Waterford's Northeastern Speedway

The Caledonian-Record printed for January 6, 2017, included a pair of photos in the sports/racing section that apply to Waterford's own Northeastern Speedway. For connections to more information on the historic track, click on this earlier post and follow the embedded links to related material.

Bill Labadouche confirmed today that the noted photographer of the track's heyday, Norm McIver, has passed away, and so has regional racing historian Cho Lee, who carried on from McIver. We hope that Mr. Labadouche may be able to provide more Northeastern Speedway materials here in the future. Meanwhile, here are today's photos (thank you, Dave Kanell, for the scan):

A Vanished -- Almost! -- Waterford Cemetery

A few scraps of notes in various records refer to Waterford's Fuller Hill Burial Ground, or Fuller Hill Cemetery. Historian Helen Pike was able to pass along a neighbor's capture of the remains of the cemetery between Campbell and Lawrence Roads last fall. The two photos here show the area -- a last chance to see this almost vanished sign of human life and passing.

Additions to the Archives of the Waterford Historical Society

This month included the first annual meeting for the Waterford Historical Society, ably chaired by board president Donna R. Heath and well attended in spite of icy roads and heavy rain. Wait til you see all the events planned for the first half of 2016!

Earlier in the month, the archiving team gathered to sort, label, and file -- which always turns out to include mysteries, puzzles, and excitement. This time, a group photo taken at the local VFW (post 4992) needs identification ... if you know who's here, please add a comment to this blog piece; thanks!

Who are they? And did they/do they live in Waterford?

We also welcomed into the archives this month a five-generation genealogy of Geneva Powers Wright and her late husband Gilbert August Wright (1912-2000); the couple were married on March 1, 1938. Mrs. Wright included with the genealogy a photo of her husband's family and their home in Waterford, shown here.

Another arrival in the archives, thanks to the careful eye of Davies Memorial Library director Jen D'Agostino, is the massive family genealogy compiled by town resident and postmaster Amos Bugbee Carpenter, which he had printed in 1898. The book is elegant, and the information inside is wide-ranging and fascinating.

Coming to Town Meeting on March 1 at the Waterford School? A number of historic photos will be on hand, thanks to WHS members; also look at some letters from Amos Carpenter's family (featured earlier in this blog). Hope to see you then.

Comerford Dam Construction Photo, Showing Railroad

At the May meeting of the Waterford History group, we made summer plans, including a hike along the old rail bed from East Barnet to Comerford Dam. This rail spur was used to get materials to the dam site, especially the massive lengths of iron needed before the concrete could rise around them. I believe workers sometime rode the train, too. You can see the rails in this photo postcard; notice the numbering, which probably indicates the photographer offered a series of related cards.