New Boston Historical Society
New Boston, New Hampshire
NB Beacon
The home now known as 37 McCurdy Road as it looked in the late 1930s, as that is when this picture was likely to have been taken.

Behind the Door: 37 Mccurdy Road
by David Woodbury (May 2020)

This is the house at 37 McCurdy Road. When this picture was taken, the road didn't have an official name or a number. Everyone knew who lived here and in every other house in town. This house dates from at least 1820, probably earlier, when Samuel Jones moved in and lived and farmed here for the next 50 years. In later deeds to the property, it was called, “"The Samuel Jones Farm" so people knew it as that. The agricultural census of 1860 shows the level of prosperity he enjoyed, that of a small farmer of modest means. His farm with 85 acres was valued at $2,500.00

By the time of the picture, things had changed, but to what degree is uncertain. A census of farms in New Boston of 1940, shows that the family had one cow and some hens. In 1914 Frank Rogers bought the place and lived on it with his family until 1945. It was during this time frame that the picture was taken.

The picture shows us much more than the persons taking the snapshot probably intended. To date the picture, the best evidence is the car the men are working on. It looks like a luxury sedan from 1928-1930. It's unlikely that the Rogers family would have owned such a car, if it was their car, if it had been anywhere near new, but cars in those years aged faster than today and became affordable sooner. Another dating clue is the young woman posing near the front door. She is probably Marjorie Rogers (Barss), Frank's daughter who was born about 1920 and who looks like a teenager in this shot. The men working on the car are not paying attention to her or to the photographer, but are intent on the repair. The man with his back turned to the camera appears to be wearing slacks and a white shirt and Marge is dressed up. Does this mean the picture was taken on a Sunday? Based on the evidence, this picture probably dates from the late 1930s.

The house is small, but well kept up, contrary to its appearance in later years. The road is dirt and will remain so for the next 50 years. The rose bush near where Marge is posing is still there. The horse and buggy era is a thing of the past, or is it? Notice the buggy in the shed door just waiting for a horse. People who remembered the house in those years said that the dirt floored cellar made the best hard cider in town, but there would be others probably making the same claim. The question whether when this picture was taken the house had any electric service is an open one. It had very primitive service at least in the 60s. It didn't have running water except for a pump in the kitchen fed by a well near the back door.

Today, the house is still there and from the road, not too different. Times and lifestyles change and this place has changed too. That's what makes these and similar photos so valuable today. Thanks to Marge's son Ken and Gloria Barss for the snapshot.

Click here to return to the main page for "Behind the Door" articles.