New Boston Historical Society
New Boston, New Hampshire
The home at 8 River Road has always had an intimate view of New Boston village happenings
Behind the Door: 8 River Road
by Mary Atai (June 2022)
In 1832, the Baptist Church was built on the common, directly in front of this house. By the 1850s, Reverend J.N. Chase had moved here, to be close to the church.
Miss Hannah Andrews bought the property in 1861. She never married and it was willed to her niece, Abbie. Abbie was married to Ed Rose, a famous racoon hunter. He and his well-known black coon dog were recognized as the best hunters around in the later 19th century.
In the catastrophic village fire of 1887, the Baptist Church burned down. #8 was saved by putting wet carpets on the roof. Perhaps this act prevented the fire from spreading to the neighboring houses. The Baptist Church was rebuilt in 1889.
Following this fire, the wealthy owner of Valley View Farm, J.R. Whipple, decided to place a fire hydrant system around the town. He connected hydrants by pipes to a large water tank that used a steam pump system accessed through a door in the cellar of the Creamery. A non-functioning hydrant remains beside #8 River Road today.
The next owner was Bill Fiske. He was a railroad engineer who kept daily diaries for many years. On April 15, 1914, he noted "Bought house and land of Mrs. Abbie Rose on River Street this eve." He and his wife, Bertha, paid $2500 for the house and land. He is responsible for adding the comfortable front porch that still exists, providing a perfect vantage point for every Fourth of July parade since.
Bill worked as an engineer on the morning run for the B&M Railroad. According to an article by Winston Daniels, Bill carried the mail from the Depot to the Post Office at Dodge's Store twice daily for many years. His house backs up to the village grandstand. Because he loved baseball, he allowed the town team to store their equipment in a small room behind his garage.
The Fiskes had 5 children. Their youngest child, Charlotte Fiske Smith, was raised in this house. She passed away in 2007 at age 98. Many in town have fond memories of Charlotte. She was mechanically minded and worked at Hitchener's over the years. Everyone speaks of her wonderful sense of humor.
Bill passed away in 1955. Howard and Claudine Kane, whom many will also remember, acquired the house from his estate. Howard had bought Hagland's Drugstore (where Tate's Gallery now stands), so this was convenient for him to walk to work. Their twin girls, Beverly and Barbara, spent their teenage years here. The Kanes redid the floors upstairs and remodeled the bathroom, but most of this house has remained unchanged over the years.
Later John and Rita Young moved to town from Connecticut to start their apple business. They settled their family in this house. They bought the orchards on Beard Road and planted additional orchards. They also leased Eva Pitman's orchards near Valley View Lane.
John's office was in their home. To provide a place for the seasonal apple pickers to stay, John added a bathroom in the barn and the pickers slept in the loft. The Young's 3 sons always helped with the work, doing whatever age-appropriate jobs they could.
In 1971, Bill and Rita Manna bought the house. Rita put her good cooking skills to use and went to work preparing meals for the school students. There was no kitchen in the Central School. The students walked to the Town Hall every day, where they were served hot lunches, prepared by Rita. Later a kitchen was added at Central School and Rita became hot lunch director. Bill Manna and his daughter, Mary Manna Barone continue to live here, fifty years later.
The house has horsehair plaster walls and mostly wide plank pine floors. In the 1970s, Don Chapman made the galley kitchen bigger by incorporating the space that John Young had previously used for his office. Don also built massive bookshelves in the parlor, now overflowing with beautiful, old books. Although Bill's daughter, Mary, explained that some work needs to be done to modernize it, #8 River Road is a sweet, cozy, and charming home.
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