Tile Mural

Tile 1 (2H) – Derry Town Seal - by Victoria

In 1993 the Derry Town Council approved the design of the present town seal. A competition was held among Derry school children. The winning design became the official Derry Town Seal and depicts the Robert Frost Homestead, First Parish Church, a quill that is symbolic of Matthew Thornton’s signing of the Declaration of Independence, and nine stars that are symbolic of New Hampshire being the ninth state to ratify the Constitution.

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The Derry History Tile Mural was created by the students of East Derry Memorial Elementary School in the spring of 2008 under the direction of Robert Rossel, a New Hampshire tile artist. Richard Holmes, Derry Town Historian, was invaluable as a resource for the history component of the mural. Each fourth grade student researched and wrote a paper on a Derry history topic and then created a tile to illustrate their topic. The mural hangs in the lobby of the school and measures six feet high by nineteen feet long. It was funded by the school’s P.T.A. and a grant from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts.

Tile 2 (3H) – Nutfield’s First Settlers - by Alex

In 1718 sixteen families of Scotch-Irish descent sailed on the ship, Robert, from Ulster Plantation of Northern Ireland to Boston. They then traveled to Casco Bay, Maine. There they endured a severe winter and in the spring of 1719 traveled south to Haverhill, Massachusetts. In April of the same year they traveled to Nutfield and settled there, building log cabins on each side of West Running Brook. The names of the men who headed these families were: James McKeen, John Barnett, Archibald Clendenain, John Mitchell, James Sterrett, James Anderson, Randall Alexander, James Gregg, James Clark, James Nesmith, Allen Anderson, Robert Weir, John Morrison, Samuel Allison, Thomas Steele, and John Stuart.

Tile 3 (4H) – Reverend James McGregor - by Cameron

The Reverend James McGregor was one of four ministers who accompanied emigrants on five ships that sailed from Ireland to the New World. They fled Ireland because of oppression, persecution, and lack of freedom to practice their religion. Rev. McGregor led a group of sixteen families who settled in Nutfield. On April 11, 1719 he preached his first sermon on the shores of Beaver Lake. For a number of years a cairn of stones marked the site, but during the 1920’s it was removed.

Tile 4 (2G) – The Purchase of Nutfield from John Wheelwright’s Grandson - by Tiffany

It was thought that in 1629 the Reverend John Wheelwright bought the land that made up Nutfield from Chief Passaconaway, leader of the Penacook tribe. The immigrants from Ireland purchased the title from John Wheelwright’s grandson on October 20, 1719. It is now thought by many that the 1629 deed was a forgery.

Tile 5 (3G) – First Parish Church - by Katarina

Founded in May of 1719, it is the oldest church, as well as the oldest organization, in Derry. The Presbyterian church had Reverend James McGregor as its first pastor. The first church building was built in 1722. In 1769 the parish erected the present building on East Derry Road. In 1822 the building was enlarged by cutting it in the middle, tying the two parts to teams of oxen, and pulling the sections apart. The middle part of the church was then built. One interesting aspect of the church building is that it has no clock on the side of the steeple that faces the cemetery. The reasoning for this aspect of the building design was that the dead do not need to tell time.

Tile 6 (4G) – Forest Hill Cemetery - by Bailee

In 1729 Robert McGregor, son of the Reverend James McGregor, deeded the land on which Forest Hill Cemetery is located to the town of Londonderry. Forest Hill is the town’s only public cemetery. Notable people who are buried at Forest Hill Cemetery are the Reverend James McGregor, General George Reid, John Prentice - Derry’s first lawyer, astronomer Walter Sydney Adams, Robert Rogers’ father, and Edmund Angell - inventor and Pinkerton Academy Headmaster.

Tile 7 (5G) – Ezekiel - by David

Ezekiel was a Native American who lived by himself on the shores of a pond located in the southern part of Derry. The body of water has been called Ezekiel’s Pond since 1722 and it is located on the corner of Route 28 and Windham Road. When the settlers from Ireland first arrived in the spring of 1719 they quickly used up the food they had brought with them. They had planted gardens but the food would not be ready for harvest until the fall. This, coupled with the fact that they were not successful at deer hunting, led to talk of having to give up their dream of a new settlement. Ezekiel heard this talk and told them where to find a plentiful amount of fish. The settlers traveled three days to the Ammosceaq (Amoskeag) falls on the Merrimack River, located in the future city of Manchester. Here they found enough salmon, shad, and eels to feed their community until their gardens were ready for harvest in the fall.

Tile 8 (6G) – West Running Brook - by Julia

When the sixteen families arrived from Ireland to settle Nutfield in April of 1719 they knew that in order to live and farm the land they would have to settle near water. They built sixteen homes from logs along both sides of West Running Brook. The lots were five hundred feet wide. They quickly cleared the land for a common garden as they knew they had to plant soon in order for the vegetables to mature before winter. This garden was either on James Gregg’s lot or just south of it, and was along the shores of West Running Brook.

Tile 9 (7G) – First White Potato Planted in North America - by Tim

In 1718 the Reverend James McGregor brought a sack of seed potatoes with him when he left Ireland for the new world. In 1719 these seeds were brought to Nutfield when Reverend McGregor, along with sixteen families, settled the area. In the spring of that year the seeds were planted in the settlers’ common garden, which is now the location of the Fairways apartments. This was the first crop of white potatoes to be planted in North America.

Tile 10 (2F) – Ocean Born Mary - by Kaylah

The legend of Ocean Born Mary tells us that Mary was born aboard the ship “Wolf” on July 28, 1720. Her parents were traveling from Londonderry, Ireland to New England and as their ship neared Boston Harbor it was stopped and boarded by pirates. As the pirates were raiding the ship, the leader of the pirates, Don Pedro, heard the cry of an infant. He told the parents of the newborn infant that if they agreed to name the baby Mary, after a woman he held dear (some speculate that it was his mother’s name), he would let the ship and the passengers go free. The parents agreed. Don Pedro then gave Mary’s parents a gift of Chinese silk and requested that it be used to make Mary’s wedding dress. Mary’s father died soon after arriving in New England and her mother re-married and moved to Londonderry, New Hampshire. When Mary married Thomas Wallace her wedding dress was indeed made with the silk that Don Pedro had given her parents.

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Tile 11 (3F) – Cargill and Gregg Grist Mills - Emily

Soon after the first settlers arrived, David Cargill was granted water rights from Adams Pond to Beaver Lake. He immediately built a gristmill at the eastern end of Beaver Lake. The Cargill mill was the town’s first mill and began operation sometime before February 1720. A small monument marks the site on North Shore Road. Cargill also built a fulling mill at the outlet of Adams Pond. A fulling mill was like a big washing machine where cloth was cleaned and fluffed.

The Gregg gristmill was built in 1722 and was located on the corner of Thornton Street and East Derry Road. A sign marks its location. A gristmill is where grain is made into flour. The mill consists of two large stone wheels, one with pockets. The grain and corn are placed in the pockets and the two stones turn against each other, crushing the grain and making flour.

Tile 12 (4F) – General John Stark - Kaan

General John Stark was born in Londonderry in 1728. His birthplace is marked by a granite stone on Stark Road. He fought in the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. He also fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill. His greatest achievement was as the General in charge of the Battle of Bennington, an important victory in the Revolutionary War. Many years after the war, when writing his regrets that he would not be able to attend the commemoration ceremony of the Battle of Bennington, General Stark wrote a toast to be given in his absence. The toast was, “Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils.” The first sentence of the toast is now the New Hampshire state motto.

Tile 13 (5F) – General George Reid - Quinn

Born in Londonderry in 1733, General George Reid led the local minutemen to the Battle of Bunker Hill. He served with General George Washington in the Revolutionary War and was with him at Valley Forge. He led the first New Hampshire regiment in many Revolutionary War battles and fought throughout the entire war. General Reid’s wife was also quite an impressive person. During the six years he was away fighting in the war Molly oversaw the building of their home, ran their farm and raised their children. General Reid died in 1815 and is buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in East Derry.

Tile 14 (6F) - Robert Rogers - Thomas

Robert Rogers was born on November 7, 1731 in Methuen, Massachusetts. He lived in Derry as a young boy. He gained notoriety during the French Indian War when he formed a band of fighters called “Rogers’ Rangers.” Robert Rogers’ assistant was John Stark of Derry. This legendary group of men, who fought for the British, was able to fight under difficult conditions and in mountainous terrain. Robert Rogers was very tricky. In the “Battle on Snowshoes,” a surprise attack made the Rangers lose lots of men. Rogers escaped, slipped on his snowshoes, and went down a hill. On the way he dropped his coat which made everyone think he was dead. During the Revolutionary War Rogers was considered a spy and jailed by George Washington. After the war he went to England where he died in 1795.

Tile 15 (7F) – Dr. Matthew Thornton - Jarod

Dr. Matthew Thornton was born in Ireland in 1714. His family immigrated to America when he was three years old. After completing his medical training in Leicester, Massachusetts in 1740, he moved to Londonderry to set up his medical practice. He was both a physician and a surgeon. In 1745 he served as surgeon to the New Hampshire troops on their expedition to Cape Bretton. He was a Londonderry Town Selectman, President of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, and an Associate Justice of the Superior Court of New Hampshire. He helped write New Hampshire’s first state constitution, which was the first state constitution adopted when the colonies’ battle with the British began. Matthew is best known as one of the three New Hampshire men to sign the Declaration of Independence. In 1780 he moved to a farm near Exeter, New Hampshire. He died in 1803 at the age of 89.

Tile 16 (8F) – Londonderry Linen - Ashley

The early Scotch-Irish settlers brought flax seed with them from Ireland. They planted and harvested it and wove the first linen in North America. It was called Londonderry Linen. It was considered very fine quality linen and it commanded a high price. Because of this, others tried to pass their linen off as Londonderry Linen. On September 28, 1748, the town voted to create a seal to mark all Londonderry Linen to prevent others from marketing their poorer grades of linen under the name. The museum at Montecello, Thomas Jefferson’s home, has on display shirts worn by both Presidents Jefferson and Washington that bear the stamp of the Londonderry Linen seal.

Tile 17 (9F) – The First Post Office in Derry - Anthony

The first Post Office in Derry, then called Londonderry, was established on September 30, 1795. George Washington was President at the time. It was located in Thom Tavern in the Upper Village (East Derry). Dr. Isaac Thom was the Postmaster. The tavern stood at the north side of what is now Hampstead Road, across from the present brick house that was the first bank in town. The Post Office was moved in 1817 to the Lower Village (Derry Village). In 1827 when Derry was incorporated as a town the Post Office’s name was change to the Derry Post Office.

Tile 18 (10F) – Cate House - Natalie

Cate House is believed to be the oldest house in Derry. It is located across from West Running Brook Middle School at 49 South Main Street. Historians believe it was built by James Gregg in 1730 to replace a log hut he had built in 1719. The Circle of Friends School and Day Care is presently located there.

Tile 19 (11F) – Gregg Garrison House - Amanda

Soon after the settlers arrived in Nutfield they built two garrison houses for protection from the Indians. The Gregg Garrison House was one of these houses and was the first house in the village section of Londonderry. It was built in 1723 on the corner of what is now East Derry Road and Thornton Street. It was a garrison style house built for James Gregg. The stone mason was Archibauld Stark, the father of General John Stark. In 1810 the house was torn down and rebuilt. The new house remained in the Gregg family until 1866 and it is presently used as a family residence.

Tile 20 (2E) – Londonderry Turnpike - Nico

On June 12, 1804 five men were given permission by the New Hampshire Legislature to build a road from Concord, New Hampshire to the state line at Andover, Massachusetts.

The men were John Prentice, John Dinsmore, John Montgomery, William Kent, and James Pinkerton. The Londonderry Turnpike opened in 1806. It ran along the present routes 28 and 28 bypass. Soon businesses were established along the route and the business center of Derry shifted from the Upper Village (East Derry) to the Lower Village (Derry Village). The Lower Village remained the business center until the opening of the Manchester & Lawrence Railroad in 1849, attracting businesses to the Depot area or West Derry.

Tile 21 (3E) - Concord Coach & Boynton Tavern - Angel

The first Concord Coach was built in 1827 by the Abbot Downing Company in Concord, New Hampshire. Because of the use of leather strap braces under the company’s stagecoaches, they were considered the most comfortable coaches made. Instead of a jolting up and down motion of typical spring suspensions, they had a swinging motion. In his 1861 book, Roughing It Mark Twain said that the Concord coach was like, “a cradle on wheels.” In addition to being comfortable, Concord coaches were attractively painted.

Concord coaches traveled along the Londonderry Turnpike, which ran through Derry. One stop along the way was Boynton Tavern, located on the corner of Lawrence Road and route 28. Between forty to fifty people could spend the night there, sometimes sleeping five to a bed. There was a tollgate just north of Boynton Tavern. Stagecoaches were quickly replaced with the railroad when it came to town in 1849.

Tile 22 (4E) – Pinkerton Tavern - Josh

Deacon James Pinkerton built Pinkerton Tavern in 1813. Mr. Pinkerton had many employees and, being a kind and generous man, he allowed them to live in his home. The home also functioned as a general store and a tavern. A unique feature of the house is the spiral staircase, which was not common in this area in the 1800’s. Mr. Pinkerton had it built in England and shipped here.

Tile 23 (5E) – Taylor Mill - Tucker

Taylor Mill is located on Island Pond Road. In 1799 Robert Taylor purchased the land and built the sawmill. Taylor began operating the up and down mill in 1805. After the Civil War Taylor converted the mill to a circular saw. In 1939 the sawmill was sold to Ernest Ballard. He and his wife spent two years rebuilding the mill. They restored it to the original up and down saw. It runs at about 60 strokes per minute. The sawmill can cut logs up to 10 feet long and 28 inches in diameter. The Ballards also bought a water wheel for $3,000. It was 6 feet wide, 12 feet in diameter, had 40 buckets, and weighed 1,000 pounds. The Ballards donated the property, which included the sawmill, the house, and the entire 71 acres of land, to the state of New Hampshire in 1953. It is now known as Taylor Mill Historic Site and Ballard State Forest. A demonstration on how the mill operates is held twice a year.

Tile 24 (6E) – Pinkerton Academy - Josh

In 1814 John Pinkerton and Elder James Pinkerton created Pinkerton Academy, presently the largest independent academy in America. The first building is now known as the Old Academy or the Mackenzie building. There were 71 students who attended during the first year – 44 boys and 27 girls. The tuition was $2.00 per term. Students came to the preparatory school from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine. Between 1821 and 1853 there were no girls at Pinkerton Academy. Girls attended Adams Female Academy. As of 2009 there are about 3,500 students enrolled at Pinkerton Academy and they come from the towns of Derry, Chester, and Hampstead. There are 18 buildings on the 65-acre campus. The famous poet, Robert Frost, was an English teacher at the academy from 1906 to 1911. The Pinkerton sports teams were once named the “Big Reds” until a former student, Alan Shepard, became the first American in space. The teams were then renamed to the “Astos”.

Tile 25 (7E) – Adams Female Academy - Emily

Pinkerton Academy closed its doors to girls in 1821. Because of this in 1823 Jacob Adams set up an endowment of $4,000 in order to create a high school for girls. The old Upper Village classical high school, which had closed in 1814, was rebuilt and moved to Lane Road. The new school was opened in April of 1824 and was called Adams Female Academy. Girls came from all over New England to attend the academy. Tuition per term ranged from $4.00 to $5.00. Its first head of school was Miss Zilpah P.Grant. Her assistant was Mary Lyon, who went on to found Mount Holyoke Seminary (College), the first women’s college in the United States. Adams Female Academy had a dormitory located on the corner of Hampstead and Old Chester Roads. This building was later converted into a hotel and named, “The Elms.” In 1825 the Marquis de Lafayette visited Adams Female Academy, much to the excitement of the girls at the school. In 1853 Pinkerton Academy began admitting women again and the enrollment at Adams Female Academy began to decline. The school was closed in 1886. In 1887 the school became part of the Derry school system. The school building is now a private home. Jacob Adams, the school’s benefactor, is buried in Forest Hill Cemetery.

Tile 26 (8E) – Mary Lyon - Julianna

Mary Lyon was born on February 28, 1797 in Buckland, Massachusetts. Mary was a happy, energetic girl who was eager to learn. Because of her intellectual ability and her enthusiasm for learning she was able to go to college for free. After college she taught at various schools, among them was Adams Female Academy in Derry. From her salary she saved all the money she could in order to build her dream – a school for girls. With the help of some advisers she was able to raise funds for her dream school and on November 8, 1837 Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley, Massachusetts, was opened. It later became Mount Holyoke College. Mary Lyon served as its principal for twelve years. She was a teacher who devoted her life to educating and helping girls. She believed that women should have an education equal to men, which most people did not believe back then. Mary Lyon died on March 5, 1849 and is buried on the Mount Holyoke College grounds.

Tile 27 (9E) – The Elms - Nicole

The Elms was built in 1825 and was located at the corned of Lane and Hampstead Roads. Originally it was a dormitory and boarding house for girls who attended Adams Female Academy. When the academy closed in 1886 the building became a forty-room summer hotel. It was at this time that the building earned its name, as there were a number of tall elm trees shading it. Since the electric cars of the Chester & Derry Railroad passed by it, the hotel was in a very good location for summer vacationers. The Elms was destroyed by fire in the spring of 1907. It was not rebuilt.

Tile 28 (10E) – The Towns that made up Nutfield - John

In 1719 immigrants came from Ireland and settled in the southeastern part of the present New Hampshire. They called their settlement Nutfield because of the abundance of chestnut, butternut, and walnut trees. In 1722 the settlers were granted a town charter and they then changed the name of the town to Londonderry. In 1742 an area in the southeast part of Londonderry broke away and formed the town of Windham. Eight years later, in 1750, a section of Windham separated to form the town of Salem. In 1751 an area in the northern part of Londonderry separated and formed part of the town of Derryfield. The town’s name was later changed to Manchester. In 1778 an area in the southwest part of Londonderry separated and formed the town of Hudson. And finally, in 1827, the eastern part of Londonderry separated and formed the town of Derry. The town was named after the port city in the northern section of Ireland. The Gaelic word, doire, means oak woods.

Tile 29 (11E) - First Bank in Derry - Rachel

The first bank in Derry opened in 1829. The bank building was made out of brick and was located in the Upper Village. The first president was Allanson Tucker and the cashier was James Thom. They ran the bank for twenty years. Derry Bank operated until 1849.

Tile 30 (12E) – Manchester & Lawrence Railroad and Nashua & Rochester Railroad - Ben

Construction began on the Manchester & Lawrence Railroad in 1848 but, because of a construction controversy, it was not completed until 1849. The cost to build the railroad was a little more than $500,000. The route chosen for the railroad line was through the west part of Derry because that was the flattest part of town. The railroad line had a total of eleven locomotives. It was the main reason Harvey Pearly Hood chose Derry as the location for his dairy farm. After five years of operation, the Manchester & Lawrence Railroad was taken over by the Concord Railroad. Eventually the Boston & Maine Railroad took control of the railroad on September 1, 1887. On March 1, 1860, on his way to a speaking engagement in Concord, future president Abraham Lincoln took the 8:30 a.m. train from Lawrence to Manchester, passing through Derry. Passenger service ended in 1953 and freight service ended in 1980.

The Nashua and Rochester Railroad began operating in November of 1874. In 1873, when Josiah Hubbard of East Derry realized the railroad would go right through his land, he would only agree to let the railroad run through his land if the company would build a station on it. He also stated, “I or one of my heirs will always be Station Agent and in the event you close it up, the sum of $300.00 will be paid to me or my heirs.” Hubbard Station was closed in 1934 and the agreed upon sum was paid. In 1883 the railroad combined with the Worcester & Nashua Railroad to form the Worcester, Nashua & Rochester Railroad. The Boston & Maine Railroad leased the railroad in 1886 and it became Boston & Maine’s main line for its Worcester, Nashua & Portland Division. During the summers the famed “Bar Harbor Express” ran along its rails from Washington, D.C. to Bar Harbor, Maine. It made its last run on Labor Day, 1960.

Tile 31 (13E) – Derry Depot - Jeffrey

When the Manchester to Lawrence railroad was built through Derry in 1849, Derry Depot Station was built to service the passengers. The railway opened up industry to the town, bringing large shoe factories, stores, and hotels to the once quiet town. It also brought vacationers to Beaver Lake, which helped the town’s economy. A fire destroyed the original depot in 1882 and it was replaced with the present building, which is now a restaurant.

Tile 32 (14E) - Harvey Perley Hood - Whitney

Harvey Perley Hood moved to Derry Village in 1856. He had been living in Boston, running a one-man milk route. Derry was an attractive town to start his wholesale milk business because of the Manchester & Lawrence Railroad that had been built through West Derry a few years earlier. Milk products could be transported by rail cars from Derry to Boston in about one hour. Hood first purchased the Murdock-White farm located at the present site of the Fairways Apartments. He then bought Redfield Farm and re-named it Hoodcroft Farm. His farmhouse was the present Chen’s Chinese Restaurant on East Broadway and the present Hoodcroft Country Club served as pasture land for his cows. His farm comprised 320 acres. H.P. Hood was very innovative in his business, always looking for better ways to produce and handle his dairy products. As Harvey grew older, his sons joined the business and it was re-named H.P. Hood and Sons in 1890. The company is now named H.P. Hood, Inc. and is headquartered in Chelsea, Massachusetts. The Hood family was very generous to the town of Derry. Among its gifts are Gilbert H. Hood Middle School, the first Alexander Eastman Hospital, the two Hood Parks, Hoodcroft Country Club, and the development of Hood Plaza.

Tile 33 (2D) – Hood Park - Jordyn

Hood Park and Hood Pond are located on Rollins Street. H.P. Hood needed large amounts of ice to cool his dairy products. A big icehouse was built on the shores of Hood Pond. Each winter, when the ice reached a thickness of about 14 inches, blocks of ice that measured about 44 inches square were cut. They were placed on a steam-powered conveyer belt and moved to the icehouse, shaved to a uniform size, and placed in the icehouse. The large conveyer belt, or ice run, resembled a rollercoaster. Today Hood Park is a center for town recreation. Some of the activities offered at the park are swim lessons, tennis lessons, volleyball, Tai Chi, yoga, softball clinics, baseball, and basketball. The park also has a waterfront area with docks, a fishing dock, concession stand, picnic tables and a playground area.

Tile 34 (3D) - Ben Chase Company - Rachel

Benjamin Chase, Jr. was born in Auburn, New Hampshire in 1832. He only went to school through the fifth grade. He became a great inventor. Chase designed and built machines that made plant tags, tongue depressors, and many other wooden labels for trees and shrubs. His factory was located in Derry Village near the traffic circle and was a leader in the manufacturing of these wooden products. The company was first opened in 1867, but burned down in 1910. Chase rebuilt in 1912. The first electric lights in Derry were used in Benjamin Chase’s factory. The Benjamin Chase Co. is still in operation and is located on Liberty Drive in Londonderry. The former mill is now used as apartments and condominiums.

Tile 35 (4D) – East Derry General Store - Joseph

East Derry Store General Store has been open since 1860. It was originally located at Gildon’s Corner. In 1865 the store was moved one half mile to its present location. For a time is was known as the Parker General Store. The second floor was used as a hall for meetings and displays of historical documents. The Masonic Lodge met on the third floor. Now there is an apartment over the store and the storekeeper usually lives there. In 1870 the Post Office was moved into the building and it continues to operate as the East Derry Post Office.

Tile 36 (5D) – Colonel William Pillsbury - Shannon

Colonel William Pillsbury was born in Sutton, New Hampshire in 1833. When he was three years old his parents moved to Londonderry. As a teenager he worked as a shoemaker in shops in Manchester, New Hampshire and also Massachusetts. In 1860 he opened a small, ten-foot by ten-foot shoe shop in Londonderry. Soon after that he enlisted with the fourth New Hampshire Infantry to fight in the Civil War. During his military service he was recognized as an outstanding leader. In July 1865 he returned to work in his little shoe shop in Londonderry. Five years later he decided to expand his business. With the backing of a Boston company, Pillsbury became the manager of a shoe making business located on Broadway in the Depot area of Derry. In only nine months the shop grew from thirty employees to one hundred twenty-five employees, and by 1895 he was employing 700 workers. Pillsbury and his son, Rosecrans, purchased the company in 1899. They called the new company W.S. & R.S. Pillsbury Shoe Company. In 1900 the company was producing two million pairs of shoes a year. William Pillsbury also owned a number of stores and tenements. In 1985 he formed the Citizens Building Association, which was instrumental in the development of Broadway. Both William Pillsbury and his son, Rosecrans, contributed charitable gifts to various Derry organizations. The land on which the Adams Memorial Building is located was a gift from Rosecrans Pillsbury. When William Pillsbury died in 1911 his obituary in the Derry News referred to him as, “the man who made Derry.”

Tile 37 (6D) – Association Hall - William

In 1870 a house belonging to Leonard Brickett at 1 Pinkerton Street burned down. In 1875 the Derry Building Association bought the empty lot and on it built Association Hall. It is a French style building with a mansard roof. Over the years the building has been used by many organizations for a variety of functions. The building has three stories. The basement was used for storage of fire equipment. The first floor held two store spaces. Over time some of the businesses that operated there were a drug store, a dress shop, a cobbler, the post office, and a bakery. On the second floor was the hall itself, where entertainment, speakers, dances, and public meetings took place. Saint Mark’s Masonic Lodge was on the third floor until 1924. In 1900 the Ladies Benevolent Society of Central Congregational Church bought a half interest in the building and used it for their many events. In 1906 one of Robert Frost’s poems was read at a men’s league dinner held in Association Hall. This led to Frost’s job as a teacher at Pinkerton Academy, and his later fame as a poet. In 1921 Central Congregational Church purchased the remaining half interest in the building. In 1970 they sold it when they built Fellowship Hall. Association Hall is now a commercial building and is the home of Academy Antiques.

Tile 38 (7D) – Upper Village Hall - Danielle

Upper Village Hall, also know as Town House, was built in 1876. Public money was used to construct it at a cost of $7,000. The primary use for the hall was for meetings. Taylor Library, Derry’s first library, was located on the second floor of the hall from 1878 to 1930. The Town Hall was also used as a fire station. In 1934 swinging doors were installed on a section of the Town Hall in order to house the East Derry fire equipment.

Tile 39 (8D) – Walter Sydney Adams - Nicole

Walter Sydney Adams was born in Turkey on December 20, 1876. His parents, who were missionaries, had once lived in Derry and moved back to the town in 1886. The Adams family lived on Crescent Street and Walter attended the two-room school house that is now the Superintendent of School’s office. He attended Pinkerton Academy for two years and then attended Andover Academy. In 1898 Walter received his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth and he went on to receive degrees from the University of Chicago, the University of Munich, Columbia, Princeton, and the University of Southern California. His passion was astronomy. He was an astronomer at Mount Wilson Observatory in California from 1904 to 1923 and served as its director from 1923 to 1946. He earned an international reputation as a brilliant astronomer. During his career he made many valuable discoveries and received many awards, including seven honorary doctorates. To honor him the International Astronomical Union named a crater on the moon, a crater on Mars, and a small planet in our solar system (asteroid 3-1-4-5) after him. He died on May 11, 1956 in California. Richard Holmes, Derry Town Historian, wrote a song to honor Walter Sydney Adams:

Twinkle, twinkle little star,

Now we know just who you are.

Walter Adams is your name,

One of Derry’s claim to fame.

In Derry town you are alive

But now you’re asteroid 3-1-4-5.

Tile 40 (9D) - Mary Danforth - Sarah

Mary Danforth was born on May 18, 1853. She graduated from Pinkerton Academy in 1869. She was a teacher and a great disciplinarian. Mary decided to enter the medical profession and became the first New Hampshire female doctor to gain admittance into the New Hampshire Medical Society. Her family’s home was located in Derry Village before it was torn down to make room for the traffic circle which bears her name, Danforth Circle.

Tile 41 (10D) - First Issue of the Derry News - Alyssa

The first issue of the Derry News was printed on December 3, 1880. Charles Bartlett, a twenty-two year old law student, was the publisher and editor. His cousin, Nathaniel Bartlett, printed the weekly newspaper at his printing business in Derry Village. The charge for a year’s subscription was one dollar. Single issues cost three cents. In 1881 Charles sold the newspaper to his cousin, Charles. On September 11, 1903 E. P. Trowbridge purchased the newspaper and moved it to the West Village in 1904.

Tile 42 (11D) - First Telephone Service in Derry

The Granite State Telephone Company installed the first telephone service in Derry on August 15, 1882. The service connected homes in the Derry Village area of town with Manchester and to all lines that the town was connected with. The company’s first office was located on the second floor of the IOOF building on East Broadway. In 1930 the phone company built a building to house the office on 54 East Broadway.

Tile 43 (12D) - Fire of 1882 - Shayne

On August 19, 1882 most of downtown Derry was destroyed by a fire. It started at 3:30 p.m. in the livery stable behind A.B. Smith’s Hotel at Derry Depot, the present site of Benson’s Hardware. It was a windy day so the fire spread quickly to the hotel, the train depot and a tenement owned by the railroad, H.P. Hood’s ice house, Colonel Pillsbury’s store, several other stores, and a number of homes. The fire claimed twenty-four buildings that day. At the time Derry had no fire department. A telegraph was sent by a railroad engineer to the Manchester Fire Department at 3:40 p.m. asking for help. The fire chief had the steam pumping engine known as the “Fire King” brought to the freight depot of the Manchester & Lawrence Railroad along with a team of four horses and twenty firemen. With all aboard the train it sped along the tracks and arrived in Derry at 4:19 p.m., just thirty-nine minutes after the call for help. It took two hours to get the fire under control and the “Fire King” pumped almost continuously for twenty-four hours. Railroad crews fixed the badly damaged tracks and the first passenger train was able to travel through Derry by 7:10 p.m. Most of downtown Derry was reduced to smoldering ruins but amazingly there was no loss of human life. Just two days after the fire of 1882 at a meeting in Association Hall plans were discussed to create a Derry fire department. At the annual town meeting in March of 1883 the citizens of Derry voted to establish three fire departments, one in each village.

Tile 44 (13D) - Boston & Maine Railroad - Elizabeth

The Boston & Maine Railroad took full control of the Manchester & Lawrence Railroad on September 1, 1887. Because of declining ticket sales and competition from other forms of transportation, passenger service was ended in June of 1953. Freight service was ended in 1980 and the Boston & Maine abandoned the railroad line. A historic gem that exist in Derry is the old railroad mile marker. It is in a small pocket park across the street from the former depot (now Depot Steakhouse). It is a granite post marked on its south face with “M 11”, meaning the distance to Manchester is 11 miles, and on its north face “L 16”, meaning the distance to Lawrence is 16 miles.

Tile 45 (14D) - Taylor Library - Adrianna

The Taylor Library is the oldest public library in Derry. The library was opened on February 23, 1878 and was located in Upper Village Hall. Miss Harriett Taylor gave the money for the library books, $1,000, to the town. Her sister, Emma, gave $1,000 to the library ten years later. The Taylor ladies insisted that the town forever keep the library some place near the First Parish Church. So in 1929, when the library grew too large for the Upper Village Hall, Frederick J. Shepard, Jr. built a new building to house the library next to the church. When the books had to be moved from Upper Village Hall across the street to the library’s new home, librarian Annie B. Shepard was helped by her grandson, future astronaut Alan B. Shepard.

Tile 46 (15D) - William Tabor - Brandon

William L. S. Tabor was born on June 2, 1843 in Methuen, Massachusetts. He was a resident of Derry and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his valor in the Civil War at the siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana in July of 1863. He was a Private in Company K, 15th New Hampshire Infantry. His citation was issued on March 10, 1896 and reads, “Voluntarily exposed himself to the enemy only a few feet away to render valuable services for the protection of his comrades.” He died on December 15, 1921 and is buried in Forest Hill Cemetery.

Tile 47 (16D) - Beaver Lake Pavillion - Iain

The Chester and Derry Railroad Company built Beaver Lake Pavilion in 1896 as a way to increase ridership on the trolley line. It was rebuilt in 1915 after it was destroyed by fire. The popular tourist attraction offered many activities including swimming, dancing, bowling, slot machines, movies, and even a small zoo. The zoo included a deer, ducks, turkeys, and a dancing bear cub. It cost five cents to ride the trolley from the traffic circle to the pavilion. In 1960 it was again destroyed by fire, but this time it was not rebuilt.

Tile 48 (2C) - Derry’ First Automobile - Colby

Derry’s first automobile was built in 1900 by William Meserve. Although William’s permanent home was in Windham, he married Abbie Chase of Derry on his twenty-second birthday and they rented a home in Derry almost every fall and winter. William worked for H.P. Hood in the fall supervising the operation of his machinery for the fall harvest and in the winter he was in charge of the ice house machinery. Although William didn’t go to school beyond the age of 17, he had considerable abilities in the fields of mechanical and electrical engineering, architecture, drafting, carpentry, and music. It was in the winter of 1900 that, after much experimentation with the internal combustion engine, he succeeded in building an automobile. The car had a one cylinder, two cycle motor that ran on gasoline. One of its features was inflatable tires. Most cars in this time period had solid rubber tires. He built the car in a garage on Crystal Avenue at the location of the present Dunkin Donuts. Derry Grocer, Harry Wilson, purchased the automobile.

Tile 49 (3C) - Steamboat Ida F. - Ben

In 1900 George Eli Whitney, a descendant of Eli Whitney, cotton gin inventor, launched a steamboat. He named it the Ida F. and provided rides on Island Pond for people enjoying a day at the lake. The Ida F. was named after Whiney’s daughter and was 31 feet long, had an 8 foot beam and carried 25 passengers. On his trips he would often stop in a quite cove and relate a story about pirates as young passengers listed intently. At the age of 78, after forty-eight years of providing rides on Island Pond, Whitney sold his boat.

Tile 50 (4C) - Charles M. Floyd School - Brina

Charles M. Floyd School was opened in September 1900. It was named after the Derry native who was the sixteenth Governor of New Hampshire. His term was from 1907 to 1909.

Tile 51 (5C) - Oak Street School - Zachary

Oak Street School was originally a one-story elementary school. In 1905 it was raised up from the foundation and a first floor was added under the original building. It became a two-story junior high school. The addition was done this way because roofs were very expensive in those days and it was more economical to raise the first floor to the second floor along with the roof. The West Side School, now the West Side Community Center, was also added onto in this manner. America’s first man in space, Alan B. Shepard, attended Oak Street School. When Grinnell Elementary School was opened in 1951 the building became the home of the Harris Stamp Company and when that business closed it became the Oak Street Residential Community Center.

Tile 52 (6C) - Professor Edmund Angell - Sarah

The Angell family moved to their Derry Village home at 4 Thornton Square in 1876 when Professor Edmund Angell was appointed as headmaster to Pinkerton Academy. Ten years later he became headmaster at Chester Academy. He was a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives and the chairman of the school board. He was the first state chemist in New Hampshire and he was very concerned about the safety of drinking water. In 1872 he invented the odorless privy (chemical toilet) for use in the home. People who owned one would no longer have to use outhouses. Professor Angell also invented acetylene gas headlamps for automobiles. Up until the time of his invention automobiles used old barn lanterns to light the way. In March of 1980 one of Edmund and Lizzie Angell’s two sons, nine year old Everett, died suddenly of scarlet fever. The family went into deep mourning. Professor and Mrs. Angell, little Everett, and Ralph (Everett’s brother) and his wife are all buried on Angell Avenue in Forest Hill Cemetery. There you can see the large granite blocks arranged to resemble a child’s playground slide. On the granite is engraved, “Until the day dawns and the darkness disappears.”

Tile 53 (7C) - Adams Memorial Opera House - Sarah

The Adams Memorial Building was built in 1904. In his will, Benjamin Adams, one time owner of the Adams Mill, left the town the money to erect the building to serve as the town hall. Town meetings were held on the second floor. The interior of the brick structure was completely gutted by fire on January 13, 1914 and was eventually rebuilt within the brick exterior walls. The Adams Memorial Building was the first location of the Derry Public Library. The building is now known as the Adams Memorial Opera House and it underwent a major renovation in 2001. The building is the home of the Greater Derry Arts Council and The Derry History Museum.

Tile 54 (8C) - Robert Frost - Meaghan

Robert Frost was born on March 26, 1874 in San Francisco, California. In 1900 Frost moved to Derry with his wife to live on the farm that his grandfather had purchased for them. His attempts at poultry farming were not successful. In 1906 he became an English teacher at Pinkerton Academy and then later at the New Hampshire Normal School (now Plymouth State University). Robert Frost’s appointment as an English teacher at Pinkerton Academy was the direct result of one of his poems being read at Association Hall at a Men’s League banquet in the spring of 1906. Being too shy to read his own poem, Frost agreed to allow his sponsor, Reverend Charles Merriam, read his poem, “A Tuft of Flowers.” Pinkerton Academy board of trustee member, John Carroll Chase, was in the audience and was very impressed with Frost’s poem. Later that spring Frost was hired by Pinkerton Academy to take the place of an English teacher who had resigned for health reasons. He remained in Derry until 1911 when he decided to move his family to Great Britain. Frost went on to become a famous poet, reciting “The Gift Outright” at President John F. Kennedy’s Inauguration. Frost wrote many of his famous poems during his years in Derry. He won four Pulitizer Prizes, more than any poet ever won, and was the nation’s Poet Laureate from 1958 to 1959. Among Frost’s most famous poems are, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” “Mending Wall,” and “The Road Not Taken.” Robert Frost died in Boston on January 29, 1963.

Tile 55 (9C) - Manchester & Derry and Chester & Derry Electric RR - Tyler

The Chester & Derry Street Railroad carried passengers between the two towns from September 22, 1896 to June 4, 1928. It was run by electricity. The trolley’s route ran east to Chester starting at Derry Depot. It ran along East Broadway to the traffic circle area, then along the eastern shore of Beaver Lake, where the trolley line had built Beaver Lake Pavillion to attract riders on the weekends. The trolley’s route then made its way along the present Route 102 to its final stop at Wilcomb’s store in Chester Center. The trolley cars were scheduled to be at Derry Depot when all trains arrived, and they would stop anywhere along the tracks to pick up, or let off, riders. The trolley cars also carried freight and the U.S. mail. The fare for the total route, which was about seven and one half miles, was 20 cents. Trolley cars left about every hour between 7:40 a.m. and 7:40 p.m. The high school students of Chester rode the trolley to and from Pinkerton Academy every day. Before the trolley line students would have to board in Derry during the week and walk home to Chester for the weekend. The Chester & Derry Railway never did well financially. During its last ten years of operation the increasing popularity of the automobile reduced the number of passengers using the trolley line, forcing it to stop operation on June 4, 1928.

The Manchester & Derry Street Railway began operation on December 7, 1907. The trolley’s route started just west of Derry Depot, ran along West Broadway to just past Wyman Street, where it headed to North Londonderry and onto Mammoth Road. This trolley never made a profit and was discontinued on August 31, 1926.

Tile 56 (10C) - George Lefty Tyler - Gabriel

George Albert Tyler, better known as George “Lefty” Tyler, was born on December 14, 1889, in Derry. He played his first game in the major leagues as a member of the Boston Braves on September 20, 1910. He played for the Boston Braves until 1917 and then for the Chicago Cubs from 1918 until 1921. During his career he pitched a total of 30 complete game shutouts and his career earned run average (ERA) was an impressive 2.95. He was an important part of the 1914 “Miracle Braves” team that was in last place on July 4th and went on to win the pennant and sweep the World Series from the Philadelphia Athletics. During that season he had a 16-13 record, a 2.69 ERA, and 140 strikeouts in 34 starts. His first year playing for the Cubs his 19-8 record, and 2.00 ERA helped the team win that year’s pennant. George “Lefty” Tyler died on September 29, 1953 in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Tile 57 (11C) - Anne Frasier Norton - Madison

Anne Frasier Norton was born on April 10, 1892 in East Boston, Massachusetts. Her family moved to Derry in 1907. Annie, as she liked to be called, entered Pinkerton Academy and graduated in 1911. After graduating from Bryant and Stratton College she married Ned Norton, also from Derry, and they moved to Schenectady, New York for a short time. They then returned to New Hampshire and lived in the towns of Rochester and Manchester. In 1916 Congress passed the Naval Reserve Act, allowing women to enlist in the armed forces. Annie enlisted in the Navy on August 10, 1918 and was given the rank of yeoman second class. She was stationed at Portsmouth Navy Yard and was a clerk/stenographer to the office of the commander of the Navy Yard. On October 9, 1918 Annie became ill with Spanish influenza. It was a deadly disease that progressed quickly. Annie died on the morning of October 10, 1918, only two months after she entered the Navy. She was the first woman to die while serving in the American armed forces and she received a full military burial. She is buried in Everett, Massachusetts.

Tile 58 (12C) - Masonic Temple Building - Jason Erne

Saint Mark’s Lodge of Masons originally met back in 1826 in East Derry over Thom’s Store. Their next home was over East Derry Store in the meeting hall. In January of 1876 they moved to Association Hall. Then in 1924 the Masons bought the building that is its present home. It is located on East Broadway and is the former home of Dr. Charles E. Newell.

Tile 59 (13C) - Derry Public Library, McGregor Building – Alana

Henry F. MacGregor, who was a direct descendent of the Reverend James MacGregor, stated in his will that his widow, Elizabeth MacGregor, should buy land and build a new library for the town of Derry. Prior to this the Derry Public Library had been housed at the Adams Memorial Building and was in need of more space. The new library was built at its present site on East Broadway and was dedicated on January 14, 1927. In 1990 the library was expanded. Included in the expansion was New Hampshire Room, which houses the MacGregor stained glass window. This window was first installed on the rear wall of the original building and depicts the MacGregor coat of arms. The area surrounding the Derry Public Library was given the name “MacGregor Pioneer Park.” In the park are monuments to those who have served their country in various wars. There is also a bandstand for public concerts.

Tile 60 (14C) - Adams Mill - Courtney

In 1830 Edmund Adams purchased a sawmill in East Derry from the MacMurphy family. In 1849 the sons of Edmund, Edmund Jr. and Benjamin (donor of the Adams Memorial Building), built a new mill. In 1850 this mill used 6 hundred tons of wood and produced 200,000 board feet of lumber and 100,000 feet of shingles a year. The brothers also owned a gristmill, which produced 4,000 bushels of flour in 1850. Since the sawmill relied on the flow of water on Adams pond to power the mill, it could not operate year-round. In order to keep the mill operating year-round, the Adams brothers bought a Reynolds turbine. At 1:30 in the morning on September 17, 1925 the owner of the mill, Benjamin F. Adams, grandson of Edmund Adams, was awakened by a group of campers and told his mill was on fire. Mill workers formed a bucket brigade from Adams Pond and a call went out to the Derry District fire chief. By the time the fire equipment arrived the mill was completely burned along with 100,000 feet of sawed lumber. Adams had no insurance and decided not to rebuild the mill. He did offer a $500.00 reward to find out who set the fire. After the hurricane of 1938 the mill reopened to mill the many trees that were felled by the winds. The mill closed again sometime in the 1940’s. The Adams mill fire was one of several reasons for the establishment of the East Derry Fire Department three years later.

Tile 61 (15C) - Alexander Eastman Hospital - Abigail

In December of 1918 Dr. Harrison Alexander, a retired dentist, drew up a will giving the town of Derry funds to build a much needed hospital. Two years later Dr. Alexander died but no action was taken to build the hospital. It was not until 1933, when Mrs. Charles H. Hood offered the town her ancestral home on Old Chester Road to serve as a hospital, that the hospital became a reality. Mrs. Hood’s home had been built by her grandfather, Benjamin Eastman. The new hospital opened its doors on May 31, 1964 and was named the Alexander-Eastman Hospital. Thirty years later, when the state refused to license the building because of safety issues, a new Alexander-Eastman Hospital was built at 44 Birch Street on land given to the town for recreation. On May 31, 1964 the new hospital opened. Twelve years later, on December 1, 1976 a 24-hour emergency room opened at the hospital. In 1983 Alexander-Eastman Hospital closed and was replaced by the Parkland Medical Center.

Tile 62 (16C) - Captian John N. Laycock, “Cigar Box John” –- Jacob

John Noble Laycock was born in 1892 in Methuen, Massachusetts. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1914. In 1917 he earned a degree in engineering from Rensselear Polytechnic Institute. During the years following his graduation he served as a Commander in the Civil Engineering Corps. He was stationed at many Navy yards, including Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Laycock, with his wife and two sons, moved to Derry in 1934. In 1939 he designed a pontoon bridge system that would prove to be very useful during military actions. While spending time at Beaver Lake, he used cigar boxes to experiment with various design possibilities for his pontoon system. Because of this he became known as “Cigar Box John.” His pontoon system proved to be very successful and versatile. It could be used for bridges, wharves, piers, barges, platforms for cranes, ice breakers, and landing fields, and was used extensively by the U.S. during World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. John Laycock died on February 3, 1967 at the Alexander-Eastman Hospital in Derry.

Tile 63 (17C) - Hurricane of 1938 - Drew

The Hurricane of 1938 caused severe damage to the town of Derry. Government forecasters were predicting the storm to track to the east of New England and this, coupled with the fact that the storm was traveling at the great speed of seventy miles per hour, left people in New England unprepared for the huge storm. The storm was listed as a category five storm and it had winds up to 180 miles per hour. In Derry the storm began around 5 p.m. on September 21 and lasted until midnight. Many trees and electrical wires were downed and there was extensive damage to homes and businesses. In New Hampshire thirteen people met their deaths and 60,000 became homeless. Luckily, there was not one life lost in Derry.

Tile 64 (18C) - Singer Buddy Stewart - Adam

Singer Buddy Stewart was born on December 15, 1921 at his family home on 3 Elm Street in Derry. His real name was Albert J. Byrne, Jr. As a young child he loved to sing and entertain. When he was nine years old his family moved to Lowell, Massachusetts. After he graduated from high school he toured the New England area with a number of singing groups. He won top prize on the radio show, Major Bowes and his Original Amateur Hour. He eventually changed his name to Buddy Stewart. In 1940 he married Martha Wayne, also a singer, and together they became members of the Snowflake Quartet, part of Glenn Miller’s band. He sang with other famous bands and recorded the song, “What’s This?” with drummer Gene Krupa, which is considered to be the first bebop song recorded. He was selected as the country’s best male band singer by a readers’ poll in Down Beat Magazine in the years 1946 and 1947. Unfortunately, on February 1, 1950, while helping a stranded driver, Buddy was struck and killed. Buddy Stewart was a singer whose career was on its way up and who was respected by the best musicians of his time.

Tile 65 (19C) - Walter Borowski, WWII Hero - Chase

Walter Borowski was born on January 5, 1920 in Manchester, New Hampshire. In 1922 the Borowski’s moved to Derry. Walter attended West Side School, Oak Street School, and Pinkerton Academy, where he was president of the Future Farmers of America. In 1942 Walter enlisted in the Army and was chosen for the elite Rangers fighting unit. Their motto was, “Rangers lead the way.” On D-Day the Rangers were the first to land at Pointe du Hoc. They scaled the cliffs and successfully fought the enemy. Walter Borowski played a key role in the success of this mission. He went on to fight many more battles and was decorated with a Silver Star, two Purple Hearts, and a Bronze Star. He is a true American hero. After the war Walter returned to Derry, where he resides to this day.

Tile 66 (2B) - Grinnell School - Joshua

Grinnell Elementary School opened in September 1952. The school’s first principal was Francis Griffith. It was named for Herbert L. Grinnell, Derry’s first Superintendent of Schools.

Tile 67 (3B) - Gilbert H. Hood Middle School - Deene

Gilbert H. Hood Middle School opened in September 1952. The school’s first principal was Robert Daly. It was named after the son of Harvey Perley Hood. Helen D. Hood, the wife of Gilbert H. Hood, gave the money and land for the school to Derry.

Tile 68 (4B) - Chelmsford Shoe Company Fire - Gemma

Shoe-making started off small here in Derry. People used to set up small shops next to their homes and work in them. Back in those days they could only make about 6 pairs of shoes per person each day. When machines were invented for making shoes, they were made easier and faster. This is when large shoe factories appeared in the Broadway area of Derry. In 1887 a factory known as the Woodbury Shoe Factory was located on South Avenue. It was burnt by fire on May 17, 1915 but then it was rebuilt a year later. Around 1931 it was purchased by new owners who re-named it the Chelmsford Shoe Company. It was 4 stories high and had 295 workers. Then, on the afternoon of May 6, 1960, after all the employees had gone home for the day, the Chelmsford Shoe Factory caught fire! It was a huge fire and it smelled like burning rubber. To help the Derry fire department, fire equipment arrived from Manchester, Salem, Windham, Chester, and from the Massachusetts cities of Merrimack, Andover, and Lawrence. By seven o’clock that evening the Chelmsford Shoe Factory, along with the Fieldside Convenience Store and thirteen homes and tenement buildings, was completely destroyed. The fire was upsetting to everyone because so many people lost their jobs and homes. Many people and organizations helped those who were devastated by the fire. It was said to be a miracle that nobody died in the fire. The cause of the fire was never determined. The Chelmsford Shoe Company was never rebuilt because the shoe-making business was changing. Shoes were being made overseas for less money. In 1989 the last shoe factory in Derry closed.

Tile 69 (5B) - School Administration Office Building - Andrew

The School Administration Building was built in 1901 and was operated as a two-room schoolhouse. When Derry Village School opened in 1967 it was renovated and became the office of the Superintendent of the Derry Cooperative School District.

Tile 70 (6B) - Alan B. Shepard - Logan

Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. was born on November 18, 1923 in East Derry, New Hampshire. He attended Pinkerton Academy and graduated in 1940. He then entered the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. After graduation in 1944 he served on the USS Cogswell in the Pacific during World War II. He then entered flight training school and received his wings in 1947. In 1950 he entered the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland. After serving as a test pilot he entered the Naval War College and graduated in 1957. In 1959 he was one of the 110 test pilots invited by NASA to volunteer for the country’s first manned space program. Of theses test pilots seven were chosen as the original Mercury astronauts and on February 21, 1961 Alan Shepard was told he was chosen to become the first American in space. The Freedom 7 mission was launched on May 5, 1961 at 9:34 a.m. taking Shepard into space on a Redstone rocket. His trip took him 116 miles into space, it lasted 15 minutes and 28 seconds, and he reached a speed of 5,134 miles per hour. His capsule splashed down safely in the Atlantic Ocean. Alan Shepard became an instant national hero.

Tile 71 (7B) - Shepard Parade in Derry - Caitlin

On the day Alan B. Shepard became the first American in space Derry held a big parade in his honor. When the Freedom 7 blasted off the siren on the Broadway Fire Station sounded 12 times to tell the town, “Our boy’s in space.” Then 15 minutes, 28 seconds later, when Alan Shepard landed safely in the Atlantic Ocean, the siren sounded again to announce that he had returned safely to earth. The siren also signaled that people should gather for a parade to honor America’s first man in space. Broadway was blocked off and crowds gathered. Derry policemen lead the parade followed by Alan Shepard’s parents, Bart and Renza Shepard. They rode in a red convertible with a sign on it that read, “America’s and Derry’s #1 Mother and Father.” Individuals who rode in the parade were New Hampshire Governor, Wesley Powell, Miss New Hampshire, Drina Bouchard, and Miss America, Nancy Anne Flemming. School bands, civic groups, and Boy and Girl scouts also marched. Floats with space themes were quickly assembled by local businesses. The parade lasted about one hour but the celebrating on Broadway went on until well past dark. A little over a year later, on June 9, 1962, Derry held another parade to honor Alan B. Shepard and this time he was present and rode in the parade.

Tile 72 (8B) - Spacetown USA - Thomas

On May 5, 1961, Commander Alan B. Shepard, Jr., a native of Derry, became the first American to travel into outer space. Derry, New Hampshire has been known as “Spacetown, U.S.A.” ever since.

Tile 73 (9B) - South Range School - Carolyn

South Range School opened in September 1966. The school’s first principal was Oliver J. Chatfield and it had 20 classroom and 555 students. The school was named South Range because in the 1800’s land in Derry was divided into plots called ranges. The land on which the school is built was located in the south range section of town.

Tile 74 (10B) - Derry Village School - Brandon

Derry Village Elementary School opened in September 1967. The school’s first principal was Anastos Christo. The school was named after the area of town in which it was built.

Tile 75 (11B) - Boys and Girls Club - Joseph

In 1969 the Boys Club of Greater Derry was founded. It was located in the Upper Village Hall. In 1982 the name was changed to the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Derry. The present 30,000 square foot building sits on 22 acres in East Derry. It is a place where kids can have fun in a safe place.

Tile 76 (12B) - Alan B. Shepard, Fifth Man on the Moon - Ryan

On January 31, 1971 Alan B. Shepard made his second flight into space, this time as commander of Apollo 14, the third U.S. lunar landing mission. His crewmates were Stuart A. Roosa and Edgar D. Mitchell. Shepard and Mitchell landed on the moon in their lunar module, Antares, while Roosa stayed behind orbiting the moon in the command module. Shepard was on the surface of the moon for a total of 33 hours. Of that time nine hours and seventeen minutes was spent walking on the moon. During the Apollo 14 mission, color television pictures were broadcast from the moon for the first time. During one of his moonwalks Shepard put a Wilson 6-iron golf club on the end of a lunar sample scoop handle and hit two golf balls. He joked that the second one went “miles and miles and miles.” Shepard’s antics were televised for all back on earth to see. The astronauts returned safely to earth on February 9, 1971.

Tile 77 (13B) - Hoodkroft Country Club - Daniel Hutchinson

The Hoodkroft Country Club was built in 1971. The 138 acre piece of land was given to the town of Derry by Gilbert H. Hood, Jr. for the purpose of building a golf course. The land was once a grazing field for the Hood Dairy Farm cows. If the country club should go out of business, the land will be used for recreational use or wildlife preservation.

Tile 78 (14B) - First Day Issue of Robert Frost Stamp - Lennon

The First Day of Issue of the Robert Frost commemorative 10 cent stamp was issued at the Derry, New Hampshire Post Office on March 26, 1874. The date was the 100th anniversary of Robert Frost’s birth. United States postage stamps recognize people, places, events, and symbols that are important to the history and culture of the country.

Tile 79 (15B) - Parkland Medical Center - Manuel

Parkland Medical Center opened in 1983 to serve the health needs of the people of Derry and its surrounding towns.

Tile 80 (16B) - East Derry Memorial Elementary School - Brandon

East Derry Memorial Elementary School opened in September 1986. Its first principal was Peter Smyrl. It was named to honor all the men and women who served and died in the American armed forces.

Tile 81 (17B) - West Running Brook School - Samantha

West Running Brook Middle School opened in September 1995. Its first principal was Kathleen Murphy. It is the second middle school in Derry. It was named after the brook that runs through the town, which was immortalized in Robert Frost’s poem, “West Running Brook.”

Tile 82 (18B) - Ernest P. Barka School - Andrew

Ernest P. Barka Elementary School opened in September 2005. Its first principal was Daniel Lafleur. The school was named for Mr. Barka, who passed away on the day the school proposal was passed. He served on the Derry School Board for thirty years and was known for his dedication to providing a quality education to the children of Derry. Mr. Barka represented Derry in the New Hampshire House of Representatives for ten years, and was a county commissioner for twenty-eight years. He founded the county’s Meals on Wheels program.

Tile 83 (19B) - Derry Winter Carnival - Marissa

The Derry Athletic Association instituted a Winter Carnival in 1924. It was held on the weekend closest to Washington’s Birthday and had a number of varied winter events. There was a Friday evening ball where the Carnival Queen was named. The first Carnival Queen was Grace Ranney. Winter sports events were held on Saturday and Sunday and included skiing, tobogganing, and skating. After a number of years the carnival was discontinued. In the year 2000 a new winter carnival, The Frost Festival, was started. Winter activities are held on Saturday and Sunday at Alexander-Carr Park, Hoodkroft golf course, Gallien’s Beach, and the Depot Steakhouse. The Frost Ball, where people enjoy dinner and dancing, is held on Saturday night. All activities, except the Frost Ball, are free and include sled dog demonstrations and rides, snowmobile rides, cross-country skiing, snowboard competitions, ice fishing and skating, ice carving demonstrations, and a large bonfire.

Tile 84 (20B) - Derry Holiday Parade - Erica

The holiday parade has been a tradition in Derry since 1987. The Greater Derry/Londonderry Chamber of Commerce hosts the parade. It is usually held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and each year there is a different theme. Marching bands, local scout troops, schools, and civic organizations participate in the parade. The parade has many colorful floats and awards are given in various categories. The Derry Village Rotary push shopping carts along the parade route in order to collect food to be donated to those in need. As always, Santa and his wife are at the end of the parade. No matter how cold it is every year many people come with their family to enjoy this historic parade.

Tile 85 (21B) - Red Star Twirlers - Kristen

Gina Hutchinson started the Red Star Twirlers in 1978. In addition to coaching the Red Stars, Ms. Hutchinson was a teacher at South Range Elementary School. She is now retired. The Red Stars are the most recognized team in the North East and are a world class competitive force. In twenty-six years they have won fourteen National Championships. Coach Gina Hutchinson was inducted into the National Baton Twirling Association Hall of Fame in 2003. The Red Stars have performed in Ireland, Russia, Spain, Germany, and the Czech Republic. They have marched in many parades and have done benefits for organizations such as the Make a Wish Foundation, American Cancer Society Relay for Life, Foster Grandparents, and New Hampshire Brain Surgery Foundation.

Tile 86 (22B) - McGregor Park and War Memorials - Christopher

There are five monuments in McGregor Park honoring people from Derry who fought and died in the service of our country. The World War I monument honors 290 Derry residents, fifteen of whom died fighting in that war. Annie Frasier Norton, a Derry resident and a Yeowoman for the U.S. Navy, died from the great flu epidemic and was the first woman to receive a full military funeral. There were 718 Derry residents who served their country during World War II, eighteen of whom died. The Korea/Vietnam monument lists four Derry residents who died and one is listed as missing in action (MIA). Both the Lebanon/Grenada/Panama/Persian Gulf memorial and the Afghanistan/Iraq memorial list no Derry residents who died in service to their country during these wars.

Tile 87 (23B) - The Three Villages in Derry - Adam

Derry is divided into three villages. East Derry, formerly known as the Upper Village, is the area of town where the first settlers built their homes. This area of town runs along East Derry Road. Derry Village, formerly known as the Lower Village, runs along routes 28 and 28 bypass. West Derry, or Derry Depot, runs along Broadway.

Tile 88 (24B) - 2008 Ice Storm - Mrs. Vincent

On December 11, 2008 an ice storm caused most of the residents of Derry to lose their electricity for many days and caused schools to close for over a week.

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