I had a quiet day in Haverhill today, no traveling. The Deep Sleep Inn where I am staying is right across the street from what was once a bustling center of commerce and law in the town of Haverhill. The city was on the Coos Turnpike which opened in 1807 and was said to be the state’s most successful turnpike, connecting this part of the state to southeastern New Hampshire. The county courts moved to Haverhill Corner, as the city was known at that time, in 1794, and the city by the early 19th century became a center for law and commerce that included a private academy, library, newspaper printing shop, and book publishing business, and was also home to tradespeople such as a piano maker and clockmaker. Inns in the town served travelers and also lawyers and judges with business at the courthouse.

A railroad opened in the area in 1853 but was a mile away from Haverhill Corner. In 1890, the courthouse moved to a new building in Woodsville, only a five-minute walk from the train station. Commerce at Haverhill Corner began to decline over time, especially with the advent of the automobile, and today, there is virtually no commerce there at all–perhaps with the exception of the newly opened inn where I am staying. Thankfully, however, dozens of the old buildings remain, mostly occupied as private residences. These are only several blocks away from where I am.

Here is a historical marker for Haverhill Corner that is right across from the Deep Sleep Inn.

The photo below shows a home that in the 1840s was known as the Bliss Tavern. At that time, the tavern was also the home of Timothy Blaisdell, an avowed abolitionist who participated in the Underground Railroad, taking in fugitive slaves and seeing that they made their way safely to points north. In 1935, Blaisdell’s granddaughter Mildred Paulsen wrote that “Grandfather was a very earnest worker for the cause and he made the remark once that the proudest moment of his life was when he was ‘rotten egged’ on Boston Common for making a speech on abolition.”

We had some farm-fresh eggs for breakfast, thanks to a friend of Stephanie and Scott, who are also staying at the inn. There is a house cat, Vax, in residence here also, and in this photo, Vax appears to be checking for any remains from Scott’s breakfast. Note the table centerpiece, which is a miniature replica human skull shaped to be part of a snail.

Here was the centerpiece on my table. Rather beautiful, in a macabre sort of way, don’t you think?

Here was my dinner tonight, a pepperoni and mozzarella pizza purchased at the grocery store yesterday, which I ate out on the back porch. Note the black widow spider napkin ring decorating my table setting.

This was my (and Vax’s) view of tonight’s sunset from the back porch (note a few screen repairs that create an interesting look to the photo). The sky looks great here, but there is a 100% chance of thunderstorms tomorrow according to the weather report.

Oh, in case you’re wondering, I had a great night’s sleep last night, and am hoping for a repeat performance in a few minutes.