Welcome! Scroll Down for Posts and Archives.
Other Menu Options at Top |
|
Welcome! Scroll Down for Posts and Archives.
Other Menu Options at Top |
|
A lot of History down in the old village. I stopped by old Lewiston Vermont the other day. Lewiston is the "lost village" of Norwich. It was a booming place back in the heyday of the railroads, and up into the 20th century. The Lewiston, or Hanover-Norwich Train Station, built in 1884, as it looks in 2019. The Lewiston, or Hanover-Norwich Train Station as Seen from the Tracks. Looking south from the station, toward Wilder and White River Junction. Old Freight Building next to the Lewiston Train Station. The Pottery Studio. A former home, and an historic remnant of old Lewiston. The downfall of Lewiston was the result of three factors. The first factor contributing to the fall of Lewistion was the decline of the railroad industry, and the closing of the railroad station in Lewiston when White River Jct took over as the main stop for Hanover and Norwich, in the 1920's. A bustiing village became a lot quieter when the railroad stop was discontinued at Lewiston. The White River Jct. Railroad Depot Area in it's heyday. The second factor was the construction of the Wilder Dam in the late 1940's, which raised the level of the river by about sixteen feet, causing the destruction of several buildings along the waterfront, just north of the Ledyard Bridge. Wilder Lake was born, and several buildings disappeared. Old Postcard Showing the "New" Wilder Dam The third and final factor affecting the decline of Lewiston Vermont was the building of Interstate 91, the northbound on-ramp, and the approach from the Ledyard Bridge. All this expansion necessitated the destruction of several buildings along Lewiston Hill Road, which went from Norwich to Hanover via Lewiston village and the Ledyard Bridge. Entrance to I-91 North, in Norwich, just beyond McKenna Rd. Looking toward Norwich from Lewiston, 2019. Lewiston Hill Rd. The only section that exists today, off McKenna Rd. The view from the bottom of Lewiston Hill Rd in 2019, showing the approximate location where the road used to continue on, toward the Ledyard Bridge. Connecticut River is seen in the background. Close-up view of a USGS map showing Lewiston before the arrival of the Interstate. This map shows the former route from Norwich to the Ledyard Bridge and Hanover. These days, much of what was Lewiston is owned by Dartmouth College. Dartmouth College has just built a new parking lot on River Road in Lewiston. The new Lewiston Parking Lot, recently built by Dartmouth College Sign at the new Lewiston Parking Lot on River Road On this particular day, the weather was clear and sunny, and cold, with temperatures in the low twenties. This winter, the Connecticut River has been frozen over nicely, and it brought back visions of the old ice harvesting days, when there was an ice-house on the shore, that is now inundated by the Connecticut River. Shoreline, now sixteen feet higher than before the Wilder Dam was built. Plenty of ice could be harvested this year! I walked carefully out on the frozen river, a short distance, looking north. I may have been standing on the site where the old ice-house had once stood. This photo was taken while standing on the ice, looking north, possibly at the site of the old Lewiston Ice House. I paused and listened, and imagined I could hear the sounds of people harvesting ice out on the lake, and the sounds of steam engines braking and pulling in to the old train station, and tons of coal being offloaded for heating Dartmouth College. Looking south from Lewiston VT, from the ice February 2019 What is next in store for old Lewiston village? Affordable housing? A Bird sanctuary? A beautiful beach and dock for the residents of both Hanover and Norwich? We'll just have to see. Today, where Lewiston once thrived, stand vestiges of days gone by. They are few, but they are there....and the turkeys don't seem to care! One of the Norwich Turkey Flocks enjoying the lack of snow on the south side of Lewiston Hill, in preparation for an upcoming snowstorm.
I hope you enjoyed another episode of "Old Roads Upper Valley". Thanks for your interest. If you'd like to subscribe send an email to [email protected] and you'll receive email updates whenever we post.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI'm Bob Totz, retired VT postmaster, and historical geographer ARCHIVES:
October 2021
EXPANDED ARCHIVES: AUGUST 2021 1858 Johnson Map of North America MAY 2021 1795 - "Road Over the Mountain" - Part Two Historic Toll House For Sale 1795 - "Road Over the Mountain" Part One OCTOBER 2020 Finding That Special Peaceful Place AUGUST 2020 Kayaking on the Pompy JULY 2020 Pt. 2: What the Heck Are These Things? JUNE 2020 Bob's Bio... What the Heck Are These Things? Pt. 1 MAY 2020 Stone Walls and Spirits The View APRIL 2020 Sunny Brook Farm Relics: Pt 2. Sunny Brook Farm Relics: Pt 1. MARCH 2020 Signs of Norwich Pt. 2 COVID-19 Tracking Map Centertown and Valleyquest Signs of Norwich Pt. 1 "Imperfect Union" - Book Review Historic Centertown FEBRUARY 2020 King's Hwy Pt. 2 WRJ Museum at Post Mills Airport Chatauguay Vermont The Independent Farmer poem Traveling Along the King's Highway - Lebanon NH JANUARY 2020 Finding Parkhurst Cemetery In Search of Parkhurst Cemetery Affordable Housing The Old Stone Grill Two Rivers Trail-Kmart License and Registration, Please! Prohibition, Murder and Dr. Seuss Peace, Paris, & P.O. DECEMBER 2019 BLOGGER'S LINKS Welcome to Old Roads Love-Quail Hollow fun Dartmouth Cemetery SEPTEMBER 2019 E. Thetford Cemetery JUNE 2019
Taps: Meetinghouse Cemetery 4-Corners Borders Quest Old Iron Gate Stumbling Upon History Sunrise Walk MAY 2019 4 Corners Cemetery Strafford's Abandoned Foundations Art in Old Stonework APRIL 2019 Strafford Tpke Pt 2 Strafford Tpke Pt 1 White River Valley FEBRUARY 2019 Learning from Historic Maps of the Upper Valley Change in Lewiston VT JANUARY 2019 A Vermont Ski Waltz John Ledyard 1773 What is the Upper Valley? DECEMBER 2018 Dartmouth Green Music Video: Sometimes Music Video: Montreal Express Railway Disaster of 1887 |