Rites of Spring

  By the time this column is printed, Spring will be on the calendar if not outside the door. This is the first of a two-part series on how the season impacts the area.

This first part deals with the special days historically observed following March 1, called the first day of Spring by meteorologists. Some are major and even legal, whereas others range from whimsical to disregarded.  

Following the tradition established in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, settlers in the newly chartered local towns held meetings to elect officers, pass budgets, and address common concerns.

The first town meetings in New Hampshire were held in Dover and Portsmouth in 1623. The first one in Vermont was held in March 1762 in Bennington.

Early town meetings were held in larger private homes and as frequently as needed. “The formal recognition of the first Tuesday in March as Town Meeting Day came in 1880. Before that state law simply required at some day in the month of March annually at ten o’clock in the morning.”

New Hampshire’s town meeting day is the second Tuesday of March, although state law allows for variations. March was chosen to accommodate farm spring planting schedules.

At first, only landowning men were allowed to vote in town meetings. The ownership of land restriction was dropped after the Revolution.

Women were not allowed to vote in town meetings until 1917 in Vermont and 1920 in New Hampshire, although both states had granted women voting rights in school meetings earlier.

Both states now allow towns to decide some of the issues through a combination of Australian ballots and in-person deliberative sessions.    

Since 1918, on one Spring Sunday morning, Americans have awakened with one less hour of sleep. Daylight Savings Time, an idea first proposed by Benjamin Franklin, has been used to move daylight from early morning to evening artificially.

Over the years, there have been manipulations to create a system that works for the most part. In 1966, the system was set to run from the last Sunday of April to the last Sunday in October, with exceptions for states that had state-wide alternatives.

In 2007, the Federal government extended day light savings from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday in November. By now, you have probably accommodated the change that took place on March 8.

The Ides of March entered the English jargon from Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar. In it, Caesar was forewarned of his assassination on March 15, 44 B.C.  When it came to pass, “beware of the Ides of March” became linked to March 15.

As early as 1800, newspapers in both states, quoted it as a warning against political opponents such as the Federalist or Andrew Jackson, both of whom wanted increased power for the national government. It was later used against anti-temperance groups and slave owners.

 It was also used as a calendar notation for upcoming March events. In 1896, The Burlington Weekly Free Press included the following: “The Ides of March inevitably brings to the Green Mountain State tidings of new maple syrup.”

As mid-March weather can be unpredictable, “Beware of the Ides of March” was a warning against a return to winter weather. From 1918 to 1955, that “beware” warning was connected with the March 15th federal income tax deadline. 

By the mid-1800s, there was a growing number of Irish residents in New Hampshire and Vermont. They celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in honor of Ireland’s patron saint.

While many Roman Catholic churches with Irish parishioners held special services to mark the occasion, the day featured activities that showcased the Irish residents’ “ethnic pride, faith, and community cohesion.”

As early as 1867, a St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in Burlington. The Irish Order of Hibernians organized it. The parade included marchers, bands, and banners. By 1911, the number of marchers had grown to over 700. Banquets and performances were added to the day’s activities.

The festive day expanded into the general public, and by the 1910s, stores offered greeting cards, potted shamrocks, and party decorations. 

A hearty meal of corned beef and cabbage served with boiled vegetables, along with Irish soda bread and festive desserts was central for many families. Stores featured these foods in their advertisements.

Protestant churches and community groups began to use the day for fundraising plays, dances, and concerts. Schools marked the occasion with activities. Businesses offered St. Patrick’s Day items, and bars sold green beer

Burlington’s PaddyFest and Manchester, NH’s large parade are current examples of St. Patrick’s Day observances. For many, wearing of the green has become a standard mark of the day. One does not have to be Irish to be “Irish” on St. Patrick’s Day.

About the same time, three major religions hold significant observances. Easter is one of the most ancient religious observances that falls during Spring. Celebrating the resurrection of Christ, it may fall as early as March 22 and as late as April 25. It was first widely celebrated in Catholic and Anglican countries. 

Protestants, such as those in earlier New England, often rejected it as a “popish” holiday and did not hold special services until the mid-19th century.

The 40-day Lenten season precedes Easter. It begins with Ash Wednesday on which the forehead of the faithful are marked with the ashes made from the palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday.

As Lent was traditionally marked with fasting, prayer and penance, the period just before was often time for Mardi Gras or carnival. New Orleans, Montreal, and Quebec City celebrations were often mentioned in local newspapers.

Gradually, Lenten services expanded to Protestant churches. Around 1950, local churches began holding Sunday evening Lenten services. In 1959, for example, The United Opinion reported “large attendance” at the union Lenten service at Bradford’s Grace United Methodist church.

A week before Easter Sunday, Palm Sunday marks the beginning of a week of observances. Good Friday recalls the execution of Jesus.  Historically, some local businesses closed from noon to 3 pm. I recall in the 1960s, schools did not hold activities on that Friday evening, much to the puzzlement of many students.

Easter Sunday begins in many communities with a sunrise service followed by a breakfast. Bradford’s Summer Street, Thetford’s Academy Hill, and Orford’s Dame Hill were sites for the early service.

As late as the mid-1970s, local churches recorded capacity attendance at Easter morning services. New outfits, special music, flowers, and baptisms were normal. Family would then return to dinners of ham or lamb.

More recently, commercialization that includes the Easter bunny, egg rolls, and baskets filled with Easter candy and gifts as well as sporting events and hearty brunches has replaced church attendance for many.     

Passover, the week-long Jewish Spring festival, falls between March 25 and April 25. This annual celebration of freedom recalls the Israelite exodus from slavery in ancient Egypt. The Seder, an elaborate symbol-filled dinner, is a highlight of the festival. Copies of the Haggadah are used to lead the diners through a structured meal filled with storytelling.

In the late 19th century, “Hebrew” synagogues were gathered in some cities in both states. Newspapers carried news of Passover celebrations in Burlington and Rutland as well as Manchester and Portsmouth, NH.  

In 1927, the Jewish community of St. Johnsbury established its own synagogue. Locally, synagogues have also been established in Woodstock and Montpelier, VT and Hanover and Bethlehem, NH. 

It was not until the 1960s that major chain stores in New Hampshire and Vermont advertised Passover cards and specialty foods, a practice that is widespread today.

Traditional Passover foods include flourless matzo, brisket, gefilte fish, potato kugels as well as coconut macaroons and flourless chocolate cake.  

There is another religious observance that ends about the same time in March. It is the Muslim observance of Ramadan, the 30-day period of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Ramadan recalls the revelation of the Our’an to the Prophet Mohammad.

From sunrise to sunset, the faithful follow the prescribed observances. About March 30, Ramadan concludes with Eid al-Fitr, a festive occasion. Families gatherings highlight it with a celebration of “the spiritual accomplishments of Ramadan.”

While there are many earlier mentions of Ramadan being celebrated in other parts of the world, more local references only begin after 1995. Then, annual newspaper articles reported that Ramadan was being celebrated by the growing Muslim population in Chittenden and Rutland counties. Recent estimates indicate 6,500 Muslims living in Vermont. 

 Not all Spring observances are serious. April Fool’s Day allow pranksters the opportunity to make others the butt of countless gags. Originating in Europe, mention of the occasion began to appear in Vermont newspapers in the 1820s. 

In 1831, one newspaper reported: “It is said that lovers of merry jokes have revived the ancient custom of fool-making on April day.”  A prediction in 1851, that it “would pass away,” was off the mark.

April Fool’s Day continues to be used an explanation for everything from an unusual April 1 snowstorm, irrational behavior on the part of officials or just individual tomfoolery.   

There is no fooling around when it came to filing your income tax. Following the passage of the Sixteenth Amendment in 1913, the original deadline for filing was March 1.  It was later moved to March 15 and, then in 1955, to April 15 to allow more time for taxpayers to file.

While Tax Day is still around, at least one holiday has disappeared. In March 1681, John Cutt, president of the New Hampshire Council, was seriously ill.  To intercede on his behalf, the General Assembly declared March 17 as a day of public fasting, prayer and reflection.

Cutt died, but the tradition of fast days, originally rooted in 17th century Puritan traditions, continued in New Hampshire. 

Earlier, a period of fasting was declared prior to the spring planting, asking God to “bless us with peace and prosperity and to favor spring and seede time.” 

In 1899, New Hampshire’s official Fast Day holiday was set as the third Thursday of April. In 1946, it was moved to April 19 to coincide with neighboring states’ Patriots Day, and, in 1949, it was moved again to the fourth Monday of April. Many businesses closed on the holiday.

 New Hampshire continued as the only state to observe this as a legal holiday until it was abolished in 1991. It had come to signify the start of the Spring and tourist seasons, with special train fares from southern New Hampshire to the opening of Boston’s professional baseball season. 

Earth Day was first held on April 22, 1970. It grew out of environment concerns that developed in the 1960s. Supported by a broad coalition of groups, it marked a major shift in the modern environmental movement. It was estimated that over 20 million Americans participated in the first Earth Day activities.

That movement led to “swift and substantial political action,” including the establishment of the US Environmental Protection Agency. 

Vermonters created their own take on the environment by holding their first Green-Up Day on April 18, 1970. State-wide, an estimated 67,000 volunteers clean up some 10,000 miles of Vermont roads.

Locally, citizens turned out to participate. In Fairlee, 200 workers participated in a town-wide effort, while in Corinth, 80 students led the clean-up.

Vermont continues to hold Green-Up Days annually; however, the date was changed to the first Saturday of May to allow roadside melting to reveal trash.

As we know Spring in our area of the country is elusive. Bright days warm the soil, encouraging the first signs of green, only to be followed by snow and ice. This winter has seemed especially long, so we look forward to whatever Spring we can get.

If I am still writing in the Spring of 2027, I will deal with the other features of the season in our area. That includes the history of everything from sugaring and mud seasons to basketball finals, spring tonics, and the opening day of trout fishing. I will be 84, and that will be the 20th year of the “In Times Past” columns. H

They Came As Strangers

 

                               Charles D. Barton, Greece to Bradford, VT

                             Dr. Geroge Swinzow, Ukraine to Thetford, VT

                                    Roberto Alonso. Cuba to Orford, NH

Those who read this column are likely descendants of immigrants. I am the grandson of one.

 My grandmother, Jennie Lee, migrated from London in 1908, and married my grandfather Elroy Coffin in 1909. I never knew her as she died of blood poisoning in Brookfield VT, in 1922.

All my other ancestors arrived in America between 1620 and 1640 during what is known as the Great Migration. They had dreams of a better life than the one they left behind.

This column includes some examples of the history of immigration to New Hampshire and Vermont before 1970. It features the stories of three immigrants who came to the local area and became part of their respective communities. Readers could suggest others who might have been included.

Descendants of the initial British settlers of southern New England formed the first wave of local immigrants. They were white and Protestant and replaced what remained of the native population.

These Yankees built the settlements that became the villages and towns along the Connecticut River. They were possessive and proud of what they had accomplished.

The Scotish settlers of Ryegate and Barnet were the first distinctly ethnic groups to come to the area directly from overseas. The Scotch American Company arrived in 1774, “bringing with them their Presbyterian faith, stone masonry skills and cultural cohesion.”

In the 1840s, Irish immigrants were the first major non-Yankee immigrant population. Brought to the local area as railroad workers, their presents created controversy. Town leaders in Barnet asked the railroad company to guarantee that the workers would be sent away when the work was done.

Aversion and fear were the reactions of some in Newbury to the “horde of men, women, and children of that nationality” invading with “their brogue and actions.” Their Catholic faith was a red flag to the Protestant population.

French-Canadian migrants who came New Hampshire and Vermont about the same time were also Roman Catholic. They were attracted by employment as farmers and, railroad and mill workers in the two states.

They were major sources of workers for industries in cities such as Manchester, Lebanon, and the Burlington-Winooski area, as well as in St. Johnsbury and Rutland. As such they competed with established groups for jobs and businesses.

By the 1890s, the Irish and French had made Roman Catholicism the largest single religious domination in Vermont.

In the 1850s, some locals joined the anti-immigrant Know-Nothing party. In the election for state representatives in 1855, Know-Nothing candidates from Thetford, Vershire, and West Fairlee were elected. 

That attitude may have been linked to the large number of immigrants working in the Orange County copper mines.

In the Ely mines in 1860, there were 81 Cornish and 43 Irish miners. By 1880, that number had increased to 209 “Cousin Jacks” or Cornish miners and 281 Irish miners. These workers were also at the Pike Hill mine in Corinth.

At the same time, Italian and Scotch granite workers were found in the granite quarries of Groton, South Ryegate, and Barre.

Late in the 19th century, immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe began to arrive from Greece, Poland, Russia, and elsewhere. As with earlier groups, they found employment in the mills. They often took jobs as merchants or in food service. Their small ethnic neighborhoods were sometimes found in larger communities in the two states. They often faced negative attitudes from established residents.

Despite these newcomers, the Vermont population continued to dwindled in rural communities. The state estalished a commission to encourage immigrants to take over abandoned farms. One focus of the commission was to encourage Swedish migrants by placing advertisements in Sweden.

Not only were their hardworking and temperate habits appealing, but they were Protestant.

 Locally, a committee in Vershire made plans to bring up to 40 Swedes to town in 1889.

However, only 12 arrived, and the abandoned farms that were to be their new homes were unsuitable.  Within a year, the “colony” had proved a failure as the migrants had left to work at a lumber mill in Norton, VT.

One of the Greek migrants who came was Constantine Burbaros.  He was one of those who adopted the Upper Valley as their own, and left it better for having lived here.

In 1916, at age 16, he left Greece with his uncle’s admonition, “You’ll never make it in America. You’ll be back soon.” He entered Ellis Island in October 1916, unable to speak English and with few resources other than an aptitude for hard work. 

To be successful in America, he angelized his name to Charles Barton. Despite some early reversals, he invested in a small store in White River Jct.

In 1926, he purchased a restaurant in Bradford, which he renamed “The Chimes.” That same year, he met a local girl named Ruth Rogers.  They waited five year before marrying, a union that lasted for 55 years.

They had three children, MaryAnn, James and Catherine. Ruth became” his best business partner,” doing the necessary bookwork for the growing business.

In 1947, the east side of Bradford’s Main Street was gutted by fire. Within days, Barton had developed plans for rebuilding the destroyed buildings. Additionally, he built the village building that currently houses his grandson’s dentistry and purchased the lot near the post office that provides adjacent parking.

Over the year Barton owned 11 stores as well as the Bradford Inn.  In 1960, the inn was razed to make way for a new bank building.

In addition to being an extraordinary entrepreneur, Barton was always generous to others. Whether an indigent who needed a meal, a fledgling business owner who needed a boost, or to a younger who got a piece of the candy he carried in his pockets, Barton reached out to those around him. He also regularly sent money to his home village in Greece.  

When he first came to Bradford in 1926, the newspaper noted, “He comes to us as a stranger.” In 1985, the Village of Bradford, in recognition of his contributions, designated the street around which he had done so much as Barton Street. “Charlie,” as he was known to many, was no longer a stranger; he was Mr. Bradford.

Barton died in1988, and, at his request, the hearse bearing his body made one last turn around the village. Ruth died in 2007.

Thetford was the home to another migrant who during his career played a significant role in understanding frigid climates. His name as Dr. George K. Swinzow.

When, in 1957, Swinzow received his Phh from Boston University after just two years, Boston-area newspapers noted the accomplishment. When interviewed, he described himself as “proof that the United States is a land of opportunity.”

He was born in Charkow, Ukraine in 1915, and met his wife Neonila in 1937. During World War II, he and she with their little daughter, were interned in Germany separately. By chance, they were reunited after the war, and began working for the UN Resettlement Program.

They migrated to the United States in 1951. He began attending Boston University, and because of his past training in geology, taught in the college’s geology department. He was 42 when he received his doctorate.

Dr. Swinzow’s interest in the impact of winter weather on warfare, led to him making a presentation at a scientific convention. There he drew the attention of a scientist from the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in Hanover.

This led to an employment offer, and, in 1960, the family relocated to Thetford and he began a career at CRREL.

The focus of his research was on permafrost engineering, frozen ground properties and frozen area construction techniques. He helped establish foundational knowledge in those area, especially on numerous visits to “frozen frontier areas.”

On one trip to Greenland in 1966, he rescued an abandoned Arctic blue fox pup which he brought back to Thetford, where it became a family pet.

He produced a number of notable publications and held patents in his research fields. In 1982, he wrote a discourse on the history of winter warfare, a study that was used as a reference by the military.

His efforts to coordinate Western and Soviet research led to visits by Soviet researchers to CRREL. He received a number of awards, including election to the New York Academy of Sciences.

His daughter, Ursula Austin, shared her memories with me. She said that, in addition to his scientific accomplishments, he was a linguist, painter, jeweler, magician, poet, forester, and part-time poultry farmer. He also helped his wife with her extensive vegetable gardens.

To the end of his life in 2000, he rejected totalitarianism and socialism in favor of the choices that America offered through capitalism and freedom. Neonila remained active in the Thetford community until her death in 2022 at age 104.

In January 1960, Roberto E. Alonso arrived in Miami’s Little Havana with his wife Edith, their infant daughter, and $15. They were escaping from Fidel Castro’s communist regime. I recently interviewed their daughter Vanessa, who shared her parents’ story.

Alonso was born in 1926 into a prominent Cuban family.  He grew up in an aristocratic atmosphere and, following a family tradition, received a law degree from the University of Havana in1952.

In 1956, while on a trip to Spain, he met Edith Thurau, a German resident and language major. Married, they were in Havana in 1960 when it became prudent to flee to the United States. They were not allowed to take more than a few clothes with them. 

In Florida, at the time, there were considerable anti-immigrant feelings with housing signs indicating “no dogs, no Cubans.”

In 1960, he responded to an advertisement seeking Spanish-speaking lawyers for a small firm in Orford, NH. It had been placed there by Meldrim Thomson, owner of Equity Publishing, a law book publishing company with a special interest in Spanish-speaking entities.

The family arrived in Orford in October 1960. For the next 16 years, Alonso was a senior editor for Equity.  In 1962, their family was enlarged with twin daughters. Priscilla and Cedric Harrington of Fairlee, former Equity employees, spoke admirably and warmly of Alonso and his family. 

When the firm underwent reorganization in 1978, the family moved to Texas and Georgia, where he worked for the IRS. Upon retirement in 1989, the family returned to Orford.

In his quiet way, Alonso was involved in the wider community both before and after the time away. He taught Spanish-language courses at Lebanon College, and, for many years, held weekly chess lessons for Orford youth at the local library.

Given his personal history, Alonso remained strongly anti-communist and pro-capitalist throughout his life in America.  He passed away in 2009. Edith Alonso continued to live in Orford, with family around her until she died in 2021.

 Their twin daughters, Vanessa and Patricia, continue to take an active role in the Orford Historical Society. They are a living legacy to this immigrant couple.

Bigotry against immigrant groups that came to New Hampshire and Vermont continued into the 20th century. Laborers often resented them, fearing they would accept lower wages. Those in power fearing losing control.

The rise in Vermont of the Ku Klux Klan, and the eugenics movement of the 1920s and 1930s, were indications of this xenophobia. They were, in the words of historian Jon Meacham, examples of “the most universal American inconsistency.”

Recently arrived immigrants are everywhere in Vermont and New Hampshire. They’re found at building sites, factories, medical offices, stores, and social agencies. They pick crops for grocery stores and farmers markets, and milk cows on local dairy farms.

To access some remarkable stories, I recommend Suddenly You Are Nobody, Vermont Refugees Tell Their Story by Jared Gagne. It includes the stories of 30 refugees and immigrants from Bosnia, Bhutan, Somalia and Sudan now living in the Burlington and Rutland areas.

When I taught a unit on immigration to my U.S. History students, I would play a recording of Neil Diamond’s 1980 hit “America.” The appropriate lyrics include, “They’re coming to America. Got a dream to take them there. They’re coming to America. Got a dream, they’ve come to share.”

These new immigrants may come as strangers, but those who stay become part of  the patchwork quilt that is America.      

 

 

Agents of Change

 Journal Opinion   January 2026

Train whistles echoed through the valley for the first time in 1848. In 1905 this southbound passenger train was located at the Bradford village station. 

Early telephone co-operatives provided service to the villages of the area. In 1885, the American Telephone and Telegraph began offering long-distance phone service. 

The artificial intelligence revolution will change society, perhaps beyond our greatest hopes or fears.

 There have been dramatic changes before driven by inventions. This column describes the impact of four revolutionary technologies that significantly altered local communities between 1830 and 1930.

The electric telegraph transformed how locals communicated with the outside world. For the first time there was instant communication over long distances.

Samuel Morse is credited with building the first telegraph system in 1843. It spread slowly until Western Union built a transcontinental telegraph line in 1861. By 1864, there were 44,000 miles of telegraph line, and by 1867, there were 90,000 miles of line.

Telegraph offices were opened in Bradford and Wells River in 1853. In Feb 1855, The Orange County Journal reported the establishment of a telegraph office in Newbury village, “with connections to all lines in the United States and Canada.”

At first, the lines were not connected with railroads, but by the 1860s, lines were strung along railroads in the area. The railroad system relied on the telegraph as a reliable method of communication.   

Civil Ware military leaders, especially those in the Union, widely used  the telegraph during the conflict. Additionally, the system began to be used to send weather reports, leading to the establishment of daily weather forecasting.

This beginning of telecommunications led to changes in business and personal communication. In 1869, it took a letter about seven days to go from coast to coast, whereas a short message could be sent instantaneously via telegraph. Once the message was received at a local telegraph office, it was printed and delivered to the recipient.  

The arrival of the railroad gave the telegraph system a new emphasis. By the 1860s telegraph lines were strung along the railways throughout the area. The railroad system relied on the telegraph as a dependable method of communication.

 The train was itself its own revolutionary technology. Train whistles echoed throughout the valley for the first time in 1848. The Connecticut and Passumpsic Rivers Railroad reached Bradford in October1848, Well River soon after, McIndoe Fallsin October 1850, and St. Johnsbury a month later.

For villages such as Bradford and Wells River, the decision to build the tracks on the Vermont side of the Connecticut River made a tremendous difference in their futures.

The White Mountain Railroad was chartered in 1848 to take advantage of the lucrative mountain tourists demand.  It reached Wells River and Littleton in 1853.

The Montpelier and Wells River Railroad was chartered in 1867, and the 38-mile track opened between the two communities in 1873.

The building of the railroad was not without controversy. They increased land values in those towns they served, and the depot’s location could shift the economic center within a town.

As railroad junctions, both Wells River and Woodsville became major railroad centers. In the late 19^th century, Woodsville experienced tremendous growth due to the influx of railroad workers. The number of passengers changing trains in Wells River led to the development of that village as well.

Before steam engines used coal, lumbermen and farmers harvested thousands of cords of wood from local forests, contributing to deforestation.

Area railroads had tremendous social, economic, and political impacts. They significantly increased the ease of travel and communication. With connecting lines, the area was open to diverse markets at a fraction of the previous cost.

Passenger and mail shipments were also a major part of the rail’s impact. For much of the period, one could choose from up to four trains in each direction.

The growth of the railroad network made life different and, in many cases, better.  It ushered in a period of change not repeated until the coming of the interstate highway system.

 Railroads influenced marriage patterns, the spread of disease, migration, government influence, home heating, building techniques, and the labor market. Even the concept of time changed with the adoption of standardized “railroad time” to address the uncertainly of local clocks. Telegraph was the method used by railroads to insure vital communication.        

If the telegraph improved communication, the introduction of the telephone improved it even more, significantly reducing rural isolation.  With great excitement, the first telephone system went into operation in Bradford on May 1, 1884, less than 20 years after Alexander Graham Bell secured the first patent.

Many of the area’s first telephone systems were cooperatives servicing local neighborhoods. In 1890, a cooperative was formed in Orford to serve a few households and was enlarged to serve other neighborhoods. A similar cooperative was created to service the Thetford area.

In 1891, a line was established between North Haverhill and Haverhill Corners, followed by a line from Woodsville to Wells River.

In 1885, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company formed, and after that, only local telephone companies operating under Bell-granted license could connect to its long-distance network.  For instance, in 1896, a long-distance line connected Haverhill to Boston.

Other neighborhoods and villages were connected in a similar way. In 1897, the South Newbury to West Newbury system was followed by the Topsham Telephone Company in 1899.

When the South Corinth & West Fairlee line was strung, there were 18 subscribers, each of which built and maintained about one-half mile of the system. In 1903, a similar arrangement was created between 16 subscribers for a telephone line between Bradford and West Newbury.

In 1908, the Blue Mountain Telephone Company was organized to service Ryegate, Boltonville, and Groton. In these small companies, the central switchboard was in someone’s home.

Gradually, these small companies were absorbed by larger ones. One exception was the Topsham Telephone Company, which remained independent until 1998.

When telephone service first came to the Bradford area, it was offered by several telephone companies: New England Telephone in 1884, and later the White Mountain Telephone, the Connecticut Valley Telephone Company, and finally, in 1947, the New England Telephone Company again.   

Each subscriber was furnished with a wall-mounted telephone equipped with a hand crank that generated power to place the call.  A local operator asked what number was being called and manually plugged the caller’s cable into the proper hole on the switchboard, thus connecting the two parties.

The party being called would be notified by a combination of long and short rings on their telephone. Each line had a number of subscribers with no conversation privacy, as others on the line could hear conversations on the shared line. 

Hometown telephone operators were central to the dissemination of local news.They knew who was at home, details about illnesses, and emergencies, as well as other personal details of town life. When asked if she ever listened in on private conversations, one elderly telephone operator said, with a sly smile, “Of course not.”

Businesses realized the value of listing a telephone number and gradually more added them to their newspaper advertisements.

Another important innovation developed between 1888 and 1910 when most local villages installed electricity. Before that time kerosene lamps lit homes, and gas lamps were used in village streets. 

The first locale in the vicinity  to install electricity was the mining village of Copperfield in Vershire, followed by Woodsville in 1890, Haverhill in 1890, Wells River in 1896, Bradford village in 1897, Newbury in 1905, Fairlee in 1909, and Orford in 1910. 

Permission from the local government was needed to set poles and string wires. Power came from local power plants, which, in the case of Bradford, came from water power from the Waits River.

The introduction of electricity was not without opposition, both from the gas lighting industry and from those who were concerned about the safety of this “mysterious and deadly” installation.

The introduction of electricity revolutionized homemakers’ lives as electrical appliances were invented. The electric flat iron (1890s) and vacuum cleaner (1901) were followed by the washing machine and toaster (1909), refrigerator (1913), and waffle iron (1911).

By the 1920s, electric stoves began to compete with gas stoves. These new inventions increased in the average customer’s electric consumption from 264 kwh in 1912 to 339 in 1920 and 547 in 1930.

Rural folks did not always have access to these modern conveniences.  Rural areas of local towns often did not get electricity until the Rural Electrification program in the 1930s and 1940s. Some rural families used generators for milking or limited lighting.

Rural sections of Corinth received electricity in 1932, whereas some sections of Topsham waited until after 1942.  Mink Hill in Bradford had poles set in 1948. It was in 1965 that the last Vermont town were hooked to the electrical grid. 

The United Opinion made a prediction in 1897 that has come true far beyond the editor’s wildest imagination” “Electric lights will increase in popularity the more they are seen, and the very few who have predicted a failure in this way of lighting will be answered by the lights themselves, and very soon their fault-finding and bickering will go out into total darkness and oblivion.”    

That was not the newspaper’s only prediction that was borne out by new technology. The United Opinion of November 8, 1895 carried the following: “The model horseless carriage will no doubt come in time.” It was that year that the first American gasoline car company was established.

The following year, the first horseless carriage was sighted driving through Bradford. It was probably a steam powered vehicle.

For the first few years of its appearance, an automobile was seen as the play thing for wealthy men from down country. Because of the frightening impact on pedestrians and horses, these “devil wagons” were not welcomed locally.   

The local residents who owned the first automobiles were usually professionals, such as doctors, or businessmen. 

In Vermont, as elsewhere, there was anti-automobile legislation. This included attempts to limit their use on state highways. In 1894, Vermont passed a law requiring drivers of steam-propelled vehicles to have a person at least one-eighth of a mile in advance “to notify and warn all persons.” This law was repealed in 1900.

Because automobiles injured pedestrians and carriage passengers, the Middlebury Register referred to “the homicidal orgy of the motor car.” Throughout the period, many were ready to make jokes or derogatory remarks about automobiles.

Nevertheless, Vermont began to register automobiles in 1904, followed by New Hampshire in 1905. Newspapers reported the phenomenal growth and vigor of the new industry. By 1915, there were 10,819 registered autos in New Hampshire, and by 1916, 15,350 in Vermont.

Automobile enthusiasts organized to promote the rights of automobile users and the improvement of roads. Good roads were important to farmers anxious to get their products to market in a timely way, as well as an attraction to tourists to the region.   

As the number of automobiles increased, support businesses such as garages and road-side tourist attractions began to appear. Stores offered items the motoring public needed.

Those who raised horses or made harnesses and wagons were negatively impacted.

The first mention of an automobile in a Vermont newspaper was in 1895. It predicted “the passing of the horse.” By 1930, with 60,00 registered vehicles in Vermont and 105,000 in New Hampshire, that prediction had come to pass.   

 These five revolutionary technologies had a significant impact on the lifestyles of local residents. It was said that they “annihilated time and space” by speeding up many aspects of daily life while at the same time connecting the local area to the wider world as never before. Other innovations that can be included in this list will be the subject of a later column.

As society is confronts new technological advances, there will be some predictions that will eventually come to pass while others will not. Likewise, as new technologies bring new challenges, there will be those who will oppose their advancement.

 As at times in the past, the oppositions will be swept away by the force of progress and the advantages of changes.

       

 

  

The Spirit of Giving

 

12/24/25       Journal Opinion

In 1866, financier George Peabody gave the village of Post Mills $5,000 to build and stock a village library. It was the first of a number of donations by others to establish libraries throughout the area. It was a recent visit to the Peabody Library that gave the author the idea for this column. 

 

In 2025, Operation Santa Claus, in its 46th year of giving to area children, provided food baskets, blankets, arts and crafts items, books, and stocking stuffers to hundred of needy families.  It is just one of many such activities that reflect a spirit of giving.   

  In 1968, the Old Fogy column in The United Opinion suggested that while residents may have a “tradition of “penny-pinching,” they are “generous to church, charity and individuals in need.”

While that spirit of generosity is apparent throughout the year, it is especially evident around the holidays.    

Several of the major national charitable giving sites have named Vermont, based on its population, as the most generous state in the nation. New Hampshire was named third after Massachusetts.

This column examines the local traditions of donating to worthy public causes. It covers some of the individual and collective donations that have resulted in buildings, monuments, and other lasting gifts to the area. Fund drives for local and national causes are included. 

One difficulty in writing a column on this topic is that the examples of giving are numerous and varied. I have selected examples that typify the altruism of area residents.

Undoubtedly, readers will immediately think of examples that I have not included as well as area of need that are overlooked by residents.   

Local philanthropy has a long history. Financier George Peabody, a Massachusetts native, is considered to be the father of modern philanthropy. Before his death in 1869, he donated millions to charities in the United States and Great Britain.

In 1866, he gave $5,000 to the village of Post Mills for the construction of a library. This was in recognition of youthful visits to the village. The funds covered the purchase of land, construction of the library and the acquisition of 1,100 books. Opened in 1867, it is considered Vermont’s oldest active library. 

Industrialist Andrew Carnegie continued the tradition of using his wealth to establish libraries across the nation. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries this philanthropist funded over 1,600 local libraries.

A number of local libraries were funded by individuals and families who recognized the value of such institutions.

In 1876, Azuba Latham Barry left Thetford $5,000 to establish a library in honor of her father. In 1892, Erasus Baldwin left a bequest to establish a library in Wells River in honor of his family members.

John L. Woods is one who saw the need for both a library building and a new public school in Bradford in the late 19th century. His 1893 will left $30,000 to build two new buildings. The Woods School Building and the Woods Library Building are the result of that legacy.

In 1894, Ira Whitcher of Benton and Woodsville donated money for a library building. The resulting Whitcher Library Building houses the Woodsville Public Library.  

Seeking a suitable memorial for her father, Martha Tenney donated money for a new library in Newbury village in 1897. That same year, John H. Pearson of Chicago sent funds to renovate the old Haverhill Academy building into a village hall including village library.

In 1902, members of the Blake family donated money for a new library in East Corinth in memory of their parents. In other communities, libraries were established through the efforts of local citizens.

The North Haverhill Library was built in 1912 with donations from various sources. In 1996, an addition and renovations were completed to the building with gifts from the Patten family.

Other public buildings were created by the efforts of local citizens. In 1912, Bradford resident Edward Sawyer donated $12,000 to construct a memorial chapel in the Upper Plain Cemetery.

Community fundraising provided the money establishing public monuments. In 1912, the granite Soldiers Memorial was dedicated in North Haverhill. A public subscription campaign raised funds for a Memorial Park near the Bradford Public Library and, in 1926, a statue of Captain Charles Clark was added.

That same year, the Fairlee Soldier’s Monument was created, the gift of summer resident Arthur Stone.    

In 1937, Herbert A. Clark of Piermont left the Town of Piermont $33,785 in his will. The town invested it and over the years the bequest has grown to over $1.8 million. Recently, the town voted to use the portions of the funds to finance a new municipal building, named for Clark.

From the earliest settlement of area towns, individuals have donated land for public use. Beginning in 1773, locals donated what became Orford’s East and West Commons. The North Common in Haverhill was donated in 1788 by a group led by Col. Charles Johnston.

Bradford’s Low-St. Johns Forest was created in 1946 by a donation from Jessie Blakely Low and enlarged in 1961 by Nina St. John. Throughout the area there are parks and recreation fields donated by and in memory of locals. Bradford’s Elizabeth’s Park, Corinth’s Shea Town Forest, and Wrights and Tucker Mountain sites are just a few of those spots created, in part, by private donations.

Fund drives have been held to raise money for specific local needs. What follows are just some of those.

In 1902, Rev. William Loyne of Woodsville began a fund drive to raise money for a new local hospital. In 1903, the Woodsville Cottage Hospital was the result. Annual drives help to fund its services. In 1957, a special fund was created “with the hope for a new building.” The new building opened in 1960 and, again, annual drives continue to raised funds and enhance its facilities. 

After a 1942 fire destroyed Thetford Academy, a fund drive began to rebuild the school. The new main building opened in 1949. In 1956, a fund drive led to the creation of the Valley Health Center in East Corinth. Funds were collected from throughout the area to add to a significant contribution from Bert and Mary Holland. 

In 1946, the Bradford Community Club began soliciting funds to build what became known as Bradford’s Memorial Field. 

Between 1973 and 1979, locals raised $250,000 to rebuild the Bedell Bridge on the Connecticut. Only 2 months after it was the renovation was rededicated, it was destroyed by a windstorm.

In 2018, the Margaret Pratt Community Center opened in Bradford after 20 years of planning. It sits on land donated by George and Hazel Pratt. Dr. James Barton, who led the project from its inception, and the Pratt family were among the major donors.

There were other local fund drives to support charitable causes. Service groups such as the VFW, the Bradford Community Club, Women’s clubs, and local chapters of the Grange, Rotary, and Lions collected funds and passed them along to community causes.

Youth groups such as the 4-H and scouts, as well as student groups conducted fundraising to support their activities.

Churches have been recipients of bequests, some of which had designated purposes such as ministerial support or building maintenance.

 Churches were also the source of charitable giving. The Catholic Bishop’s Fund holds an annual fundraising drive, a portion of which went to charities. Protestant churches provide funds for both local needs, such as heating oil or food, and relief efforts during natural disasters elsewhere.

For 20 years, the Community Action program provided food and other emergency needs for residents of the Bradford Area. When the program closed in 1995, a group of local churches created an emergency food shelf that is still operational at the Bradford Academy building.

This is just one of the food shelves that operate throughout the area.  Donations from local food and fund drives, as well as business donations replenished their shelves.

 This is just one example of the spirit of neighborliness of area residents. Despite what might be considered a reluctance to create a deep spirit of camaraderie, they are first up when a neighbor is in need.

In 1891, The United Opinion reflected: “Farmers assisted each other in gathering the harvest, and for that farmer who is sick, the neighbors… all turned in to help him get his crops into the garner.”  To this day, farmers rally to assist in the case of illness or tragedy.

This spirt is reflected in community efforts to help others.  An example of neighbors helping neighbors occurred in Jan 1958 when the home of the Glen Marsh family of Orfordville burned, leaving them with little.

Within two weeks, a town-wide event was held at the Orfordville town hall, complete with gifts of household items and money. Pledges of labor and materials to rebuild the Marsh home were accepted.  A farm produce auction and square dance rounded out the evening.

National fund drives have been one way in which locals have contributed to worthwhile causes. The American Red Cross was founded in 1881, and during World War One it began conducting local fund drives to support its efforts.

 The Salvation Army established a presence in Vermont in 1885, with the effort being led by members from New Hampshire. The “red little kettle” drive to bring Christmas cheer to the less fortunate was first mentioned in 1909.

In 1936, the American Cancer Society began an annual fund drive.

In 1938, the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis was established, and its March of Dimes program reached into local elementary schools. In 1949, the American Heart Association began annual drives, and in 1964 designated February as Heart Month.

In 1949, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute established the Jimmy Fund to support pediatric cancer research.

In all of these drives, each local town had a fund chairman and volunteers striving to reach an announced goal. The local newspapers carried frequent notices of all aspects of the campaigns. This was significant when a town’s goal efforts were especially successful or not. 

In the early years of these drives, it was common for volunteers to conduct a door-to-door campaign. Donation cans in local stores were also used. Volunteers also collected funds from audiences at events such as motion picture showings and ball games.

In recent years, these national drives have depended on mail solicitations, although local chair names are still mentioned. 

Many individuals, families, and businesses have been generous in their support of local causes. The following three are examples of this generosity.

In 1999, Bradford resident Walter E. Lee left a large bequest in trust to the Town of Bradford. The focus of the Lee fund has been supporting youth recreation. Elizabeth’s Park and Bradford Youth Sports have been recipients of the fund’s interest account.  

The late Walter and Carole Young, residents of Haverhill and Bath, established a record of donations to area causes. Their foundation gave scholarships to local high school graduates and donations to Cottage Hospital. They donated funds for the construction of the Haverhill Corner Fire Department building. A major donation to Dartmouth Hitchcock created the pancreas center that bears their names.

There are few local causes that the Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation has not assisted.  Created in 1999 by the Hanover-Etna couple, the foundation has dispensed millions of dollars helping literally hundreds of community organizations.  

Significant contributions have been made by the foundation to Dartmouth College and Dartmouth Hitchcock. The Jack Byrne Center for Palliative and Hospice Care and the Dartmouth Cancer Center are examples of the foundation’s dedication to those causes.

The foundation has also targeted the needs of low-income residents and the unhoused, with the Haven in White River Jct. a major recipient. 

More locally, the foundation is generous responding to requests form student groups, libraries, and community projects. A well-written personal letter to the foundation often results in a check for $5,000. Recently, Mrs. Byrne sent such a check to the Bradford Public Library to help with building repairs.

In 1962, The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation was established. The Vermont Community Foundation was established in 1986. Both offer people access to professional assistance with their acts of generosity and service.  They collect and disperse funds to “achieve charitable goals.”

The holiday season offers additional opportunities to share with the those in need. Programs such as Operation Santa Claus, Red Stocking, Toys for Tots, and Ryegate Santa help brighten Christmas for low-income children.

It should be noted that the needs of those who are without often over whelms the ability of locals to respond fully.

Regardless, ask anyone who is involved in any of the charitable activities mentioned above.  They will agree that the joy that is felt by the recipients of good will is reflected back on those who offer it.  

Vaccines, pediatric medicine transformed childhood

 

Childhood Diseases and a Pediatrician

Larry Coffin    Journal Opinion 11/19/2025

In 1977, Mark Harris opened a practice in Bradford to meet the demand for a specialized medical practice. He continued practicing until 2017.

Dr. Mark Harris examines a special patient, his granddaughter Leigh Scovil. The photo was taken in August 2015.

Before vaccines, many childhood dieseases were widespread. Local health officials possted notices outside of homes as an attempt to prevent the spread of diseases such as mumps, measles, diphtheria, and scarlet fever. 

Some of us grew up with a myriad of childhood diseases. We understood that highly contagious illnesses, such as mumps, measles, German measles, whooping cough, flu, and polio were both epidemic and endemic.

Our parents understood that a sick child at school could spread, infecting other children and adults.

I have recently written about six family physicians and two nurses.  These articles can be found on my blog at larrycoffin.blogspot.com and in the archives of the Journal Opinion.

This column continues to explore local health care by surveying history of childhood diseases in the area as well as the career of pediatrician, Dr. Mark Harris.

Before 1850, there were several deadly regional epidemics of spotted fever, lung fever, erysipelas, as well as regular outbreaks of influenza, affecting residents of all ages.

Another often deadly disease was tetanus or lockjaw. It is caused by bacteria entering through a wound. Before the development of a vaccine in the late 1940s, it had a 25 percent fatality rate. While common among soldiers, the rough-and- tumble activities of children made them vulnerable as well.

 Because tetanus was not contagious, it received less attention from both newspaper editors and public health officials alike.  

All of the diseases described below have some common characteristics. While adult cases were normal, cases in younger children were especially serious or severe.

Smallpox struck down old and young alike. It was “one of the most terrifying and deadly scourges known to man.” It is also one of the earliest examples of inoculation limiting its spread. prevention. As early as 1803, a doctor in Orford inoculated against smallpox.

By the early 20th century, the only outbreaks of smallpox in the two states were of a mild variety and were quickly contained by vaccinations.

 In 1921, children entering school in New Hampshire were required to have mandatory vaccinations for smallpox. By midcentury, smallpox was eradicated in the United States.

Diphtheria was a major cause of illness and death among children. During the great “throat distemper” epidemic of 1735, at least one town in southern New Hampshire lost one-third of its children to the disease. 

In the nineteenth century, diphtheria outbreaks were common. Between 1858 and 1865, there were 366 deaths from the disease in Orange County and 482 in Caledonia.

Advertisements promoted “celebrated,” but ineffective, diphtheria remedies were common.

A diphtheria vaccine became available in the 1920s and local inoculation clinics were held.

Mumps is another highly contagious disease that is characterized by swelling of the salivary glands, fever, and body aches. In rare cases, it can cause inflammation of the brain, infertility, and hearing loss. Prior to a vaccine, most children experienced the disease.

The United Opinion reported local outbreaks of mumps especially before 1970. In 1889, mumps were widespread in all area communities. During a 1906 outbreak in Vermont, there were over one hundred cases or more in some communities.

 In 1921, the newspaper alluded to one outbreak: “The Newbury New Year’s Ball has left a lasting impression on several who attended it, as their swollen chops testify.” There were other local epidemics in 1936 and 1952.

In 1967 a vaccine became available and immunization led to a decline in the number of cases. There were still outbreaks in West Fairlee, Thetford, and Corinth in 1968-9. 

Measles was another widespread viral disease, characterized by fever and rash. It was generally considered a disease of childhood. Complications could lead to severe and lasting outcomes, especially in adults.

Local health officials quarantined some households experiencing mumps or other contagious diseases with a warning sign posted on the house. In Groton, during a 1915 mumps epidemic, “about every other house in the village is ornamented with a red card.”

Pertussis or whooping cough is a highly contagious disease that is especially dangerous to young children. It gets its name from “short expiratory bursts of dry, non-productive cough followed by a long gasp.”

The following notice appeared in the Green Mountain Patriot in June 1806. “Died at Ryegate, of the Whooping Cough, on Tuesday evening last, Susan, a child of Mr. Robert Whitelaw, aged 18 months.”

In 1872, the United Opinion reported the following Vershire news: “Measles and whooping cough are all around town, and in fact, through the whole vicinity. Some with both at once or one immediately following the other have died.”

The traditional treatment was to let the disease run its course. Another was “a blister of onion juice applied to the back of the neck”

In 1905, local pharmacies were offering Weeks’ Magic Compound to deal with the symptoms of an outbreak. “It is pleasant to the taste, yet so active in its results. It truly works like magic.” It usually didn’t work.   

Scarlet fever is characterized by rash, swollen glands and fever. It is very contagious and particularly fatal to young children.

The first newspaper notice of a death from the fever was of a young Bradford child in 1846.

In the 1850s, there were extensive cases of scarlet fever  throughout the region. In the late 1880s, it became evident that unpasteurized milk could transmit the bacteria that caused the disease. 

The disease was so contagious that even a single case would cause schools to close. Those affected were quarantined.

A major outbreak in New England in the 1930s was attributed to raw milk. The rise of pasteurized milk and antibiotics reduced the number of cases. After 1951, only a few cases were reported locally.     

Another extremely common disease that was considered “a rite of passage” for children was chickenpox. Nearly all children suffered from its blister-like rash, itching, and fever.

The disease was the last major childhood disease for which there was no widely available protection. From the 1890s to the 1960s, newspapers frequently reported the plight of those afflicted with chickenpox.

In 1895, 1910, and 1920-23, reports of widespread infections caused closed schools. Even before the introduction of a vaccine in 1995, the number of cases had diminished.

Prior to the introduction of a vaccine in 1969, outbreaks of rubella or German measles was also endemic and epidemic in the area.

Newspapers often referred to households “entertaining” the disease. The disease has symptoms similar to those of regular measles, but usually less serious.

In 1894, many West Fairlee children were ill with German measles. During the 1925-26 outbreak at least one month saw over 600 cases in Vermont. In 1943, when it “raised havoc with school attendance” in Orfordville. And in 1964 when a nation-wide epidemic found its way to the area.

In 1981, an outbreak of the disease occurred in Wentworth and its neighboring towns. 

The first polio epidemic in the nation was in Rutland in August 1894. For those who survived, it meant deformed limbs, braces, crutches, wheelchairs, and, after 1938, breathing devices like the iron lung.

Between 1891 and 1925, approximately 800 cases were reported annually in Vermont. In the years that followed, increases in the number of cases led to the cancellation of public gatherings. 

Between 1935 and1938, outbreaks caused similar closures. In the years that followed, the number of annual national cases increased from 11,000 to 33,000.

 In the 1952 outbreak in New Hampshire, there were 95 cases and 10 deaths. 

After 1954, Salk vaccine clinics began to reduce the number of cases, and, by 1961, there were only 161 cases in America.   

In March 1978, one of several clinics was held in Woodsville offering immunity shots against measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, and tests for TB.

The Journal Opinion notice stated, “These diseases can only be prevented and kept in control through a series of immunizations that every child should receive.”

The physicians covered in previous columns dealt with these childhood diseases as part of their family practices, but none were specialists.  It would not be until the arrival of Dr. Mark Harris that dedicated pediatrics services were available.

Harris grew up in Maryland and, using the example of his own wonderful childhood pediatrician, was drawn to pediatrics. After graduating from Georgetown University Medical College, he interned at Dartmouth Hitchcock, completing in June 1977.  

In 1977, Bradford found itself without a family doctor. The local area within a 30-mile radius was without a pediatrician.

So Harris came to Bradford with the intension of filling both those voids. 

Harris told the Journal Opinion in 2017, “We thought we could offer something that Hitchcock couldn’t in terms of better access to care and we could see patients more quickly, that we could give them more time.”

“And that we would know the people from the community because we also lived in the community. We could also be less expensive and more personal than Hitchcock.”

I am including information from newspaper articles, interviews with Harris, with his long-time nurse and office manager Carol Reed, as well as Nancy Foote, Lisa Jensen, and Lynne Chow who worked with him as Nurse Practitioners for up to 30 years.

The nurse practitioners summed up Dr. Harris’ “dedication and commitment to the healthcare of the Upper Valley pediatric community as deep and heartfelt

His approach was based on a “medical home” model, an “approach to providing comprehensive primary care that facilitates partnerships between patients, clinicians, medical staff, and families.”

Harris opened his first office on South Pleasant Street in Bradford and, in 1980, relocated to the Upper Plain where established Upper Valley Pediatrics.

His wife Joan, a nurse practitioner, played an important role in the practice.

The office was open six days a week, “but he treated many patients at his kitchen table on nights and weekends rather than sending them to the emergency room.” 

One of the key features of the practice was its focus on mental health. It operated on a “co-location model” providing both physical and mental health services.  Counselors were hired beginning in the mid-1990s, “long before that aspect of care became part of the standard.”

In 1993, the American Academy of Pediatrics awarded Harris a $10,000 national planning grant. The purpose of the grant was to establish a program to track access to health care for young children in adjacent Grafton County towns. 

In addition to treating young patients, Harris was very involved in the education of medical students and residents, “many of whom become lifelong friends.”

 By 1994, the UVP had become the only local medical office with a nighttime answer service and one of the few that still made house calls.

Harris also provided care for up to 14 area summer camps “so that campers away from home were not taken to emergency rooms, but seen by Dr. Harris.”  He worked community at blood drives and immunization clinics.

He also worked with local schools “advocating for parents and students in getting the services needed.” He spoke strongly in favor of services for students with special health needs.   

Not all of his impact took place in the Upper Valley. Up to six times, he traveled to China to help American families adopt a Chinese child.

 In later years, he and his wife Joan spent a winter break in Hawaii. There Harris became affiliated with a local medical practice and also answered calls from his UVP patients.  

Dr. Harris played a role in community affairs, serving on the Orford school board for five years. During his tenure, a new elementary school was built.

An avid fan of professional sports, he coached Little League and youth basketball in both Orford and Bradford and was President of Bradford Youth Sports.

At a meeting in 1987 to consider a memorial for Elizabeth Claflin, Harris suggested “Why not a big park?”  The resulting Elizabeth’s Park remains a Bradford landmark.

In 2012, in recognition of his role in the area community, Harris was named, along with Bradford’s Nancy Jones, as Co-Citizen of the Year by the Cohase Chamber of Commerce.  

By 2015, the UVP practice had grown to employ about 20 people and had offices in both Bradford and East Thetford.

That year, Harris turned over the operation of the UVP to others on the staff. He continued seeing patients until retiring in 2017. The loss of his wife in 2014 played a significant part in these decisions. 

Today. Harris lives in Ohio near his daughter Kate’s family. His other daughter Kyra lives in Massachusetts. Chauffeuring his grandchildren is a treasured activity. 

Over the past few years I have had a number of conversations with Mark. He frequently recalled in detail patients he treated decades before. Our two daughters were among them. He took great joy in seeing his patients grow up and often welcomed their children for treatment. 

The three nurse practitioners summed up Dr. Mark Harris career.” He is still widely loved and respected by colleagues, by his employees, by the community, and most importantly, by his patients and their families.”