Bradford's Strawberry Festival History

(This column was published in the June 17, 2015 edition of the Journal Opinon and is adapted from one published in June 2007.)

During the heyday of strawberry production at Bradford's Mait Jenkins farm, pickers came from all over the area.  Families sometimes pitched tends and stayed for the season.  The work began at dawn and continued until the rows were picked clean of fruit. (Bradford Historical Society)

This photo from June 1914 shows strawberries from the Jenkins farm headed to a siding at the Piermont Crossing train station.  A siding was constructed specially for trains to stop at the depot and load crates of berries for market. (Bradford Historical Society)

For over 130 years, June in Bradford meant berry time.  The Bradford berry was as closely connected to the reputation of this town as Farm-Way, Copeland Furniture and the Colatina Exit are now.
    

Writing in the Inter-State Journal in July, 1901 Mrs. L. D. Clements recalled that in 1875 “Win” Smalley planted a quarter acre of strawberries on his farm on the Lower Plain in Bradford.  His experiment was so successful that within seven years he had increased his strawberry acreage to ten. In 1884, he picked 1,000 bushels.

In the June 25, 1886 edition of The United Opinion, the following notice appeared, “Strawberries are selling this week for three baskets for twenty-five cents and they are delicious too.”  By 1888, the number of growers had increased to 11, located on the Upper and Lower Plains and the Plateau.  The sandy loam soil laid down on these ancient river terraces was suited to the growing of strawberries. 
 

The Orange County Gazetteer of that year did not list more than two other growers in neighboring towns, although later there were a few in adjacent portions of Fairlee, S. Corinth and, S. Newbury. Between1886 and the post WW II era there were also several growers in Haverhill, Piermont and Orford.

But it was in Bradford where the strawberries really took root.  The United Opinion reported on July 1, 1898 that the strawberry crop was “unusually abundant and the quality good.”  However the market became overloaded and berries sold as low as five cents a basket.

By 1917 there were about 20 growers in Bradford with plots ranging from one to six acres. Among the Bradford growers were Freeman Clements, Joseph Gardner, Johnson Golden, William Gove, Everette McDuffee, Harry Martin, Henry Ormsby, Horace Renfrew and Arad Jenkins.

Jenkins was the grandfather of the late Margaret Jenkins Pratt whose memories of growing up as part of a strawberry dynasty gives us insight into the industry.  Jenkins had purchased a farm on the Lower Plain in 1856 and joined his neighbors in growing strawberries.  In 1893 he sold the 90 acre farm to his son, Maitland Jenkins.  Within a few years, “Mait” had enlarged the farm to 500 acres and replaced Win Smalley at bringing in the largest strawberry crop in town.  
 

Using Gerry Brook, from which the farm took its name, he became the first grower to use irrigation.  A Vermont Department of Agriculture report on his methods mentioned his earned title “Strawberry King” in their description of his unique use of gravity irrigation. A 1917 article in The Country Gentleman described him as a “man who succeeds at a business partly from a good location and partly because he makes a study of it.”

  

Margaret Pratt recalled that beginning in mid-June there would be 30 to 50 pickers in the fields.  Families would pitch tents and stay for the season. Some families brought old cook stoves; others cooked over open fireplaces.  They did their laundry in the nearby brook and if they had the courage, took a cold bath there also. One such family was that of Andrew and Mary Emerson who picked at the Jenkins place for 33 consecutive years and earned a reputation as outstanding pickers. 
 

The work began at dawn and continued until the rows were picked clean of ripe fruit.  The field boss kept them at their task. Children often required extra supervision.  Shanties were set up in each field, where baskets were brought to be inspected and counted.  It was important to keep track of time so that berries could be delivered to trains that came at least four times daily. 


As pickers were paid by the quart, this tallying took on an extra importance.  Near the end of the season, when a man could no longer make a day’s pay, the pickers went home to tend to their own summer chores.

Most of the berries were shipped from the Bradford and Piermont Crossing stations to consumers in the White Mountains, Boston and New York. The production of June 24, 1901 set an early record with 300 bushels shipped. It was said that hotels and stores would advertise “Bradford Berries” even if the product came from other locations.

Vermont newspaper advertisements carried announcements such as this one from Orleans: “We can supply you with Bradford Berries. None Better. None Cheaper.”  Ads for “fresh and plump” Bradford Berries were often coupled with those for canning jars used in making strawberry preserves.

The demand was so great that a siding was build at Gove Crossing just north of the Fairlee line, and trains took car-loads of berries from there during the height of the season. Mrs. Pratt recalled that crates of 32 quarts were tagged showing their destination.  The 1938 receipt book for the Railroad Express Agency at Bradford’s Piermont Crossing for June 25th showed that M. A. Jenkins shipped 19 crates of berries valued at $12 per crate on a north-bound train to customers in Littleton and Berlin, NH. 

This same book showed that the early crop brought $15 per crate with the price falling to as low as $11 as the supply increased.  When Jenkins’ son-in-law George Pratt, Sr. took over the operation of the farm he used a truck to carry berries to Boston, thus delivering a fresher product to that market. 
       

 

Sometimes when there were more berries than could be sold wholesale or from roadside stands, growers would sell them as “hulling berries.”  Pickers would hull the fruit which was then put in milk cans with sugar and sold to the Neapolitan Ice Cream Company.    Earlier records fell as new varieties and methods were introduced. 


The largest crop reported was 1200 crates in the early 1940’s from the Jenkins-Pratt farm.  The total annual crop for Bradford exceeded 30,000 quarts of extra-fine berries, as expertise and competition lead to a quality product. One local competitor was the Ernest farm in Piermont which had an annual crop of over 700 bushels for many years. 

Many area residents share memories of picking berries as youngsters. The late Bea Nutting recalled beginning in the late 1920’s at the Rice farm (location of the present Appleton farm) and for Arthur Clogston who had fields on both the Lower Plain and on the Plateau, She also picked at Robert Renfrew’s fields adjacent to the Connecticut River on the Lower Plain. 


 She recalled that at noon the Renfrew pickers would be invited up to the house to share strawberry shortcake. Ruth Morrison, Bob Benjamin, Eris Eastman and Russell Batten all recall picking for Clogston, Jenkins or Paul Demick at two or three cents a quart in the 1930’s and 40’s. In the 1950’s the pay was increased to 8 to 10 cents.  Children would pick berries to make money to buy school clothes or supplement the family income without regard to child-labor laws.

Strawberry Festivals began in Vermont about 1863 to raise funds to assist disabled Civil War veterans. One of the first mentions of this activity in the local area was in the 1870s.  Within a decade they became an annual affair for groups such as the West Fairlee and Fairlee Ladies Societies and Bradford’s chapter of the Women’s Relief Corps.
 In 1891 a festival in Orfordville featured a concert by Beal’s Orchestra. 

Bradford’s Grand Army of the Republic Post advertised a festival in 1897: “Come one and all and try our strawberries and cream, hot rolls, doughnuts, cake, hot coffee and tea. Price 15 cents.”  In 1912 the festival

was sponsored by the Bradford Band and featured “everything in the way of strawberry dainties.” The Bradford Community Club began holding a strawberry festival in 1954, an event now continued each summer by the local Eastern Star and Masonic chapters. 

Other memories are of strawberry shortcake shared by the family or purchased from a local strawberry festival. Strawberry shortcake became popular in the 1850’s and can be described as one of the most American of desserts. A question was sent to an 1868 issue of the Vermont Daily Transcript  asking for an explanation for the shortcake’s appeal. 


The answer given was that it was “toothsome and savory” but went on to wonder why the American appetite “clings so fondly to the indigestible.” Purists demanded that the sliced, not mashed, slightly sweetened fresh fruit be served between sliced baking powder biscuits topped with real whipped cream. 

Raising strawberries in the Connecticut River valley meant being at the mercy of weather, plant diseases and marauding wildlife and insects.  Early predictions for bumper crops could easily be diminished by heavy rain.  Increased competition in the 1960’s from out-of-state growers and frozen strawberries caused the number of growers to decline significantly. 

David and Sara Pierson of the Pierson Farm alone continue the tradition of the Bradford berry.  David’s grandfather Ralph Pierson began growing strawberries after World War II near the corner of Routes 5 and 25. His father, Bob Pierson continued in the 60s and 70s. The present operation began in 1979.  Pierson indicated that, like growers of the past, the farm is at the mercy of weather, higher production costs and changing demands.  Local competition to the Bradford berry now comes from the Four Corners Farm in South Newbury, Farmer Hodge’s in Fairlee and Crossroad Farm in West Fairlee.   
  

While it is possible to buy strawberries outside of the local June-July season, there is a unique delight in picking a basket of  local berries right from the patch, eating a few as you pick and taking them home to serve on a shortcake or in a pie.  No berry imported from California or Chile can compete with that for taste and memory making.     

Unending War

JUST A LAD. George W. Martin was just 13 years old when he joined the 10th Vermont Infantry Regiment in 1862. A large boy he misrepresented himself as 18 or 19. He fought with the regiment and was wounded at the Battle of Cold Harbor.  When he died in Haverhill in 1935 he was the last of the 102 members of the Bradford GAR post. (Bradford Historical Society) 

Members of Bradford's Washington Post #17 of the Grand Army of the Republic and members of the Women's Relief Corps are pictured at a reunion at Lake Morey about 1895. (Bradford Historical Society)

Register for GAR post in Wells River (photo Michelle Sherburne)

 Published in the Journal Opinion, May 20, 2015

 “Mustered out!  And what then?  Are these tattered and dusty warriors only to receive as their recompense the homage of admiring crowds who assembly to witness and welcome their return?”

The Caledonian, July 14, 1865

The Civil War came to an end with the Confederate surrender in April 1865. Despite the grief resulting from the assassination of President Lincoln, communities throughout Vermont and New Hampshire resounded with celebration. By the end of the year most regiments from the two states were mustered out and soldiers returned home. 

This was the bloodiest of America’s wars. For the millions of Americans who were affected by it, the war was often unending. This column deals with Vermont and New Hampshire veterans’ attempts to return, with varying degrees of success, to civilian life. It also describes the attempts of the two states to care for veterans and their families while striving to “bind up the nation’s wounds.”

The Civil War Trust estimates there were 620,000 casualties from battle wounds, disease and starvation.  Of the 31,650 New Hampshire men who served, 4,882 died.  Vermont suffered 5,224 deaths from among the 34,238 men involved.  It is estimated that for every three soldiers killed in battle, five more died of disease. 

Locally every town felt the burden of the war. Bradford lists 158 men involved and 30 killed or wounded: Haverhill 37 out of 150: Topsham 41 out of 142: and Newbury suffered 32 out of 203. Some families sent more than one man into service and the impact of the losses was widespread.  Articles on five of the significant battles involving local men can be found at larrycoffin.blogspot.com.

Modern studies conclude that many of the returning soldiers suffered from “soldier’s heart,” a form of what is now called post traumatic stress disorder.  Civil War combat experiences involved “intimate violence”, such as hand-to-hand fighting.  Soldiers fought side by side with friends and relatives and often saw them die violent deaths.

Those studies conclude that these battle experiences led to an epidemic of emotional, psychological and physical disorders.  Unemployment, alcoholism, drug addiction, suicides and mental disease were evident among veterans in some areas.  

Soldiers returning home often carried diseases such as typhoid fever or malaria, They contracted their illnesses during the war, but would remain afflicted  for the remainder of their lives. These affects were evident in both the North and the South, although defeat and destruction added to the plight of Confederate veterans. 

A review of available Vermont newspapers and town histories from 1865 to 1910 indicates that much of this suffering was in silence. As with veterans of other wars, many men came home, put away their uniforms and either never spoke of what they experienced or lied about what the real conditions had been. 

For many it was a private battle, with men unwilling to admit the need for care. The few that are mentioned include a local veteran who died in 1866 from chronic diarrhea resulting from the war, one who was “so badly disabled as to be no use to the community,” another who was unable to care for himself because of a head injury or “intermittent fever” and several others who were “just worn out by the war.”   

Many veterans returned home with a limb missing.  Some were fitted with prosthetics such as those invented by B.F. Palmer, who had lost his leg in a Bradford bark mill accident in 1846.  Newspaper reports mention crippled veterans who adapted to their handicaps and continued to  work as farmers, factory workers, post masters and even as a  governor of Vermont.    

Many did not return home because they saw advantages of relocating to other areas of the nation.  By 1870, over 42% of native-born Vermonters were living elsewhere. The author of the Peacham history concluded that the war “freed men out of their accustomed groove and disinclined many of them to return to the quiet of a rural village.”  New addresses ranged from North Carolina to Nebraska, California and the Dakotas as well as Boston and Chicago.

Whether at home or away, many veterans were highly successful in commercial and government positions.  For the next half century, local and state leaders in every avenue of life counted themselves as veterans of the conflict.  Whether they asked for it or not, their status aw war veterans  was a badge of honor.   

Veterans sought solace in the company of others who understood their traumatic experiences. A number of veterans’ organizations were established. The ost prominent among them, the Grand Army of the Republic , was established in 1866 and with over 400,000 members counted posts throughout the North.

 New Hampshire had 94 posts, including those in North Haverhill, Warren and Orfordville.  Vermont had 117 including those located in East Corinth, Bradford, Fairlee, Post Mills and Wells River.  As with posts elsewhere they were named after local military heroes. 

State and national annual encampments were held. Established first for camaraderie, the G.A.R. took a strong role in promoting pension legislation, founding Soldier’s Homes and giving assistance to needy veterans, their widows and orphans.  Political candidates sought the endorsement of the group and its support was often instrumental in elections. 

The Women’s Relief Corp, established in 1883, was the auxiliary of the G.A.R.  It assisting in support of veterans and promoting patriotic observances. In 1901 the national headquarters for the organization was located in Bradford as the national president was a local resident.  

Other veterans’ groups included the Reunion Society of Vermont and the Orange County Veterans.  In later years the Orange County group merged with the Grafton County Veterans.

 Newspaper reports of the Orange County reunion at Chelsea in September 1884 describe “the grounds for the encampment are very pleasant…there will be an abundance of tents, and fuel, straw, etc will be furnished.  Each soldier should being his blanket and rations.”   Attendees gathered around campfires to hear speeches, fire rifles and cannon and sing old songs while fighting the battles over again.  Other encampments were held in more formal settings.

The New Hampshire Veteran’s Association held its first encampment in 1875. In 1880 it built a hall at the Weirs on Lake Winnipesaukee.  A number of colorful and ornate regimental buildings or barracks were added nearby and encampments were held there yearly.

The largest veterans’ reunion was held in 1913 at Gettysburg to observe the 50^th anniversary of the battle.  Over 53,000 veterans, primarily Union, spent six days at a gigantic campground.  Attempts at camaraderie between former enemies were partially successful.  Extending a hand “across the bloody chasm” was just too much for some. Twenty-five years later only 1870 veterans, with an average age 92, attended the 75^th anniversary observance. 

I shared this history of veterans’ gatherings with a local Vietnam veteran. He suggested that these get-togethers represent an earlier version of the support-group therapy now offered by the Veterans’ Administration. They help veterans feel less isolated and alone.

Beginning as early as 1870, histories of state regiments were published, written by regimental historians. In the 1890s both states authorized the publishing of official rosters of their participating soldiers and sailors.  Individual accounts, including diaries and lengthy letters to the editors of newspapers told of men’s experiences.

 In 1891, Lt. Thomas White, formerly of Topsham, began writing a series for The United Opinion on his experiences with the 10th Vermont Regiment.  Like the regimental histories, these individual accounts made sure the public remained aware of the veterans’ services and sacrifices.

Many local communities erected monuments. In 1912, Haverhill dedicated its Soldiers’ Memorial and in 1917 Lyme did the same. Both monuments feature an infantryman standing at parade rest, common on monuments across the nation.  Fairlee and Bradford established veterans monuments following the end of World War I.  Regimental markers were also placed at battlefields such as Gettysburg and Antietam.

To meet the need of aging veterans, Vermont opened its Soldiers’ Home in Bennington in 1887. Within the first 10 years, the home admitted 286 veterans. The Burlington Weekly Free Press reported that many destitute veterans did not take advantage of the Vermont home as “the question of actually leaving their families and going to be cared for at public expense” was too much of a shame.   New Hampshire’s Soldiers’ Home in Tilton opened in 1890 and within the first two years admitted 143 veterans.

Beginning in 1861, the Federal government began awarding pensions to disabled veterans and widows and orphans of the deceased.  At first the benefit for a totally disabled pensioner was $8 a month.  Under pressure from veterans groups, pension laws were repeatedly modified to increase payment rates and make eligibility easier.

In 1893 it was reported that there were 9705 pensioners in New Hampshire receiving benefits and in Vermont there were 10,068. Of course as veterans aged or joined “the bivouac of the dead,” the number of pensioners changed.

As the public’s memories of the war were replaced by other concerns, there was some blowback to the cost of these pensions.  In 1894, these benefits consumed 37% of the federal budget.  This, plus veterans preferences in civil service positions and the failure to provide pensions for Confederate veterans, caused some push back against veteran benefits nationally.   

Between 1865 and 1877, the Federal government pursued a policy of reconstruction of the former Confederate states.  The controlling Republican Party was divided on the methods and policies.  Bradford’s National Opinion urged caution in allowing former rebels back into power.

The Republican Party controlled  politics in Vermont during this period.  The Democratic Party was often linked with terms such as traitor and rebel. In 1875 the Bradford Opinion printed: “A vote for the Democratic ticket was a vote to encourage the rebels in their purpose to overthrow the government.”  The Democrats accused the Republicans of “waving the bloody shirt” to keep alive memories of Southern treachery.

The difficult task of reconciliation between the two sections of the nation was not totally successful.  It failed to effectively rebuild the South, integrate the freed slaves into the social order or resolve the bitter feelings among those who had been affected by the conflict. 

 In addition to helping veterans and their families, veterans’ organizations were dedicated to memorializing their fallen comrades.  Within several years of the end of the war, efforts were made to decorate the graves of their dead. The G.A.R. was instrumental in creating May 30^th of each year as Decoration Day and establishing it as a holiday in a number of states.

In 1868 Vermont newspapers described the state’s first observances of Decoration Day. In June 1869, Bradford’s National Opinion published an article from the national G.A.R. supporting the organization’s refusal to decorate the graves of the Southern dead.  “Our refusal to decorate rebel graves marks not our hatred of their occupants or friends, but our undying hostility to the ideas for which they fought and died.”

 Known now as Memorial Day, the observance was made a national holiday in 1971 and moved to the last Monday of May. Memorial Day 2015 was a special one as part of the Bradford250 observances. 

On Sunday, May 24 the Vermont Hemlocks Civil War re-enactors group had an encampment in Bradford. Folks joined them all day to view their camp and watch their activities. That evening the members will gather at the Upper Plain Cemetery to present the stories of Bradford Civil War veterans buried there.  Over 70 residents joined them.   

On Monday, May 25  a ceremony was held on the front lawn of the Bradford Academy to rededicate the Veterans Memorial monument.  A local unit of the National Guard joined the Hemlocks and local veterans and Scoouts in this ceremony.  An audience of over 150 viewed the ceremonies.      

The ranks of surviving Civil War veterans thinned with the arrival of the 20^th century.  One of the last surviving local veterans was George W. Martin of Bradford and Haverhill.  Martin was just 13 when he joined the Tenth Vermont Regiment in 1862. He was wounded at Cold Harbor.  When he died in 1935 he was the last of 102 members of Bradford’s G.A.R. Washington Post #17.   The last Vermont veteran was Gilbert Lucier who died in 1944 and New Hampshire’s was James Lurvey who died in 1950.

Upon returning home in July 1865 Pvt. Wilbur Fisk of Tunbridge , a member of the 2nd Vermont Regiment, wrote “If I was asked ‘how it seemed’ to be a free citizen once more, I should say it seems as if I have been through a long dark tunnel, and have just got into daylight once more.”  For other Vermont and New Hampshire veterans there was no such release.

In November 1888, the editor of The Burlington Weekly Free Press editor wrote, “Every armless sleeve, every wooden leg, every scarred and crippled veteran is living proof that war does not end as the smoke of the last battle floats away.” This is a stark lesson Americans learned then but must relearns again and again. 

Television: Pictures From the Air

April 15, 2015

 BUFFLO BOB SMITH My introduction to television came during a trip to Saratoga Springs, NY around 1950.  Howdy Doody was a program I recall. It was the beginning of a life-long fascination with the medium.  The show premiered in 1947 and was a pioneer in children's programming. It continued until 1960 and its broadcast in color helped to sell new sets. 

 HI-O SILVER.  One of the programs that made a successful transition from radio to television was the Lone Ranger.  From 1933 to 1954 it was regular on radio and from 1949 to 1957 it was a television standard.  

ALL IN THE FAMILY.  After WW II, the number of televisions in American went up dramatically.  Ads for televisions focused on the gathering of families around the television set.  By 1960, 66% of Orange County homes had televisions.   

Most area residents received their first television signal in 1954.  It was in that year that WMTW Channel 8 from Mt. Washington and WMVT Channel 3 (later WCAX) from Mt. Mansfield began broadcasting.  It had been a long time coming. 

In 1910 the Burlington Free Press described an apparatus that “enabled the operator to see over wires at a considerable distance.”  Described as “seeing a radio” in 1913, the invention was called television.  In 1922, The Evening World reported: “Television will enable you to sit in your parlor somewhere in the United States and see a thirsty gent tip up a glass of hooch in Australia.”

This column describes early television broadcasting  reception in the area. It follows the March article describing local radio broadcasting. Those who missed that article may locate it on the Internet at “Radio Broadcast Received” at larrycoffin.blogspot.com. 

In 1928 WGY, later WRGB Channel 6,began broadcasting from Schenectady, New York on an irregular basis. It was one of a few experimental television stations operating prior to 1945. Nationally there were very few television sets to receive the signals.  With the end of WW II, however, consumer interest in owning a television increased and so did the number of commercial stations.  In 1948 Boston’s WBZ Channel 4 became the first commercial station in New England.  

Locals went to great lengths to receive television. One of the first was Charlie Hall of West Topsham. In a recent interview Hall said that he first saw television in 1946 while visiting in New York. He purchased a 7” television and erected an antenna with electricity on a nearby hill.  One afternoon he carried the set through the snow to the top of the hill to view Channel 6.  His parents accompanied the viewing party.  A few minutes into the reception “dancing girls” appeared on the snowy screen.  His mother informed his father they were not going to stay. He did. Hall said his mother did not speak to his dad for two weeks. 

To satisfy his neighbors’ interest in television and to get them out of his living room, Hall purchased a number of used televisions and sold the repaired sets to them.  Around  1948, Jack Williams of East Corinth received television from an antenna on what is now know as Antenna Hill above the village. Harold Stever of Bradford built an antenna on the hill above his Summer Street home to receive an elusive signal.  Merlin Blake erected a 50’ antenna on his house on South Pleasant to get Channel 4.  Eddie Perdue built an antenna on Mcgoon Hill in Corinth.  Perdue assisted the others with their projects and established himself early as a go-to for television repairs and sales.    

 In 1951, The United Opinion published an article with a photograph showed an engineer from Expanding Horizons of TV presenting a demonstration of network television in the Bradford Academy auditorium. By that time there were four national television networks broadcasting programs, but reception locally was still spotty at best.  

All that changed in 1954.  That February, The United Opinion reported that A.E. Hale was planning a television sales shop.  The paper stated “Bradford, long on the outer fringe of the fringe area, is now reported to be getting better reception.”  It mentioned a new station broadcasting from Portland, ME, that there would soon be one from Manchester and another from Mt. Washington in the fall.  With these, the area will be well situated to enjoy the best of television.”

In September the newspaper reported that the “test pattern by WMTW is clear and hopes are raised for good reception.”  It mentioned that the station would begin broadcasting on Sept. 25 and would carry network programs of CBS, ABC and Dumont, as well as local live shows.  It also reported that signals from Mt. Mansfield were due soon for Channel 3. 

Much of the interest in television was among sports fans. One of the first programs broadcast by WMTW was a  Major League Baseball game of Detroit at Cleveland. Once the station was on the air, the paper reported “general satisfaction, but some disappointment” among viewers of the area.  Bradford village was still on the fringe and television was “sometimes good, more often unreliable.” 

That fall the newspaper printed the program schedule for the two stations.  It indicated that Channel 8 broadcasted from mid-afternoon until midnight. Programs included news, professional and collegiate sports, weather reports, dramatic productions and shows such as “Life With Father,” “Burns and Allen” and “Superman” and those featuring Jackie Gleason and Arthur Godfrey.

Getting a first television was a monumental event.  Finding the best roof antenna position was a feat that required at least three individuals, one on the roof turning the antenna to and fro, one inside evaluating the reception and one on the lawn passing messages between the other two. There were shouts of “turn it left,” or “just a bit to the right, no, too far, back just a bit.”  

The mountainous terrain proved formidable in getting a good signal. Mount Tug kept many in Bradford village from receiving Channel 3 and mountains kept many in Piermont from getting Channel 8. It was reported that at least one Woodsville home got reception bounced off the cliffs across the river. At least one elder recalled a neighbor using an old set of bed springs in the attic to get reception.  One Orford resident put an antenna 40’ up in a large pine 500 yards from the home. 

By the early 1950s television began to erode the popularity of radio.  Some popular programs such as “Ozzie and Harriett“and “The Lone Ranger” were able to make the successful transition from one medium to the other.  Nationally the number of televisions grew exponentially from 3.9 million sets in 1950 to 52 million in 1960. The census in 1960 indicated that about 66% of Orange County homes had televisions.  

Reception was in black and white, speckled with snow. Connie Longo of Corinth recalled watching the Walt Disney show in the late 1950s. “Reception was inconsistent, and sometimes terrible. But wow, there was a world out there.”  Shureen Metcalf of Bradford said her family had an old console set, “all you could see were shadows most of the time, but we would sit and watch anyway.” She said that they purchased a plastic cover for the screen that had three colored layers to give the impression of color reception. 

Wayne Blake, one of the early television technicians in the area, recalled that viewing a snowy picture by reflecting it in a large mirror across the room gave viewers a “better picture.” Another suggestion was to cover the screen with a sheer cloth thus mitigating the effect of the snow.   

A review of the local newspaper after 1960 offers a profile of the changes in television viewing locally. In 1960 a wide-angle 23” Admiral set was advertised for $209 with trade. Colored TVs were introduced in the mid-1950s but did not become popular until ten years later when the networks began to broadcast primetime programming in color. In 1962 one local ad offered a combined  black and white and colored model and a year later Perdue and Blake of Bradford advertise a colored TV.    

The assassination of President Kennedy in November 1963 proved network televisions importance as a news medium and unifying force in American society.  Beginning moments after news of the assassination became available until the state funeral three days later all networks suspended regular programming, replacing it with news reports, taped and live.  Millions of people around the world watched, glued to the latest coverage.

Television also began to play an educational role. National Educational Television, later PBS, was established in 1954.  In 1959 New Hampshire Public Television began broadcasting from studios located at the University of New Hampshire. Despite some opposition from the Legislature, Vermont Educational Television was established in 1967 by the University of Vermont.  Programming offered enhanced educational opportunities for students and the general public.  In 1962 local schools began wiring for television.

Cable television with its subscription membership did not appear in the area until the late 1960s. The opportunity to receive additional channels without the bother of antenna was a great advantage.  Articles in the newspaper reported the progress. In May 1971 a television repeater was sought for Piermont and Bradford with the hope of two channels.  A year later plans were underway for a seven channel cable system for Woodsville and Wells River. 

In 1975 a Community Antenna System was proposed for Bradford village and additional ones in Waits River and East Corinth.  A survey of potential subscribers was favorable.  Arvid Johnson of Bradford recalled that the project in Bradford did not go forward because the quality of the signal was not better than that received by antenna.  In 1976 G. O. Enterprise finally brought cable to Bradford with up to eight channels servicing nearly 350 homes. Our first monthly cable bill was $6.50 and we took down our roof antenna.

Over the next decade cable television was proposed in several other villages including Haverhill Center in 1981 and Piermont in 1987.  Additional channels including Channel 31, a 24-hour news channel and all sports channel were added to the lineup.  Video recording machines became popular and video rental stores opened in the area. In 1984 Perry’s Oil Service demonstrated satellite television, an innovation especially popular in rural locations. 

Televisions sets had larger screens, stereo sound and solid state components replacing tubes.  These innovations led to better sound and resolution.  Additional channels were also added on cable and satellite systems.

Each year and decade brought new popular shows many of which are still available as classic reruns.  In the 1950s they were “I Love Lucy,” “Gunsmoke” and “The Texaco Theatre” with Milton Berle, in the 1960s “Bonanza” and “The Beverly Hillbillies,” in the 1970s All In The Family had the most viewers and it was “Dallas” and “Dynasty” that had high ratings in the 1980s. News programs included “The Today Show,” “60 Minutes” and the “CBS Evening News” with Walter Cronkite. Miniseries such as Roots kept many tuned in to each episode. Game shows were popular as were the “Mickey Mouse Club” and “American Bandstand.”

Daytime soap operas included “Days of Our Lives,” “As the World Turns” and “General Hospital.”  Each had hundreds of episodes and millions of faithful viewers. Television programming that targeted children ranged from cartoons with sugary cereal ads to “Sesame Street” and “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”  Public television offered intellectually stimulating programming mixed with British comedy and drama.  “Upstair, Downstairs "is an example of the latter. Broadcasting turned Super Bowl Sunday into a new national holiday. That annual sports event ranks, along with the closing episode of “M*A*S*H,” among the most viewed programming during those years. 

Local programming included “Across The Fence” and “You Can Quote Me.” Local news events were reported by anchors such as Richard Gallagher of Channel 3. The weather from the top of Mt. Washington was made warmer by the reporting of Marty Engstrom. Chris Nahatis, the pot-smashing salesman for Saladmaster Cookware, premiered his infomercial in 1954. Local performers who made regular appearances included Duke & the Swingbillies.

As it has since television programs were snowy shadows on 7” screens, television broadcasting will continue to change.  Many now have the choice of hundreds of channels and soon will be able to be given even more control over the bundle of stations available.  Larger screens, better sound, wireless remotes, recording systems, enhanced digital pictures and streaming videos are now available.        

Programs of the past may be recalled with fondness or with the feeling that they were a waste of time?  Perhaps you grew up in a home that did not have a television or limited viewing.  It may have been considered the “boob tube” or “the idiot box.”  Maybe you agree with those who viewed commercial television programming as a “vast wasteland.”    

Since the 1950s television has been the premier home entertainment in the area. Created in 1951, the Television Code of the National Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters states: “television program material should enlarge the horizons of the viewer, provide him with wholesome entertainment, afford helpful stimulation, and remind him of the responsibilities which the citizen has toward his society.”    How well has it fulfilled this challenge?   

  

    

Radio Broadcast Received

March 2015

“The discovery of the possibilities of this modern ‘magic carpet’ exerts a powerful stimulative influence upon the imagination which is not easily forgotten.”  Edward L. Nelson. 1925

 This statement by Western Electric engineer Edward Nelson reflects the impact of early radio after its introduction to the general public in 1920.  This column deals with the history of local radio and is the first of a two-part series. The second will appear next month and cover television’s introduction locally.  Information was collected from this newspaper and its predecessors, area seniors and radio websites. 

Radio was used by military forces before and during World War I with both point-to-point and broadcasting signals.  All amateur and commercial use was prohibited during the war. The armed forces used radio for military communications as well as entertainment for service personnel.  For this reason returning servicemen were among those who recognized the value of radio in civilian life.

In 1919 the government allowed radios to be used for civilian broadcasting.  It is generally recognized that KDKA in Pittsburgh, PA was the first radio station and it began broadcasting in October 1920.  By 1922 there were 600 radio stations across the nation with many of them operated by amateurs with radio telephones. The first radio receivers were crystal sets built from home kits.  In 1924 these were replaced by vacuum tube sets and the earlier earphones were replaced by amplification. 

The local columns of The United Opinion carried the news of radio’s introduction in area communities.  Bernard Crafts of Bradford purchased that town’s first radio in 1921. In 1922 Thetford’s column mentioned that Charles Vaughan installed his new radio and brought it to the local church “Sunday evening for the entertainment of those present.”  In East Corinth, A. C. Jackman “recently installed a radio and can now listen to concerts, etc., as far west as Davenport, Iowa.” 

That same year the Dodd and Slack boys of Newbury “successfully listened to a concert and prize fight.”  In South Newbury, a crowd gathered at one home to hear a concert “distinctly from Schenectady.”  In Wells River, Wendell Clark had a “radio phone” and Haverhill’s Ralph Simpson had a radio to share lectures, concerts and baseball scores “through the air.”

Vermont’s first radio station was a project of UVM’s Radio Club.  It operated an amateur station beginning in 1921. That station received a license as WCAX and went on the air on October 10, 1924 and remained nonprofit until it was purchased by the Burlington Daily News in 1931. New Hampshire’s first radio station went on the air in August 1922. It was Laconia’s WKAV, a station that changed its call letters to WLNH in 1934 after a brief shutdown.

The 1930s have been described as “the golden age of radio.”  The radio became a centerpiece of furniture for millions of families.  Despite fears that “playing with the radio” was a serious distraction, car radios became a standard feature in automobiles. Battery-powered radios allowed them to go almost everywhere.

By 1934 there were 583 radio stations nationwide and 60 percent of households had radios. Radio used its broadcast potential to bring the nation together in new ways with both common listening experiences and mass marketing. 

 Many rural locations did not have electricity and if families could actually afford a radio it had to be battery operated.  One West Topsham resident recalled that the 6-volt battery that powered his family radio was actually recharged by a windmill.  

Those interviewed recalled listening to shows such as “The Lone Ranger,” “The Shadow” , Edgar Bergen, Kate Smith, Jack Benny and “Fibber McGee and Molly.” Soap opera such as “One Man’s Family” joined radio drama, news broadcasts, comedy, variety and quiz shows. Individual stations and networks featured musical programming in every genre from opera to country. Families rearranged their schedules to listen to favorite programs.

Many of those interviewed recalled the newsflash that interrupted regular programming on Sunday afternoon, December 7, 1941 or the announcement of the death of President Franklin Roosevelt in April 1945.  By that time 95 percent of all homes had radios.

During the 1930s and 40s, The United Opinion included the syndicated gossip column “Star Dust” written by Virginia Vale. It included news of radio and film personalities and notices of upcoming programs. The newspaper also reported other radio happenings including WDEV’s 1939 Bradford Community Program sponsored by local businesses.

Presidents made use of the radio to communicate with the American public.  In 1924 Calvin Coolidge gave the first address specifically written for radio.  Franklin Roosevelt used radio broadcasts from 1933 to 1944 to offer reassurance to a nation in the grips of the Great Depression and World War II.  Locals remembers these “fireside chats.”  Harry Truman continued national radio broadcasts into the post-war era. 

One of the most popular stations in Vermont is Waterbury’s WDEV. It began broadcasting on July 16, 1931 at 550 AM on the dial. The next day’s edition of The United Opinion carried an editorial of congratulation for the new station, calling the inauguration “one of the outstanding events of the year in Vermont.”  It specifically cited station owner Harry Whitehill “for his initiative in successfully launching a station in the smallest village in New England to have such a modern touch for dissemination of information and entertainment.”

In October 2013 WDEV President Ken Squier spoke about the history of the station to a Bradford audience.  He said that Whitehill owned several newspapers in Vermont and, knowing that “more people can hear than read,” envisioned a local and relevant newspaper on the air.  His assistant was Lloyd Squier, known on the radio as “The Old Squier.”

 Many local elders listed this station first when asked what station they listened to as youngsters. Cows were milked to the sounds of WDEV playing on barn radios and local basketball games were broadcast from local gymnasiums. Many recall listening to Boston sports broadcasts.

The music of Don Fields and His Pony Boys was especially popular. WDEV is also remembered for its coverage of auto racing, “The Trading Post” program and “Music To Go To The Dump By.” The station has been cited as one of the nation’s best example of independent radio broadcasting. 

Boston is New England’s central city and its radio station WBZ had a strong presence among listeners throughout the region. The station began broadcasting on Sept. 19, 1921 from the Eastern States Exposition in West  Springfield, Massachusetts and relocated to Boston in 1924.  Its programming included reports of Boston Bruins and Boston Braves ball games and in March 1925 it broadcast the presidential inauguration of Calvin Coolidge.  In 1926 it became an NBC affiliate.

I remember listening to that station’s morning program featuring Carl DeSuze and weatherman Don Kent. Several elders mentioned Boston’s WEEI. It began broadcasting in 1924 and offered CBS programming and Boston sports.

Growing up in Orofrd, I shared a bedroom with three brothers.  My two older ones controlled our single bedroom radio. They liked country tunes and so, like many locally, we listened to WWVA’s Jamboree from Wheeling, West Virginia nightly. The station went on the air in 1926 and by the early 1950s it broadcast 24 hours a day with 50,000 watts on 1170 AM. As many local stations went off the air at sundown, this station had a strong night time signal that reached the Northeast.

The station alternated evening programs of dance tunes with “cowboy music.”  It was the latter we listened to. Lee Moore was the DJ we remembered and performers such as Hawkshaw Hawkins and Doc Williams and the Border Riders were among the many that joined the broadcast. Doc Willams brought his national tour to the local area several times. 

On October 3, 1975 local residents flipping the radio dial heard a new station broadcasting from the old school building in Wells River.  It was the beginning of a long-standing affair between WYKR and the listening public of the North Country.  Early morning listeners became accustomed to the Yankee twang of owner Gene Puffer as the station offered birthday greetings, lost and found notices, a calendar of local events, interviews with local personalities and country music.

Play-by-play broadcasts of sports events included Norwich University football as well as local high school ball games and softball league play became part of the station’s regular programming. Remote broadcast from local fairs, parades and business openings became common fare.

Puffer had an image of what a community radio station was and WYKR became that for many. “It can’t be faked” he said and it wasn’t.  Radio personalities included Gerry Brooks and Stephen John Puffer, who were too many “like a member of the family.” While waiting at the station for an on-air interview I asked Clara Puffer how Gene knew how to pronounce unfamiliar names.  She said that he listened to the news the night before in hopes of getting the correct pronunciation.  

In February 1982 the Journal Opinion ran an article about the station entitled “A Bit of Nashville in Wells River.”  The station had dropped other music formats to go 100 percent country in response to the community interests.  In 1990 the station received an FM license. The AM broadcast continued as WTWN ll00 with a Christian family-oriented programming.  The station moved to its present location on Route 302 in 1998. This past November Gene Puffer passed away. His station continues to broadcast, a testimony to his love of radio and community. 

Undoubtedly many who read this column will not find their favorite radio stations mentioned. Those may be commercial stations such as WSNY Albany-Schenectady that originated in 1942, WTSL  broadcasting from Lebanon beginning in 1950 or Mt. Washington’s WHOM that went on the air as WMTW in 1958. There are the listener-supported stations such as Vermont Public Radio, established in 1977, and New Hampshire Public Radio that began broadcasting in 1981.

The advent of television put a great deal of pressure on traditional radio stations.  Most programming was dropped in favor of just music, talk and news. Today satellite radio and webcasting on the Internet has changed what it means to be a radio station, especially a regional one. 

Despite the changes, those who enjoyed old-time radio recall that traditional programs did something that television cannot do well. The script and the accompanying image-inspiring sound effects caused the listener’s boundless imagination to run wild.  

 I will always remember the advertisement for radio that invited the listener to mentally visualize the following: “Let’s fill Lake Michigan with hot chocolate. Now signal a plane to drop a 700-ft pile of whipped cream topped with a 10-ton cherry, all to the cheers of thousands of spectators.” Sound effects were added.  When the listener’s imagination was fully involved in this unlikely scenario, the announcer finished with “Now let’s see television do that!”

That’s the magic carpet.