A visit to a new friend turned into an excursion for us, and a trip down memory lane for her. For many years, she had summered in North Groton, New Hampshire. If you ask a Yankee where that is, you might get one of a few answers: “Never heard of it,” or “It’s just a stone’s throw away,” or maybe, “You ain’t from around these parts, are ya?” On a good day, you would get an eloquent person who is adept at giving directions, but actually with a good map, or a good direction-giver in the car, it’s no trouble at all to find the place.
After passing one of the famed Mary Baker Eddy residences (she founded Christian Science), we traveled a little further to see the outside and inside of the Groton Historical Society Building (seen below). This is an interesting structure. The foundation was created with un-mortared stones just laid one on top of the other.
There is a bell enclosed by stonework. It was moved to the site after the North Groton Church collapsed. While we are mentioning that, we will show you the plaque marker which is only a short distance away.
The plaque says this:
North Groton Church
Mary Baker Eddy, who as a young woman lived in North Groton between 1855 and 1860, attended the church formerly on this site and on occasion led the congregation in prayer.
This church was established in 1840 as a Union Meetinghouse for several denominations from 1913 to 1964. It was preserved by the New Hampshire Congregational Christian Conference.
In 1966, the church was taken under the sponsorship of Longyear Historical Society in recognition of the hundredth anniversary of the founding of Christian Science by Mary Baker Eddy.
During the severe winter of 1968-1969 the Church collapsed under the heavy weight of snow.
Mary Baker Eddy Historic Site, Maintained by Longyear Historical Society, Inc. (of New Hampshire).
Jim climbed up a ledge to try ringing the bell that sits right next to the Groton Historical Society. At the suggestion of our host, he also decided to take a photo of us from that vantage point.
Here is another shot of the bell.
One photo taken inside the former schoolhouse:
The Perpetual Lesson
Groton is a quiet town. Spectacle Pond seems to be a great gathering spot for fishermen and boaters in the summer. As far as we can tell, the town is not on the way to anywhere else, in terms of major destinations, although it is close in proximity to Plymouth, NH with its Plymouth University.
We thank Louise Traunstein for showing us around and for pointing out a couple of homes whose photos appear in our book about Ellen Webster. Mrs. “T,” as some of her friends call her, gave valuable assistance in our pursuit of information while writing the book, as Groton borders Hebron, the town where Ellen Webster was born. A retired school teacher, Louise volunteers as Archivist for the Groton Historical Society. She is a snowbird who wings her way to Arkansas, each year, until warmer weather again returns to New Hampshire.
Patricia Cummings
