Before the wall
New Ipswich Historical Society
Before the wall was constructed
Hurd-Newell house
James Roger diary entry
2nd June 1912
Fair and warm; wind west to southwest. David took Hamish to Depot this morning. Mr. Lord preached to a thin congregation on living without offense. James 2-7. Temple Memorial Sunday; a few passed on this way. S.S.: 6 seniors, 6 juniors. Collection: 30 cts. Wrote to Mrs. Leighton and Jim Bolton who is in St. Joseph’s Hospital in Nashua. Evening service: 50 present. Subject: “Throwing Stones”
I wonder if the people who built/owned the Hurd Newell house decided to have a wall built because they were living so close to the library, grange, etc. it would have afforded them privacy from all the comings and goings of other townsfolk.
It’s interesting that in the days of James Roger 1912 that people attended Sunday morning service, then brought kids to Sunday school, and showed up for evening service as well. The preacher and organist and deacons must have been very busy. As a former church organist, I appreciate how much material their organist would have had to prepare each week. In the 1950s I attended the Congregational church Sunday school for awhile as a young child. One of the teachers there was musical and played the piano for us as we sang spirituals.