‘Our Town’: The Likely Candidates

You come up here on a fine afternoon and you can see range on range of hills--awful blue they are. . . . And of course, our favorite mountain, Mount Monadnock’s right here--and all around it lie these towns--Jaffrey, ‘n East Jaffrey, ‘n Peterborough, ‘n Dublin, and there, quite a ways down, is Grover’s Corners. Yes, beautiful spot up here.

--”Our Town” Thornton Wilder, 1938

The towns in southwestern New Hampshire’s Monadnock Region have grown a bit since Thornton Wilder’s omniscient stage manager first spoke those words on a Broadway stage almost half a century ago.

But the feel of this part of New England is still small town. The roads in the Monadnock Region are two lane; clapboard homes and white-steepled Colonial churches endure the elements, standing squarely like silent sentinels guarding town greens as they have for 200 years.

The towns of which the stage manager spoke, with the exception of Grover’s Corners (a creation of Wilder’s imagination, though area historians swear he based his characters on the people of Peterborough), really do exist.

The ranges of hills are still a deep, distant blue. In the fall they are fronted by reds and golds and oranges. And the whitewashed churches and houses become a pristine backdrop for the maples and birches as they change colors.

This is the uncommercialized, unhurried place that people have in mind when they think of New England.

The creeping megalopolis has entered New Hampshire, but mercifully it is far to the east, encompassing the new high-tech havens around Nashua and Manchester. It will continue to creep north long before it spreads west.

Still Little Changed

The Monadnock Region has not yet turned into a high-price resort area such as farther north in the White Mountains and in Vermont’s Green Mountains, with their major ski areas, masses of condominiums, cookie-cutter motels and lodges with false Alpine stylings.

The Monadnock Region is sincere New England. It is warm and genuine, unfeigned and unassuming.

Hancock (population 1,186) is at the junction of New Hampshire 123 and 137. A few hundred feet east of town center is the Greek Revival-style John Hancock Inn, serving hungry and weary travelers since 1789. Hancock’s town meeting house (circa 1820), was built on the town green and moved across the street 31 years later.

A brown-and-white bandstand sits on the green. Up Norway Hill is the Norway Hill Orchard, which offers visitors the chance to pick their own ripe, crisp apples; owner Marguerite McLeod says fall foliage seekers are among her best customers.

Said one visitor, while gazing at the orchard, country inn, bandstand and meeting house: “Hancock looks just like New England should look.”

Out-of-towners may not say that about nearby Harrisville, although it too captures a special New England flavor. But its center differs from popular images; the prevalent building material here is industrial red brick, not familiar white wood.

The mills that were here are long gone, but the buildings that housed them are used for both commercial and residential purposes. The reflection of the sturdy brick buildings in the mill pond fascinates camera buffs.

Then there’s Dublin Lake, west of Dublin and by the north slope of Mt. Monadnock. At different times of the day you’ll be blessed with varied visions. The noon sunlight does a tap dance on the lake’s ripples. In late afternoon the bordering trees reflect in waters that appear misleadingly dark and deep. The sight of the evening sun setting behind the mountain takes your breath away.

Of course, residents of Jaffrey will tell you that there is no view of Mt. Monadnock like that seen while heading east toward their village on New Hampshire 124. It’s a commanding vista, and those who meander down this road without knowledge are often stunned by the melange of color fronting the south face of the imposing peak.

The people of Jaffrey, like those of Hancock, are proud of their meeting house. This one was being constructed on June 17, 1775, at a time when, just 70 miles away, the Battle of Bunker Hill was raging in Boston. Tradition has it that men working on the structure could hear the sounds of the battle. A sign on the south wall facing the common reads:

Original Meeting House

Town of Jaffrey

Erected 1775

Raised the Day of the Battle of Bunker Hill

You can’t hear the sounds of Boston from the Monadnock Region today but on a clear day you can see the sights. It takes two or three hours to climb 3,165-foot Mt. Monadnock, which, locals say, is the second-most climbed mountain in the world. (They credit Japan’s Mt. Fujiyama as No. 1.)

No climber will ever be lonely there in fall. To avoid the biggest crowds, get an early start. And to be safe, take plenty of liquids and a Windbreaker or jacket, regardless of how warm it is at the base.

Non-climbers have an easy alternative. Head to Miller State Park, east of Peterborough off New Hampshire 101, and drive to the summit of 2,288-foot Pack Monadnock Mountain. It’s a steep grade, so depending on your vehicle you may want to park at the base and walk up the auto road. You may be able to see the skyscrapers of Boston from the top.

The view from Cathedral of the Pines, off New Hampshire 119 in Rindge, is no less inspiring. The cathedral is a non-denominational outdoor place of worship, and area churches and synagogues use it many times during the year. It is open to the public when there is no service. Take a seat on a wooden bench under the trees and gaze beyond the stone altar into the misty distance.

Preserving the Past

Regardless of the visions of nature, few can spend a day in New England without hearing of its history. Old Fort at No. 4 in Charlestown sits on the northern fringes of the Monadnock Region and is stuck in a time warp.

Enter the grounds and it is 1746. You’ll see men in bicorn hats, linen shirts and long trousers demonstrating the art of handling Colonial muskets. Inside the fort’s residences women in mop hats and shawls bake bread, dip candles or make brooms from broom corn.

For a look at later New England, head to the museum at the Peterborough Historical Society. Inside is a re-created general store complete with sewing notions and muffin tins, a bulky old cash register and a checkerboard. This and other exhibits of years past will take you back to the time and place of Wilder’s “Our Town.”

Then step outside and walk along Peterborough’s Grove and Main streets and look up to see ranges and ranges of blue hills. After you’ve been through towns like Jaffrey and Peterborough and Dublin, maybe you’ll see why Thornton Wilder and his alter ego, the stage manager, were so enthralled with this corner of New England.

Fort Open Daily

Old Fort at No. 4 in Charlestown is open daily through the Columbus day weekend (ending Oct. 12), 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $4.75 for adults, $4.25 for seniors and $3.25 for children ages 6 to 11. Those under 6 are admitted free. Allow two hours to see this living history museum.

The Peterborough Historical Society Museum, 19 Grove St. in Peterborough, is open weekdays through Oct. 12, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with guided tours offered from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission is free.

Norway Hill Orchard in Hancock is open daily for picking apples. Call (603) 525-4912 for the latest hours and prices.

Several country inns in the area offer both food and lodging, including:

John Hancock Inn, Hancock: room for two, $62.50 with private bath; dinner entrees, $10 to $15, including prime rib, seafood, duckling. Call (603) 525-3318.

Monadnock Inn, Jaffrey: room for two, $45 with shared bath, $55 with private bath, all with continental breakfast; dinner entrees, $9 to $13, including baked chicken breast, poached salmon, shrimp. Call (603) 532-7001.

Benjamin Prescott Inn, Jaffrey: room for two, $53.50 to $64.20 (suites at $100), all with private bath and full country breakfast; each room comes with its own teddy bear and many have canopy beds; no other meals. Call (603) 532-6637.

Fitzwilliam Inn, Fitzwilliam: room for two, $30 with shared bath, $35 with private bath; entire dinner costs $9.50 to $14, including fresh trout, prime rib or chicken marsala. This place is a bargain. Call (603) 585-9000.

Conventional motels are in Keene and include Ramada Inn, Winchester Street and New Hampshire route 101: room for two, $68; call (603) 357-3038, and Valley Green Motel, 371 West St.; room for two $45 to 50. Call (603) 352-7350.

Keene has become a magnet for shopping-enthusiasts. Colony Mill Marketplace, 222 West St., Keene, is a restored 150-year-old woolen mill filled with more than 40 clothing and specialty shops, restaurants and small eateries. Call (603) 357-1240.

Also in Keene are Cuddle Toys factory store, 391 West St., with irresistible stuffed bears, kitties, dogs, rabbits and more, all at bargain prices; Eagle’s Loft Ltd., 87 Main St., a first-class gift shop where you’ll find everything from elegant chocolate roses to fine crystal and china, and Imports Plus, 34 Main St., with gourmet kitchenware.

For general information about the area, contact the Monadnock Region Assn., 12 Gilbo Ave., Keene, N.H. 03431, phone (603) 352-1303.