New Boston Historical Society
New Boston, New Hampshire
NB Beacon
Henry Farley rebuilt his house after the Fire of 1887.

Behind the Door: 9 Meetinghouse Hill Road
by Mary Atai (April 2023)

This center of town property and home beside the Town Hall was bought by Henry Farley in 1880 from Elbridge Colby for $1,000. It was only seven years later that the house burned to the ground in the great village fire. Henry had the current 10-room house with attached barn re-built on the same spot. He was a skilled wood worker and made pianos and cabinets. He and his wife, Eliza Jane Richards, had one daughter, Ella Jane Farley. Henry was very active in the fire engine company.

Farley house
Henry, Eliza, and Ella Farley?

Henry Farley's sister, Adeline, was married to prominent citizen Rodney McLane, a very successful businessman. Rodney, along with his brother Neil, owned the mill where blinds, sashes, and doors were made. They lived just around the corner at 16 River Road. No doubt there are doors remaining in this house from Henry's brother-in-law's factory.

It is a very solid house with high ceilings, large rooms, a beautiful original curved bannister, original molding and floors, and several doors with decorative architectural glass panel inserts. Then there is the great view of all the happenings in the village right outside the windows.

In 1913 Ella inherited the property. At her request, the Constitution Engine No. 2 Fund was established in memory of her father, with a $1000 donation. Ella never married. She served as the organist for Joe English Grange for many years.

In her later years, Ella had a live-in housekeeper and companion, Josephine Hadley. There was also a boarder named Dexter Green. He was the janitor for the school and for the Town Hall. He also took care of the Engine House and was entrusted to oversee the care of the town tramps and the tramp house. Ella died in 1936, having lived in this house for nearly 50 years.

Farley house
The Molly Stark Cannon at the Farley house — undated photo

The house passed to cousins, who sold to Gertrude and Fred Kirsch in 1944. The Kirsches had owned and operated Summit Farm at the top of Clark Hill as a boarding house for many years. After moving to the village, Gertrude ran a gift shop from this location called "The Dot Shop," named in memory of her daughter, Dorothy (Dot), who had died.

The house was later willed to their son, Walter O. Kirsch. He owned the mill previously known as the Sutherland Lumber Mill, which was located across the street from the current Post Office on Route 13. Here they made about 18,000 apple boxes per year for the surrounding orchards, with Fred Cann of Mapadot Orchards being their best customer. Walter was a selectman from 1968-1973 and was involved deeply in town events. He might also be remembered as the proprietor of an early ski-tow business on Pinball Hill in the 1950s, where night skiing was particularly popular. Jen Brown, our current selectperson [until April 2023] is his granddaughter. Walter sold the house in 1957 to the Melhorns, and only three years later the First Presbyterian Society of New Boston, needing additional space, bought the property to use for Sunday School classes, Bible School, and as an office for the minister, and called it the Parsonage.

Farley house

The Community Church kept the property for 10 years. During their time as owners, there was an organization here called "The Other Mother," run by the church members. It was located above the barn and was a place to gather and socialize, sort of a tearoom. In 1970, the Church decided to sell the Parsonage, as well as the Manse, also located on Meetinghouse Hill, and place all the proceeds in a trust fund earmarked for later church expansion.

It was at this time that James and Maureen Ryan moved here from Indiana with their five children: John, Mary Shannon, Kevin, Michael, and Marlaine. James was a truck driver and Maureen was very knowledgeable about antiques. They bought the house and started a successful business in the large attached barn. Calling it Village Barn Antiques, Jim expertly refinished furniture and Maureen bought and sold the items.

As the years passed, they rented out an area on the right side of the house to the Stewart Clark Insurance Company after Mr. Clark moved his business out of Hunter's Store (now Tate's Gallery).

The house was owned and loved by the Ryans for over 50 years, before being sold in 2021 to new owners Heather Noonan and Tom Schunemann, who honor the house and its history and plan to keep it as unchanged as possible.

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