Meredith Neck Rd bridge repair

[fatlazyless]

Meredith Neck Rd is a non-numbered state road, not a town road, and the bridge will be reconstructed by the N.H. Dept of Transportation and the H.E. Sargent Corp from Orono, Maine. It is a $732.430 project.

H.E. Sargent Corp ......www.sargent.us/who-we-are/

So, why is Meredith Neck Rd a non-numbered state road and not a town road?

The answer goes back to the 1880's when New Hampshire politicians in Concord were look'n for a faster, easier route to get out to Bear Island Hotel. There's a good sized old stone bridge that crosses a brook between the Lower Meadow and Upper Meadow Farms, still in use, at the start of the Meredith Neck Rd, plus some big hills, and low, wet swamp land and it was the State of NH motivated by the Bear Island Hotel-NH politicians that got it built. What really mattered was having a good time and the Bear Island Hotel was a happening place and the Concord pols needed a better, faster way to get out there. They would take the train from Concord on Friday afternoon to Meredith and then traveled by horse and buggy down the Meredith Neck Rd and they crossed this bridge when they got there.

Unfortunately, the Bear Island Hotel, a 40-room structure burned down on Thursday, November 8, 1934, 90 years ago and was never replaced.

[MeredithMan]

...the repair will allegedly be done at the end of next week. Wagon Wheel, which normally is a nice quiet road to walk on, is now a dirt racetrack as a result of the detour. The vegetation/brush on the sides of the road is now totally brown from the dirt/dust. Hopefully we get some rain soon to wash it away so everything doesn't die off.

[fatlazyless]

Cannot find any history record on this old bridge that crosses the large brook that flows down from Upper Meadow Farm down through Lower Meadow Farm, then under Wagon Wheel Trail and down into Meredith Bay.

Before this bridge was built, it must have been a winding circuitous route down Meredith Neck to get to the Cattle Landing town dock and then by boat out to the Bear Island House hotel. Could be the current detour down Wagon Wheel Trail is similar to the old route from before the bridge was built, or something. Meredith Neck has all sorts of hills, valleys, and wetland areas that had to create road travel issues with the old dirt road traveled by mules, horses, farmers, tourists and wagons ....... yeeee-haaaaa ...... get on up this here hill ..... you lazy donkey! ......