Simply Somersworth: For the love of old newspapers, Valentine's Day and snow
I love the smell of old books, but there is one smell I love even more and that is the smell of old newspapers. I’m talking about really old newspapers. The kind that if they could talk would have more stories than their often browning, brittle pages tell. For people like me, who love to read and learn about the place they call home and its history, these papers are pure gold.
Somersworth, or as it was known back in the day, Great Falls Village, luckily for me, has a great history of local newspapers. The first ever issued in 1829 took the form of a simple weekly sheet and by all accounts lasted for just a few weeks. It would, however, be quickly followed by the Great Falls Journal in 1832, which would change its name to the Northern Light in 1840. By 1858, it had morphed once more into the Advertiser. Then it 1881 it would become the Free Press and Journal and, finally, in 1893 it would be bestowed the name that many in the city can still recall, "the Somersworth Free Press.”
Best of all, the Summersworth Historical Museum, thanks to the Somersworth Free Press’s last owner/publisher John Ballentine, has an amazing archive of the newspaper throughout the years it existed. I love nothing better than to settle down at a table and open the pages to an era long since past but brought back to life thanks to the words within those pages.
Occasionally my mind will take a moment to marvel at the skills of the type setters whose job it was to take each tiny letter and put it in the correct place that would allow each story to emerge in ink. These newspapers require an entire table to spread over and they have small writing but they are literally packed with information.
For many of us, it’s hard to imagine a time when the only way we received all our information was through the local paper. There was no internet, television or radio back when the first editions of the Free Press were published on High Street. Instead there was an impressive collection of newspapers that spread news throughout the local and national scene. Each linked by the power of the telegram and in some cases the telephone. It’s fun to sit back and follow entire families of note throughout the years, to read about the various groups within Somersworth and get some of the local gossip. You can also read about the weather, the local sports and pretty much everything in between. It’s the closest thing a historian has to a time machine if the truth be told.
Maybe I am the odd one out but I value the time I get to sit in front of those papers each Sunday or when someone gifts me a box of old newspapers. I worry that in future years others will not have that luxury. In part because as much as I love the internet it is not permanent like those old papers are. It’s not tangible and with the press of a button the information it contains can disappear just as quickly as it appears. I wonder what people who are viewing history 100 or even 200 years from now will have as source material? I hope that newspapers, like the one you are reading now, are still in print but I, alas, don’t have a crystal ball all I or any of us can do is keep reading, keep writing and purchasing a print paper each day…
February fun in Somersworth
Yeah, It’s February and that means three things: snow, Super Bowl Sunday and Valentine's Day. The Super Bowl Sunday is done (thankfully), Valentine's is next week and then there’s snow, which seems to have found us again this year.
This year I am asking you to consider buying local when it comes to Valentine's Day. Nothing says "I love you" like flowers and that goes for anytime of the year. I wanted to remind you that we have a local florist at Westwind Gardens on High Street who is more than happy to prepare, deliver or have you pick up your valentine or ‘just because’ flowers as I like to call them. You’ll find more information at https://www.westwindgardens.com/
If you’re looking for something a little different for that special someone then we have both Poppyseed Studio and the Cozy Nest which are located downtown. Both offer unique gifts that you will not find elsewhere in the area and I encourage you to check them out.
Forty Five Market Street Bakery is offering some amazing heart shaped chocolate dipped shortbread cookies, 1/2 dozen $8 or a mixed box of limoncello, bourbon and rum cake truffles, 1/2 dozen $10. Please call the bakery at 603 692-4511 to order.
When it comes to snow, did you know that the city of Somersworth operates a snow emergency hotline? You can call 603 - 692 - 9131 for updates on parking bans. Alternatively you can sign up for email alerts at https://www.Somerswrth.com/subscribe.
Oh, and don’t forget that Frosty the Snowman will be in Somersworth this Saturday on Feb. 13. You’ll find him at the Middle School and all are welcome to come drive by, give him a wave and grab a goodie bag filled with kid friendly crafts. He will be there from noon until 2 p.m. and would love to see you and the kids or the grandkids. I know he’s looking forward to seeing everyone. Please note: enter Memorial Drive via Cemetery Road for the safety of all.
That’s all for this week. So until next week, thanks for the emails and please be kind and remember to wear your mask.
Jenne Holmes is from England and has lived for years in Somersworth. Her passion for history and her love of writing led her to the Summersworth Historical Museum, where she is now a director. She can be reached at SomersworthNow@gmail.com.
