. It got its name from extensive forest fires that once occurred upon it. Rattlesxake hill (1000) is nearly in the center of the north line of the town, and abounds with shelving rocks and abrupt precipices, forming dens and caves. During the summer season the rei)tile from which the hill takes its name is frequently found. § Rattlesnakes have been killed here since 1823. In old times, the farmers used to set the woods on fire and burn it over to destroy them. Pine hill (975) is in the north ])art of the town, Avest of Eattle- snake hill. An immense number of pines once grew upon it, whence the name. Mount Ararat (987), on the north line of the town, west of Pine hill, was so called by some student of Bible literature, in honor of Mount Ararat, where the ark is said to have rested. * Hitchcock's GeoL, voL iii, pai't 1, p. 170. tTlie hcifilit of Woaio's hills are taken from the contour lines on Cline's map. t Found so spelled on a state map made about 1704. It is sometimes spelled " Duncanowet." § Farmer and Moore's Gazeteer (1823), p. 256. b HISTORY OF WEARE, NEW HAMPSHIRE. Ckaney hill (1100) has three crests ; the lowest one in Weare, the other two in Henniker. It is said to have its name from a Mr. Crane, who lived on it ; but more likely from Craney pond, a sheet of water, with reedy, muddy shores, where cranes and other water birds once abounded. Hogback hill* (734) ; so called from its looking like a hog's back ; is a singular formation of river-drift, near the junction of Thorndike brook with the Piscataquog. Chevet hill (1000) is west of Clinton Grove and south of the Piscataquog. Chevey Chase once lived on its slope, and from him comes the name. It is covered with open woods, has a fertile pasture on its top, and affords a fine view of the neighboring country. It is also called Townly hill by the Quakers. Mine hill (1100). Iron pyrites and some other minerals are found on it, hence the name. It is in the west part of the town, half way from Mount Wallingford to Deering line ; wooded on its top, and has sheep pastures on its sides. Toby hill (976) f is near the middle of the west line, and is an excellent, fertile ridge. It was first settled by Samuel B. Toby, whose buildings on it were the second highest in town, and it was named for him. Odiorne hill (1050). Jotham Odiorne, of Portsmouth, a Mason- ian proprietor, being one of the twelve who bought out Mason, owned a lot of land on this hill, and the early settlers gave it his name. It is a pretty, rounded eminence between Mounts Dearborn and Misery; has several great boulders, travelers from the north, on its summit, and is called by Hitchcock, state geologist, Mount Odiorne. Boar's Head hill (867) is west of Mount Misery, near Deering line, and the name is from Great Boar's Head in Hampton, whence many of the early settlers came. It is covered with wood, and is very rocky. Barnard hill (937) is east of Mount William. It was so christened for Tristram Barnard, who once lived upon it. It has many good farms, with strong soil, full of boulders. Abraham Melvin, familiarly known as "Sheep Melvin," lived on it for more than three-fourths of a century, and annually raised hundreds of sheep. *There is another small eminence of the same name near Sugar hill. fN. n. Geol., vol. i, p. aS."). THE RIVERS OF WEARE. I Raymond cliff (650), a spur of Barnard hill, is a high ledge rising abruptly from the valley of the Piscataquog near Everett station. It has several caves, with a huge boulder at the entrance of one of them. Jeremiah T. (Hogg) Raymond once owned a farm at its foot, and immortalized himself by bestowing his name upon the cliff.* RIVERS. Weare has more than fifteen miles of river length flowing within her borders, but only two rivers. Piscataquog river is formed by three streams, called the north branch, the middle branch, and the south branch. The two first run through Weare, and the north branch is called by Weare people the Piscataquog. It is an Indian name, from "pos" (great), "attuck" (a deer), and "quoag" (a place); meaning '■'■great deer 'place^'' as Judge Potter says;t or, "a place for many deer^'' as a writer in the Historical Collections^ would have it. The correct spelling of the word is " Poscattaquoag." § In Deering the stream is sometimes called "Nomkeag," from "namaos" (a fish), and "keag" (a place) ; meaning "fish-place." Several small streams from Deering hills flow into Gregg pond. A dam at the outlet of this little lake allows the water to be drawn down twenty-three feet from high-water mark, thus making it a valuable reservoir. || The Piscataquog issues from Gregg pond, flows five miles in Deering, and enters the west part of Weare south of a central east-west line of the town. It runs almost due north about three miles, bows away to the east about five miles, then flows south six miles, and at Oil Mill village passes into New Boston. It receives the united waters of middle and south branches in Goffstown, and falls into the Merrimack at Manchester, about thirty-two miles, as the river runs, from its source. Twenty ponds and more than a hundred brooks help swell its waters. The river falls about three hundred and fifty feet from Deering line to Oil Mill Village, affording, for a small stream, one of the best water powers in the state. There are twenty-three mill sites where * There ai-e sonu^ oilier sinull eminences called hills : Leighton hill, north of >[ount Wallingforil; Hvintin^'ton hill, a part of Barnard hill ; White Oak hill, two miles north- west of Oil Mill, — a ^rreat place to hunt foxe.s; Green hill, east of Mount \\illiam; I'easlee's ledne, north of Green hill; Hear hill, in the west part of the town; and rase hill, a spur of lUirnt hill, so called from Col. Samuel Page, the first upon it. Also, Goulil hill is a part of Harnard hill. t Ili.st. of Manchester, p. JS. t Vol. viii N. II. Hist. Col., p. ^yl. §.See Capt. Daniel Pecker's .Scout Journal, />().s•^ It The dam is a huge earth-work, liOOfeet long, GO feet thick at ita base, 12 feet at its top ; was made in 1884 ; cost $12,000, and flows over 300 acres at a depth of 20 feet. 8 HISTORY OF WEARE, NEW HAMPSHIRE. (lams are or have been erected, and the water-wheels of fifteen mills in this town are now driven by it. Before the white men built dams upon it, salmon, shad, alewives, and lamper-eels abounded in its waters ; and its valley for many centuries was a noted huntino- g-round for the Indians. Middle Branch kiver rises in Haunted, otherwise called Scoby, pond, in Franeestown. It bows up from New Boston, and flows (a sluggish stream) for about one mile in Weare. It is so called be- cause it runs between the north and south branches, and we have not been able to find that it ever had any other name. The maps of the county and state do not show its course correctly. It is nearly as large as the north branch ; has seven mill sites on it, — there are none in Weare, — and it unites with the south branch near the center of New Boston. BROOKS. Weare's brooks joined end to end would make a stream near a hundred miles long. Most of them are never-failing, running at all seasons : now high and roaring from freshets and melting snows, then low and silent from summer drouth. The following are the largest : — Feerin brook, Enos Ferrin, whose house was near it, gave it his name, flows from Ferrin pond through the south-west part of Weare, turns the wheel of one saw-mill, is four miles long, and empties into Middle Branch. It has five aflluents.* Peacock brook. Mr. Andrew Philbrick said that old Mr. Zebu- Ion Carr, now long since dead, told him that it got its name from the fact that it would rise and fall like a peacock's tail. The rain pours suddenly into it from Toby hill, Mine hill, Odiorne hill. * Affluents of Ferkix brook : — Greex brook rises in a small meadow near the south road leadinK to Deerinfj, and abont one-tliird of a mile east of Deering line. It empties into Ferrin brook, right banlc, and was so called from Klisha Green. I.o( KE i!RooK, in the west part of the town from the east slope of Candlewood liill, is nearly a miU- long, and falls into Ferrin brook, right bank. Benjamin Locke once owne.s--MKAi)ow liuooK has its source near Candlewood hill; flows through a meadow of the same name: so called because it furnishcil. annually, eight loads of meadow hay, on P^lisha (ireen's farm; is one mile long, and joins Ferrin brook, right bank. l>iLY-PONi) BROOK, froHi Lily pond; fragrant in summer time with water-lilies; between Mount Misery and Ferrin pond; is one mile long, and enters Ferrin brook, left V)ank. F^IMONS I5UOOK, so called from .Joseph Emmons, a soldier of the old French and Indian war, rises on the south-western slope of Mount Misery; is one mile long, and runs into Ferrin brook, left bank ; it fails in tinu' of drouth. Cram huook, name from Nathan Cram, who once owned the laml through which it flows, is a small stream, one mile long, from the slope south of Mount Misery, and runs into ."Middle Branch in New Boston, between Ferrin brook and the Peacock. THE BROOKS OF WEARE. U Mount Misery, and Mount Dearborn, and causes its quick fluctua- tions. Two branches unite to form it : one from near Deering line, and the other from Clinton Grove. It is six miles long, and once had many beaver ponds on it; their old dams are still to be seen. It has eight mill sites now or once used. Hodgdon and Philbrick meadows afford an excellent place to make a reservoir, one and one- half miles long, half a mile wide in some places, and ten feet deep. The stream below the meadow has more than two hundred feet fall. What a busy, laughing, hurrying, useful little river it would be if the pond could only be made, the mill-dams built, and mills set at work ! It would be about the same, summer and winter, in rain and drouth ; and it ought to have hundreds of happy people dwelling on its banks.* Meadow brook gets its name from its winding through Dustin meadow, and an old deed from William Dustin to Charles George, made in 180G, thus calls it.f It comes down from the height of land west of Mount William pond ; is a rapid, loud-talking brook in spring-time and freshets ; was a good trout-stream once ; has three affluents, runs four miles in all; has seven mill sites; turns the mill wheels, or once did, of a tannery, two grist mills, carding machine, cabinet shop, blacksmith shop, and saw-mill, and falls into Middle Branch in Weare. In old times, a canal from Mount William pond was dug to its head-waters, by Jesse Hadley, that he might have a reservoir and make the stream a fine water-power. The water from the pond ran that way for a short time, when some good folks in the north part of the town, for the sake of their own mills and as they had a right to do, kindly put a stop to it by filling up the canal. Hadley took counsel, found that he could not legally draw the water from the pond, and gave up the enterprise. Ottek brook. When the land was all woods, trappers caught many otters on this stream, hence its name. It rises on the east slope of Mount William, has one branch from Gould hill, is five miles long; the first mile a swift, wild brook, then a meadow stream, full of deep pools, Avhere trout hide and otters plunge, a home for mink. Years ago, it had three saw-mills on it. It falls into Middle Branch in New Boston. *Crui!ii;u nifooK, iVoin tin- south slope of Mount Misery, prot its name from Moses Currier, an e:ui.\ settler, flows south-easterly two miles, ami is an affluent of the I'eacoek. tit is also called "Meadow brook " in a deed from Charles George to Peter and .lohu Dearborn, is'J.'i. 10 HISTORY OF WEARE, NEW HAMPSHIRE. Bassett brook is formed by two branches : one rises in Hop- kinton, the other in Dunbarton, and flows by the old Stark burying- ground. It is five miles long, famous for ti'out, and enters the Piscataquog, left bank, one mile below East Weare. Jeremiah Bassett owned a small farm by it, had a saw-mill on it, and gave it his name. It has one afiluent, in Weare.* Choate brook, so called from Simeon Choate, flows from Hop- kinton ; is four miles long, and joins the Piscataquog, left bank, a little below East Weare. A saw-mill on this brook, in Weare, stands within four feet of Hopkinton line. The brook has had many names: Asa brook, from Asa Choate; Parcel brook. Cold Meadow brook. Bald Meadow brook, Meadow brook, and may be some others. The road from Hills bridge over the Contoocook in Hopkinton, about which there was so much contention, comes down through its valley. A small branch enters it from the west. Center brook issues from Mount William pond; is rapid for the first mile, running under ground, like an African stream, part of the way ; flows through the north-east corner of Duck pond, then through the Center Square of the town as first laid out; has five mill sites and two mills ; is four miles long, and enters the Piscataquog, right bank, a little east of North Weare. As it runs through Center Square and the center of the town, it is called Center brook. It has two tributaries.! Dudley brook issues from Pleasant pond in Henniker; flows south-east through Dudley pond in Deeriug. Turns a saw-mill and grist-mill in the latter town ; enters the north-west part of Weare ; is four miles long ; a good trout stream, and runs into the Piscata- quog, left bank. A man by the name of John Dudley, of Deering, Avas its godfather. Mills have been owned on it by Runnels, Lover- ing, Bartlett, Breed, and Dow. It has one affluent in Weare. % Sall brook rises in a swamp west of Mount Ararat, and flows north beside the road from North Weare to Henniker, one-half mile in Weare, two miles in Henniker, and falls into the Contoocook * Alexander brook; name from David Alexander; is a merry, tinkling trout brook, from the Kuncanowet hills. It is two miles long, and runs into Bassett brook, left bank. t David C. Breed brook rises on the north slope of Mount Wallingford, is two miles long, and runs in an easterlj- coui-se into Center brook, left bank. It got its name from the man who owns Vac land through which it flows. ZKrnAMAii Bkekd brook starts near CHnton (;rove. is two miles long, and enters Cinder brook, left bank, not far from Duek pond ; so called from Zeplianiah Breed. X IlADLOCK BROOK is a T) HHODK, name from John Maxfield, is from the valley west of Barnard hill; three-quarters of a mile long, has one branch, and falls into the Piscataquog one-half mile above East Weare. Burrows hrook, AVilliam Fletcher Burrows gave it his name, from a spring on the north side of Breed hill, is three-fourths of a mile long, and empties into Max- field brook, left bank. It is sometimes called Breed brook. H\LF-MOON--MEAi)ow BROOK, SO called from the .shape of the meadow through which it flows, is three-quarters of a mile long; runs by what is called the " Honey Pot " into the Piscataquog. The Honey Pot is a deep spring, twenty-flve feet across, never-tailing, never is frozen more tlian twenty-four hours at a time, and sends a small rill to Ilalf-moou-raeadow brook. Moses Peaslee and a boy once caught thirty- six trout from it in less than half an hour, all weighing ten pounds. Stonixo brook rises in the Stoning pasture on lot two, range five ; is about one- half mile long, flows north-east, and falls into the Piscataquog. Its name is from Amos Stoning, who settled by it in 1780, and lived there seventy years. HousE-XECK bkook Starts in a meadow north of Mount William, about one-half mile long, a very crooked stream, crosses the highway twice, and enters Center brook south of Center Square. . Dow BROOK, Winthrop Dow gave it his name, comes from a swamp near Leigh- ton hill, runs a mile, or more, and falls into the Piscataquog. There was a tannery on it once. , , , , TiioRNOiKK BROOK, Thomas Thorndike lived by it, and the name of the Dvook commemorates the fact. It comes from the east slope of Chevey hill, the watershed between it and the Peacock being a ftnv rods south of the Friends' church at Clinton Grove. It is a mile and a half long, a trout brook; has one mill site, — a mill there once,- and falls into the Piscataquog a mile or more west of North Weare. SMALL STREAMS IN THE NORTH PART OF THE TOWN : — CILLEY nuooK rises near Hopkinton line, is four miles long, has a saw-mill on it,— once had two tanneries, — and runs south into the Piscataquog, left bank. John Cilley lived bv it, and it was named for him ; it has one branch. Fi:l('ii hkook comes from south-west of Sugar hill; two miles long, once full of trout, and unites with Cilley brook, right bank. Joseph Felch was the nearest neigh- bor to it, and it borrowed his name. Boo liiiooK conies from Moose bog, hence its name, and runs into the Piscataquog, left bank,. just east of the North Weare depot. The railroad formerly ran up its val- lev to Henniker. . „..,,. ,_ , WooDHi UY HuooK. a little, musical stream, runs by the home ol « illiam Wood- burv, and got its name from him. It falls into the Piscataquog, left bank. Hanson brook, in North Weare, is so called from Daniel Hanson, and empties 12 HISTORY OF WEARE, NEW HAMPSHIRE. shore. The water in its basin is forty feet and nine inches deep.* The pond was dug by the ice sheet thousands of years ago, and its surface contains one hundred and twenty-eight acres. t Its outlet is Center brook, and a dam flows the pond about six feet. A canal, cut early the present century, made, for a short time, Meadow brook its out- let. Many kinds of fish abound in its waters, which are clear as crystal, the bottom being visible at its greatest depth. It is sur- rounded by fields and pastures where high blueberries grow, and woodlands. Fishermen camp here days at a time, and some of the pious early settlers came here to be baptized. From a boat on its surface, one can see Mounts William, Wallingford, and Dearborn. Duck pond is near the center of the town, at the north foot of Mount Wallingford. Center brook runs through it. It has a great deposit of mud in parts of it, although some say it is bottomless, contains about fifty acres of water surface, is full of Avhite pond- lilies, and bushels of them, of the sweetest fragrance, are carried away every year. The pond seems to be filling up, or "growing over," slowly, and is surrounded by swampy woods, which abound with birds. Redwings, Maryland yellow-throats, and cat-birds are especially plenty. In primitive times, its tender water-plants made it an excellent feeding ground for great numbers of wild duck, lience the name, "Duck pond." Pickerel, eels, and horn-pouts flourish, and there is talk of introducing German carp. Reptiles into the Piscataquog, left bank. It had a taniieiy, owned by Pelatiah Gove, on it once, and is lost in dry times. DrsTix BROOK rises in Clougli pond on the east slope of Craney liill, near Henni- ker line; it runs south down a steep declivity, falling about seventy-five feet in a few rods, forming Chipmunk falls ; flows through a meadow where it nearly joins Sail brook, which runs north into the Contoocook, tlirough the Dyer Dow ponh," and falls into the Piscataquog, left bank. This pond is celebrated for being the place where Stephen Lee, a noted counterfeiter, hid his tools and dies, wlien hard-pressed bj' the officers. Many people hunted for the tools and dies, but never found them. Paul Dustin settled by the brook and gave it his name. Toby brook,' a small stream, starts on Craney hill, named for .Samuel B. Toby, one mile long, and runs south into the Piscataquog, left bank. Emkrv brook, Caleb Emery, a Revolutionary soldier, furnished the name, rises on Craney hill, by Henniker line, a fine trout stream once, two miles long, and Joins the Piscataquog, left bank, in the north-west part of the town. It is also some- times called Putney brook, from Nathan Putney. It has two branches. Coi.MNs brook, another Craney hill stream, is one mile long, and is a branch of Kmery brook, left bank. Reuben Collins gave his name to it. Ilrzzv liHooK, from Craiiey hill in Henniker, flows south one mile into Emery brook, left bank. .Joseph Huzzy gave the name. JoiixsoN BROOK, name froui Amos Johnson, sometimes called Horne brook, a nickname for .Johnson, comes from a spring in the north-west part of the town. It is one mile long, a trout stream ; runs south into the Piscataquog, left bank. Johnson had a daughter Dorcas, and the neighbors sometimes called it Dorcas brook ; it is also called Brown brook, from Enoch Brown, who lived near it. It has one branch. .SiiKARER ISKOOK, name; in honor of Samuel Shearer, is a branch of Johnson brook, a mile long, from the west. * Herbert Barrett measured it in February, 188.5, tlirough the ice.. He found it thirty-six feet nine inches deep; but the surface of the pond was about four feet below high-water mark at that time. t Geology of N. II., vol. i, p. 309. VILLAGES AND PLACES OF WEARE 13 thrive here, and a huge mud-turtle once caught by the nose a sheep that was drinking at this pond, pulled it into the water, and drowned it. Ferrin pond, in the west part of the town, — Mount Misery to the east of it, Boar's Head to the north-west of it, — contains about forty acres, and its outlet is Ferrin brook. It has hard, rocky shores, and is evidently a glacier-dug pond. An immense boulder stands at its head. Pickerel and horn-pout abound in its waters, and woods and rocky pastures are on its banks. Enos Ferrin, who settled near it, bestowed his name upon both pond and brook. Clough pond is high up on the east side of Craney hill. It contains three or four acres, and its surplus waters flow away through Dustin brook to the Piscataquog. A man named Clough lived near it and furnished the name. Lily pond No. 1, between Mount Misery and Ferrin pond, is the source of Lily-pond brook. Lily pond No. 2, on the Tristram Johnson place, east slope of Mount William, is circular in form, and about two hundred feet in diameter. In its center is a small island, which Winthrop Clough cleared and cultivated as a garden. John Maxfield, just a little crazy, afterwards lived at the Clough place, planted the island, and called it " Lord Maxfield's garden." Joe pond, at East Weare, contains about three acres, and is nearly three liundred feet in diameter. Formerly it had no outlet. Charles Black dug a canal to it and made it a part of his mill-pond reservoir. It abounds with fish, and is also noted for the great number of its Avater-adders. So called for Joseph Collins. There are many meadows where the first settlers found natural mowing, and some where an abundance of higli blueberries and cranberries grow. Green meadow is in the west part of the town, near the foot of Candlewood hill, an eminence in Francestown. Squamscot bog is at the foot of Chevey hill ; abounds in cran- berries ; and it is thought by some that it was the place referred to by Whittier, where the cranberries were picked for the marriage feast in his "Bridal of Pennacook." VILLAGES AND PLACES. Weare has five villages and several places with local names : Oil Mill, in the south-east part of the town, by New Boston line. 14 HISTORY OF WEARE, NEW HAMPSHIRE. South Weare, in the south-central part of the town. North Weare, in the north-central. East Weare, in the east-central. Weare Cexter, north of Mount Wallinorford, Clinton Grove, in the west-central. Everett Station, between Oil Mill and East Weare. Rockland, on the Piscataquog, east of North Weare. Boston, on the Piscataquog; a short distance west of East Weare ; one-half mile above East Weare station. Slab City, between Clinton Grove and North Weare. CHAPTER IT. GEOLOGY. Weare was once part of a nebula. Scientists speak of it as a nebulous haze or cloud, — the fire mist. "It contained the promise and potency of all future life." Out of the fire-mist have come sun, planets, and satellites. The spectroscope shows, in the chemical con- stitution of the nebula, all the successive phases of cosmic growth : nebula, sun, and planet. " They are as plainly seen bursting into life throughout the heavens, as the germ, leaf, and flower at our feet." As the nebula condensed, the earth was at first a fierv ring cast off from the nebulous sun, then an incandescent sphere, and at length a granite shell, its center a glowing mass. The planets are ancient fragments of the sun, freezing as they whirl ; the moon is a cold cinder of the earth. Once it was a live planet circling round its sun, the earth. When the hot granite shell further cooled, it increased in thick- ness, and hot rain fell upon it in torrents ; chemical reactions were produced, and disintegration took place. The cooling earth shrank in size, its crust crumpled, and great folds appeared as mountain ranges. Then the prodigous rains denuded and destroyed them, the debris was swept down into hot seas, and secondary rocks were formed. Strata of these on the surface of the earth are found many thousands of feet thick. The earth still cooling, and the crust GEOLOGY OF WEARE. 15 breaking, tliese strata, once horizontal, were tilted up, — inclined at all angles, — and these, in turn, gradually rose above the sea. The first territory now remaining to us, in New Hampshire, that was thus redeemed from the primeval ocean, is the back-bone or rj^ge extending from north to south sixty-one miles, between the Merrimack and Connecticut rivers.* Besides this great mass, there are in the state eleven or more smaller masses that appeared as islands above the sea. The largest of these, and next to the main ridge, is the north part of Weare, and another is Raymond cliff, north-west of Oil Mill village.f But this land was not permanent. There have since been numer- ous continental elevations and depressions, and the whole land surface of North America has been many times, for long ages, under the sea. During these periods many different kinds of secondary or metamorphic rocks were formed. Of these, only the deep-lying beds are found in Weare; all the later fossiliferous rocks have been eroded and swept away. Granite was the primordial rock out of which, as many geolo- gists teach, our present rocks are formed. It consists of quartz, feldspar, and mica, and has no planes of cleveage. No original srranite is found in Weare. The rocks of Weare are gyieiss and mica-schist^ and the many varieties of them. Gneiss is formed from the disintegrated granite, and it is much like it, but it has the mica and other ingredients in layers, and cleaves readily in the direction of the mica layers. It is a metamorphic rock, and a compact, hard gneiss is what is called granite, and is extensively quarried in this state. PoRPHYRinc GNEISS lias large crystals of potash feldspar, three- fourths of an inch to two inches long, of a whitish-gray color, scattered through a base of much finer material. Lake gneiss is simply a fine-grained gneiss. MiCA-scHisT differs from gneiss in that it has finer-grained mate- rials and consists largely of mica, with feldspar and quartz. It divides easily into slabs, — that is, is very schistose. RocKixGHAM-scHiST has the mica in coarse blotches. $ Ferruginous-schist is simply a mica-schist that has six to seven per cent, of red peroxide of iron. FiBROLiTE-scHiST is a mica-schist that has fibrolite crystals in it. *Geol. of N. II., part 2, p. 519. t Ibid., vol. i, pp. 512, 515. Xlbid., vol. ii, p. 576. 16 HISTORY OF WEARE, NEW HAMPSHIRE. MoNTALBAN ROCK * is a feldspathic mica^schist carrying crystals of andalusite, or some closely related silicate. These rocks are located as follows : — PoRPHTRiTic GNEISS t forms the two islands that were a part«)f the first land of New Hampshire : North Weare and Raymond cliff. Lake gneiss $ extends in a great mass, ten miles long, through Francestown, Deering, and the north-west part of Weare. A pre- cipitous cliff of it is found nearly three miles west of North Weare station, facing westward, and near the union of Dudley and Had- lock brooks. Other layers of it crop out near the west line of the town, and it comes within a mile of Clinton Grove. It underlies nearly the whole of South Weare, and extends along the slope of Mount Dearborn to Odiorne hill and the east base of Mount Misery. The porphyritic gneiss that crops out at Raymond cliff is wedge-shaped, and makes a notch in the lake gneiss. § Mica-schist forms Rattlesnake hill. There is an out-crop of it two miles north of Clinton Grove and a mile west, also near the west line of the town ; and Mount Misery and Odiorne hill are composed of it. Ferruginous-schist || is found on the summit of Mount Walling- ford and throughout the west part of the town. It reddens the mica-schist rocks. FiBROLiTE-scHiST** makes the top of Mount Misery. RocKiNGHAM-scHiSTft fomis the huge masses of Mounts Walling- ford and William and rests upon the lake gneiss. Montalban rocks tt are on the Kuncanowet hills. On the east slope of Mount Misery is a large mass of talc, of the variety called steatite, or soapstone. Moses A. Hodgdon has quar- ried a large amount of it, and his mine is seventy-one feet long, sixty feet wide, and ten feet deep. There are masses of mica-schist in it called "horses," — one thirty-five feet long, — and portions of the wall-rock are hornblendic. The soapstone is the same as that at Francestown, — may be on the same out-crop, — and both are characterized by massiveness, arising from the uniform dissemination of crystallized radiated bunches of talc through the rock. Minute *Geol. of N. II., vol. ii, p. 112. ^Jbid. vol. ii, p. 581. ft^Wd-. vol. ii, p. 581. t Jhid., vol. ji, pp. 51il, o'.s. || Ibid., vol. ii, pp. .575, 501. XX Ibid., vol. ii, p. G41. i Ibid., vol. ii, pp. 535, 5.37. ** Ibid., vol. ii, p. 590. GEOLOGY OF WEARE. 17 bits of pyrrhotite occur occasionally, but they do not injure tlie soapst one. * The minerals found, besides the soapstone and pyrrhotite, are arsefiopyrite, asbestos, and crystals of feldspar. A great change in the face of the country occurred during the early stages of the human period. A time of intense cold came on, and the land was deeply buried beneath a sheet of ice from three thousand to six thousand feet thick. It is hard to tell the causes of the glacial cold. Some attribute it to astronomical causes, — that the change in the eccentricity of the earth's orbit, in the precession of the equinoxes, and the motion of the line of apsides, whereby there was an excess of twenty-eight winter days more than summer days, caused it. Others think there was a great elevation of the continent near the north pole ; that it began in local glaciers, like those in Greenland now, and in time they became continental, ex- tending as far south as the fortieth degree of latitude. The ice overtopped all the present hills, even Mount Washington itself. It carved and ground down the rocks, made the valleys and ridges, dug the lake beds, carried square miles of earth and rocks on its back, and pushed out to sea- more than fifty miles. It piled up the moraines, long lines of waste; formed the lenticular hills, and left a layer of rubbish on the land hundreds of feet deep. It ground a rock blanket from the whole land more than a thousand feet thick. Some think the glacial cold began about two hundred and forty thousand years ago, and terminated about eighty thousand years ago. Others, skeptical, say that it all happened not more than ten thou- sand years ago. • The weight of the ice depressed the general surface in this section about two liundred feet When the ice melted, all our river-valleys were either estuaries of the sea or inland lakes, and the immense flow of water Hlled them full of sand and gravel. This was tlie Champlain period. After this the country gradually rose to its normal level, and the rivers and streams slowlv cut down throuo;h the gravels to the bed- rock, making their valleys and terraces. The time occupied to do this is called the Terrace ])eriod. In Weare there are many indications of the ice sheet: — Stbi^ are on all the rocks, which have been planed smooth. *Geol. of X. H„ vol iii, part 2, pp. 34, 113, 135; vol. ii, p. 390. 2^: 18 HISTORY OF WEAKE, NEW HAMPSHIRE. They are very distinct where the ledges have been covered up and not exposed to the M-eather. They show tliat the ice moved south about twenty degrees east.* Lenticular hills show it. Their trend is with that of the moving ice. They are composed of till or hard-pan, covered with soil. The till is of two kinds : blue till at the bottom, gray at the top, with a thin intercallary layer of sand between them. The blue till has polished striated boulders in it and was probably moulded under the glacier during its decline and departure. The upper till has angular boulders and it probably fell down when the ice melted. The south-east slope of Mount Dearborn, the top of Chevey hill, where the till crowns a high ledge, and many of the eminences in the south-west part of the town are lenticular hills.t The beds of Mount William and Ferrin ponds were gouged out by the moving glacier. Boulders by the thousands, on all the hills, were brought there by the ice sheet. Some of them are really curiosities. One on the south slope of Mount Wallingford has the form of an elephant; so much so, that nearly every one notices it. On the long south slope of Barnard hill is a vast navy of them, stranded when the ice melted. One on the farm of Mr. Alonzo C. Follansbee was pushed forward by the ice over the edge of a precipice. If it had gone six inches further, it would have plunged down ; but there it has hung, prow in air, through sunshine and storm, just ready to take its leap, for the last eighty thousand years. Another huge one, with a thou- sand lesser companions around it, is in an old pasture a half mile to the north. It will weigh more than two tliousand tons. Near the latter is what seems a veritable dolmen or cromlech. Like the others, it is a boulder of porphyritic gneiss, will weigh twenty-five tons, and rests on six smaller boulders, each about a cubic foot in volume, placed under it in regular order. It looks as though some huge giant had taken it up in his hands, held it, while some little giant carefully placed the six bed-rocks on the ledge, and then set it down gently upon them. Embossed rocks {roches moutenes) are abundant in town. Many ar^ found on the south slope of Barnard hill, among the boulders. Precipices on the south-east slopes of the hills show that the ice crept slowly from the north to their summits, then broke off and fell *GeoI. of N. H., VOL iii, part I, p. 190. f Ibid., voL iii, part 1, p. 297. J"3^ ^'^^5^- ^^'^ .^..c^^^^.W i^k^er^.^, ^■^Jfliij£lLi