Friday, June 17, 2011

For Those Who Like Maps




This post is only going to be meaningful if you really like maps, or have a solid picture in your head of Route 28 from Manchester to Ossipee. Other than that, move along now. Nothing to see here. Fanatic at play. The above is a section of USGS topographic map from 1919 for the Gilmanton Quad. (Click a second time to expand.) There is a more central UNH site which will allow you to connect quickly with adjoining maps, and see Alton, or Concord, or anywhere else in New England in 1929 or 1957 Loads of fun if you like comparing roads, paths, and settlements over the years.

If you are really serious about following the roads and comparing, pull up Suncook on mapquest or googlemaps on another tab and switch back and forth. Those have the current names of roads. I am going to trace for you where Old Route 28 went. This is just the data section, not the commentary.

Hooksett to Suncook (Suncook Quad)
Starting at Hooksett, on current route 28 above Hooksett Village (above Mt. St. Mary's College on the USGS maps).
Fork left at Pleasant St, down into Suncook. (Numbered routes used to seek town centers rather than avoid them, remember.)
Right on School Street
Left on Turnpike Street

Suncook to Epsom Circle
Lower bridge to Buck Street
Left on Thompson Road
Cross current 28
Right on Bachelder Road (which becomes, tellingly, Buck Street Extension)
Right onto current 28
(Jug City Rd comes in behind on the left. Both old and current 28 followed that for a bit. I don't think Webster Park and Mitt House were ever 28. Dubbahdee?)
Left on Elkins Road (a few yards of White Tail Road)
Left on current 28 again at end of Elkins
Left on Windymere Road
Windymere used to continue on to 202 and Sawyer Road. Now it comes back just before Epsom Circle

Epsom Circle to Alton
Sawyer Ave starts just West of Epsom Circle on 202. Take it north.
Left on current Route 28
Right on "Old Route 28," a very brief parallel jaunt.
Left on Deer Meadow Road
Right on Main Street, coming out of Chichester
Merge with current 28 (at the old country store)
Left on Carpenter Road for a brief loop, then back on current 28
Left on Squiggey Brook Road for a longer loop. (These two loops used to be a connected road)
Left on Kelly's Corner Road, a deeper loop
Rejoin current 28
Right on Concord Hill Road, into Pittsfield (Seeking towns in 1930, not avoiding them.)
I think the route through town was Main Street, Carrol Street, Barnstead Road. Might be Oak Street instead.
Barnstead Road crossing current 28, still Barnstead Road
Join current 28 at end
Right on "Old Route 28" through Barnstead.
Tricky, tricky! Don't take Old Route 28 to the end! It now has that name for convenience. The route actually took a right at Rabbot Lane, snugged right on Rte 126 and quickly left on Maple Street. (This is Center Barnstead. New Hampshire towns do things like that a lot. It's insane, yes.)
Maple Street crosses current 28 and becomes Beauty Hill Road.
Right on Oxbow Road.
Return to current Route 28.
On the satellite view, a teeny jog right is visible that has no name.
No further changes to Alton. Take 11 into Alton Center.

Alton to South Wolfeboro
Old Wolfeboro Road out of Alton Center
Cross current 28, still Old Wolfeboro Road
Meet East Side Road (28A), turn right onto current 28
Right on Gilman's Corner Road
Left on Quarry Road
When Quarry Road crosses current 28 it becomes Roberts Cove Road (quite pretty).
Roberts Cove back to current 28, and a confusing bit: cross 28 onto Rines Road
Left on Stagecoach Road. Old Stagecoach Road, which was Old Rte 28, is no longer passable, but the current Stagecoach Road brings you back to current 28.
No changes to Wolfeboro Center

Wolfeboro Center to Route 16, Ossipee.
Birch Road on the left in Wolfeboro falls used to be Route 28. Blink and you'll miss it.
Ditto Allen Road on the left.
Right on Water Village Road (Rte 171) into Ossipee (which is not the same as Center Ossipee)
Left on "Old Route 28"
Rejoin current 28
Left on Isaac Buswell Road, which continues to Route 16, where Route 28 ends. And always has ended, since 1922.

2 comments:

Anna said...

Small world - I use that UNH map repository all the time, not only because I think it's neat, but also for my job whenever we have to do retroactive permitting or something.

Gringo said...

I don't know where I first found out about it- methinks it was Maggie's Farm- but that UNH site for old USGS maps is a good one for map aficionados.

I still have old USGS survey maps that track a 5 day canoe trip in the Adirondacks I took with a friend back in the day.