Marlow, N.H., Third Person Rural

While Marlow has much hilly land studded with boulders and granite outcroppings, it also boasts generous areas of precious wetlands such the Grassy Brook watershed area including Duck Hole, the marshy areas along parts of the Ashuelot River and Gee Brook, and the area called "Edgewood Park" which once had waterside picnic grounds and a dance pavillion until the Hurricane of 1938 took out its dam. We have rarities here including freshwater clams and the blue spotted salamander. "Indian pipes," the shy lady slipper, and the purple gentian may be found here.

In some areas, the only obvious evidence of Marlow's industrial past are the many breached dams which dot Gee Brook and Grassy Brook as well as the Ashuelot River. This old dam at the lower end of Grassy Brook near Church Street supported a broom factory. Another more impressive structure closer to Gustin Pond on Grassy Brook supported Marlow's first lumber mill built by Solomon Gee of Lyme, Connecticut before 1767. It provided Marlow's early settlers in the late 1700's the sawn boards for their grand homes after the Lyme lifestyle. Gee Brook supported a lumber mill and a grist mill.

These low lying areas which not so long ago were mill ponds are among our precious wetlands today.

Although Marlow has survived two devastating fires (1916 and 1941) which destroyed many of its old homes, we have a number of remaining historic public and private buildings. One, privately owned by Audio Accessories, is the first Marlow home of James Burnap, our own answer to Horatio Alger and Andrew Carneige. Burnap, who eventually bought the large Victorian "Christmas Trees Inn" from Bethuel Farley, was known in his time as the man who had done the most for Marlow. He owned several mills, a tannery and a chair factory during Marlow's Victorian era industrial heyday. This house was slated to be burned last year, but Marlow Historical Society had been negotiating for its preservation with a view to making it the "home" of MHS.

In 1916, Marlow was swept by fiery inferno which took many of the buildings in the village, including the grand Forest Inn and the building owned by the local Temperance Society. Fire fighters were able to save the venerable Jones Hall, built on Marlow Hill in 1792 and moved to the village in 1845, as well as the Grange, the Methodist Church, and the Marlow Academy building, already by then property of the Odd Fellows, and many lovely old homes, though some were lost. Here we see visitors viewing the devastation of Marlow village.

The hurricane of 1938 had left the woods filled with fallen deadwood which, by 1941, was tinder-dry. Unburned logs had been rolled into the ponds to await the sawyers. Gasoline-powered portable saw mills were taken from place to place to clear brush and harvest the waiting logs. The spring of 1941 was execeptionally warm and dry, creating a dangerous situation, and then it happened. A spark from one of the portable sawmills caught some wood on fire. Before the men could get it under control, the spring breezes had pushed the fire into forest land causing the largest forest fire ever known in New Hampshire. Volunteer fire fighters came in from all over New Hampshire and beyond, but the condidtions were all wrong for quick success, and the fire raged for four days, moving south into neighboring Alstead and north into Stoddard. Many old farmsteads and village homes were lost. The fire surrounded Marlow village, threatening to devour the natives and all the rubber-neckers who drove up from Keene and other parts to see the destruction, but, due to valliant efforts of the fire fighters, once again the core of the village with its most historic buildings was saved. For more information, see the documentary by local historians Tracy Messer and Charles Strickland, "Four Days of Fury." This vivid film is described in the Marlow History Forum. (See link below.)

Marlow's Temperance Society once had a fine building beside Tin Shop Pond next to Perley Fox's Tin Shop, but, like the Tin Shop, it was leveled in the fire of 1916. John Quincy Jones, owner of the Forest Inn which was also lost in that fire, then gave the small part of the inn which had been saved to The Temperance Society to honor his wife Sarah's role in the organization. This was a small two-story ell on the old inn, essentially a store with rooms above. It was moved to the location of the old Temperance Society building on the pond. When The Temperance Society closed its doors a few years later, it deeded the building to the Ladies Aid Society of the Methodist Church, many of whom had been stalwart members. That is how the women of the Methodist Church on Marlow acquired their own building in Tin Shop Pond which they renamed "The Chapel." The upstairs houses the Marlow Historical Society Museum, and downstairs is a convenient meeting room which serves many purposes. It is the smallest of Marlow's treasured historic buildings. This view from its porch looks north toward the Methodist Church. The edge of Jones Hall, 1792, is seen to the right.

Built on Marlow Hill in 1792 as a meeting house, Jones Hall retains many of its ancient features. Originally it exactly resembled the famous Vermont Rockingham Meeting House, but its classic form was remodeled after 1845 when it was moved from Marlow Hill to its present site in the village. It still has its balcony in the upper story and its wonderful old windows. Monadnock Music performers swear by its acoustics, declaring it their favorite venue.

Jones Hall remains Marlow's cultural center today. Not only does it house our library downstairs, but its upstairs hall serves its citizens in many events, even in sub-zero weather. Here is a case in point.

MHS sponsors a humorous dramatic reading on the Revolutionary War:

Hourglass Readers to Offer Shaw's Devil's Disciple in Marlow

On Saturday, Feb. 7, at 2 PM in Jones Hall, The Hourglass Readers will offer a dramatic reading of George Bernard Shaw's play about the American Revolution, The Devil's Disciple, directed by Catherine Behrens. This presentation is being sponsored by the Marlow Historical Society and is free to the public. Peter Eisenstadter, a Marlow resident and winner of the 2005 New Hampshire Theater Best Actor award, will read the part of General Burgoyne. Don Wilmeth, a 2008 Best Actor award nominee, will be reading the main role of Richard Dudgeon. This is a bright comic play about the 1777 British invasion which culminated in the Battle of Saratoga, told with the wit and style that only George Bernard Shaw can deliver.
The Hourglass Readers have performed many readings in the Monadnock area in past years, to the enjoyment of their audiences. Some of their presentations have included plays by Shakespeare (e.g.-The Merchant of Venice, The Merry Wives of Windsor), Shaw (Don Juan in Hell), Sheridan (School for Scandal), and Jonson (Volpone), to name a few. This is the first time that they will be appearing in Marlow. We hope many of you will come to see this first-ever Marlow performance by this talented group.

In 2008, the Marlow Conservation Commission won a grant of nearly $20,000 to do a complete inventory of natural and historical resources for the Town of Marlow to and learn the conservation priorities of Marlow citizens. Housing needs and demographics will also be part of the research. In doing this, we have the aid of Jeffrey N. Littleton, Ecologist, Moosewood Ecological, LLC, Conservation and Land Management Planning, and a host of volunteers. The Marlow Historical Society has volunteered a minimum of forty hours of research. Among other products of this effort will be a digitized map of Marlow's natural and historical resources and a final published report. Only by detremining where we are can we decide where we are going.

With support from many parts of the community, Marlow's Conservation Commission wrote a grant application with extensive documentation for an inventory of the town's natural and historical resources. The inventory will be used as a tool in supporting conservation in future planning. This year, only seven such grants were available in New Hampshire. We are proud of the Conservation Commission's efforts and success in winning this grant. We are also pleased that neighboring Acworth won a similar grant. The following is a summary of the many fact-filled pages of the grant application itself.

Project Narrative

The Town of Marlow is rich in industrial and agricultural history. It boasts of one of the most picturesque centers in the state is is also rich in natural resources, home to the protected Ashuelot River. However, Marlow and the Monadnock Region are under pressure as developable land within the surrounding towns is being rapidly developed, yet affordable housing is in short supply. In fact, Marlow has increased its population by 38% from 1970 - 2000, and it is expected to increase another 24% by 1920. Furthermore, as a result of the constrained workforce housing market, The Housing New Hampshire's Workforce (2005) estimates that a considerable loss in jobs, as well as personal, local, and state revenues, will occur annually.

In 2005, a community survey was conducted regarding land use in Marlow. With an amazing 43% response rate, this survey exemplified the level of community participation. Among the concerns that were addressed were housing issues, natural resources protection and historical preservation, Maintenance of community character, uncongested roads, the importance of the town's viewshed, and the need to develop a plan for future growth. The residents made it known that they would like to maintain the rural character while still providing opportunities for our young people to settle in Marlow, finding affordable housing and enjoying our same quality of life.

Project Goals
Marlow's overall scope is to craft a proactive planning project that incorporated and adheres to the guiding principles of smart growth, affording an opportunity to blend our local and regional socioeconomic fabrics with that of its ecological structure. Attention to these aspects will provide the public with knowledge of our vast natural resources, historically sensitive areas, and opportunities for growth, aiding future planning efforts to help establish land use regulations. including those that can promote inclusionary housing. In addition, it will support our educators with information for our children about balancing regional and local resource protection with housing issues, which in turn helps to ensure our community's future.

As such, our main goals are to

1) solicit community involvement through outreach and engage residents in an open forum to address issues of growth and development

2) analyze natural resources to determine priorities for conservation

3) analyze historical resources to determine priorities for protection, restoration, and reuse

4) analyze local and regional housing needs and demographics

5) determine potential growth and development based on current local zoning.

These goals represent a process that promotes community participation and input into the planning process as a means to address a community-based growth and development strategy from which future Master Plans and regulatory ordinances can be adapted in a way that adheres to our community's vision. The following six tasks represent specific objectives to appropriately meet these needs.

Task 1 Community Outreach Mailing and
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Task 2 Community Forums and Workshop

Task 3 Natural Resource Inventory

Task 4 Historical Resources Inventory

Task 5 Housing Needs and Demographics Analysis

Task 6 Built-out Analysis

Task 7 Final Published Report

Funds Provided by the Grant $19,680.00

Matching Funds (in volunteers hours) $ 7,181.00

Total $26,861.00

On November 6, 2008 Marlow's Conservation Commission met with the Executive Board of the Marlow Historical Society to clarify the MHS volunteer role in the natural and historical resouces inventory process. MHS was able to provide maps and information concerning historically sensitive sites.

GPS and other field training will be made available to volunteers.

We were to have had a meeting for gathering input from Marlow citizens on Dec. 11, 2008. Individual notices of the meeting were mailed to each Marlow household. Unfortunately, that evening the biggest ice storm ever to strike New England began, so the meeting had to be postponed! That was our first bump in the road.

State Archaeologist, Richard Bosivert, to speak in Marlow:

The Marlow Conservation Commission and Marlow Historical Society will jointly sponsor N. H. State Archaeologist to speak at Perkins Elementary School on January 22, 2009 at 7:00 pm. He will be discussing conservation of historically sensitive areas.

Adam Plumb of Marlow (appearing here as his ancestor, Nathan Huntley, early Marlow settler and big land owner) completed his Eagle Scout Project bewteen his junior and senior years at Keene High School. Adam's project, The Bald Mountain Preserve, opens Marlow land for public recreational use. He created several well-marked trails up Bald Mountain off Route 123, Forest Road, with a kiosk and map installed at the trail head. Bald Mountain is the home of our own stone face called "The Marlow Profile" and its ledges draw rock climbers from neighboring towns and states. There are now benches along the way and a picnic table for the use of Bald Mountain hikers.

Adam models proactive conservation for recreation, making the natural world more accessible to all. Surely those who make use of Bald Mountain Preserve will come away with a greater appreciation of Marlow's natural resources.

Another high school student from Marlow, Brian Fay, has just joined the Marlow Conservation Commission. We welcome him!

We are proud of our young people in their active commitment to conservation.

Love Letter to Marlow

I love a town
where roosters crow from the village center,
and almost no one complains.

I love a town
where, from post office steps,
I watch a fox explore the woods.

I love a town
where, when I hear a train at night,
I awaken to know it's just the wind.
- where Grandpa Charlie keeps his donkey Bridget in the village,
and, when Bridget speaks, almost no one complains;
- where, when Grandpa Charlie takes his morning walk with Bridget,
she finds radish tops hanging on a certain fence;
- where a bear and her cub nose through the yard;
- where a moose might look in the window;
- where a woodcock and her puffball brood bobble at the lawn's edge;
- where an eagle clutching fish rises from a river rock;
- where otters play in streams;

I love a town where a loon's keening pierces morning mist;
- where inquisitive deer stare and turn again to graze;
- where village ponds are large enough to love
and much too small for motors,
and canoes glide by, silent as the fish;
- where children fish at "Baptism Beach" and, hands thrown in the air,
vault into the river from the highway bridge;
- where beavers live so unmolested, they work before true dusk;
- where turtles lay their eggs on gravel road shoulders;
- where the main street is called Forest Road.

I love a town where folks on the hill feel most fortunate with the heights, though they can't see the woods through the trees, and people in the village feel most fortunate living in the most photographed New Hampshire town, and folks on Sand Pond feel most fortunate with their ledgy pond, cougar and all, and the river folks know they are most fortunate because the river's always changing, and they never mind sharing it with other thirsty creatures.

Think about it. The old timers must have had good reason to move our buildings to the valley. If they could have, they would have moved the common too.

I love a town
where the common is not in the village;
- where "suds" in the river are only minerals
washed down from the rapids;
- where herons wade in peace;
- where folks rally 'round a hometown hero with an ice cream social;
- where the first response to 9/11 was a bake sale;
- where a handful of women painting together is an art colony;
- where "Ice Box of New Hampshire" does not refer to social climate;
- where once were more sheep than people, and now stone walls
wander through our woods;
- where there are still more frogs than people;
- where spring is geese arriving and summer
is watching them guard their gosling regiments;
- where we fight to keep the woods from overtaking lawn;

I love a town in which Granolas and the Good Old Boys, the High Tea Set and Honest Working Folk, the Outdoor Men and Summer Folk are us,
and all may be any, and any may be all.

Loisanne Foster