07.04.21 Visiting Littleton, NH
Now where is Littleton, NH. First you have to find yourself in New Hampshire. Then locate I-93 and then proceed north, then go further north until you reach Franconia; but you’re not there yet. It’s still another 15 or so miles north and you’ll be there. It’s really not famous for anything. Before the Old Man In The Mountain fell apart, many visitors to the Old Man would plan to stay in Littleton, a very small town of 6000 for a very long time. In 2018, as big as it has grown it was still at 5885. It’s been relatively that size for decades.
Our first stop, on our way to Littleton, was the Visitors Center, since we were coming in from Northern Vermont. Nothing to brag about here, it’s very simple and uncluttered, typical for New Hampshire. It did have a very nice view of the Moore Dam. Back when I used to live in Littleton, about fifty-years ago, the Moore Dam would extend to all the residents of Littleton the month of December at no charge for their utility bill that month, not sure if that goes for the present day.
The Center housed some very unique pictures of Littleton in the early 1920’s. Above, as I’ve mentioned before in previous blogs, is a picture of the Thayer’s Hotel. It was on the balcony of this hotel, third floor porch, that I proposed to Carla. Below is a picture of the Littleton Diner, famous for its good menu at reasonable prices.
I had to blow up this image above so it would be possibly readable to the reader. On this map are all the major ski slopes, towns, roadways and other places of interest. Below is Chutters’ candy store.
This store (Chutters’) used to house the Parker Drug Store. My first job as a pharmacist was at Parkers. Chutters brags that this location has the longest and biggest candy selection in the country, so I guess Littleton finally has something unique to boast about. In the picture (above-right) far wall is where the RX dept. used to be, it no longer serves up drugs, but rather, fudge. Outside is something else Littleton is famous for; pianos are to be found at many locations on the sidewalk of Littleton’s main street.
If you go down one of Littleton’s alleys, heading south (just a short walk from anywhere), you will end up on Ammonoosuc River Road. Back in my day nothing was there, just the river, today it is populated everywhere with tiny shops, pubs, wineries and eateries. We even have a wall-mosaic that is very nicely painted. Above-right you will see the Ammonoosuc Covered Bridge. That was there in my day but never looked that nice. Below Carla looks out over the River Road from an elevated parking area.
More pictures above of the delightful area of Littleton. Below is an alleyway which abuts the Thayer’s Hotel, that’s decorated with brightly colored umbrellas.
Iconic and historic homes cane be found on almost every street in Littleton. Many of the have been meticulously restored. They probably look better today, restored, than they did in their heyday.
Another piano that sits just outside of Chutter’s Candy Store.
The picture above is basically meaningless as it advertises “Cash Only” and below that states “we except credit cards;” even Littleton has an oxymoron it can brag about. Below, of course, is the former Parker Drug Store (big red brick building), now Chutter’s.
