Posts Tagged ‘Ashland’

Visiting Ashland, NH? Our Squam Lake bed and breakfast offers quality lodging close by.

July 17th, 2011 by billwebb

If you plan to visit Ashland, NH you’ll find that our Squam Lake bed and breakfast is close by. We offer quality lodging which is only 2 miles from downtown Ashland. Right off  Interstate 93, Ashland lays claim to being the exact geographic center of New Hampshire which means we are close to virtually all of New Hampshire’s major attractions as well as the White Mountains. So whether you want to enjoy the lakes in the summer or ski the slopes in the winter this is the place to be.

Here’s a short history of Ashland as it appears in Wikipedia.

“Ashland was once the southwestern corner of Holderness, chartered in 1751 by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth. But hostilities during the French and Indian War delayed settlement, and in 1761, it was regranted as New Holderness (although “New” would be dropped in 1816). Settled in 1763, the town was predominantly agricultural except for Holderness Village on the Squam River, with falls that drop about 112 feet (34 m) before meeting the Pemigewasset River. The falls provided water power for mills, and in 1770-1771, a sawmill and gristmill were built. The Squam Lake Woolen Mill was established in 1840. Goods manufactured at local factories included hosiery, gloves, sporting equipment, wood products and paper.

The Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad entered in 1849, carrying freight but also tourists bound for hotels on the Squam Lakes, to which they traveled by steamer up the Squam River. The interests of the industrialized settlement increasingly diverged from those of the farming community, however, and in 1868 Holderness Village was set off as Ashland, named for Ashland, the Kentucky estate of Henry Clay. The last textile mill, the L.W. Packard Company, would close in 2002, and Ashland is today a residential and resort community.”

Ashland Grist MillSquam Lake bridge - Ashland, NH

An old grist mill (now an office building) and a covered bridge are two great sites in Ashland.

Guests at our New Hampshire Bed and Breakfast/Inn see Moose close up

July 27th, 2010 by billwebb

Well after 26 years in business you’d think we would have seen it all, but this past weekend we had a first at the Inn On Golden Pond. A wonderful couple visiting us from the Philippines collided with a Moose while driving to visit their sons at camp! First, I want to report that neither passenger was injured. Second, the Moose while stunned managed to remove himself from the top of their car hood and wander off into the woods on the side of the road. No report on how he felt when he woke up the next day. Damage to the car – dented hood.

There are an estimated 6,000 Moose in New Hampshire, the majority of them found in the Great North Woods and New Hampshire’s Lakes Region. Over 200 are killed by cars each year. Given the average size of Moose (some weigh between 800 and 1,000 lbs.) the cars and sometimes the drivers don’t make out any better than the Moose in a collision. We’re very thankful our guests were unscathed, although very shaken, by their close encounter with this Moose.

Seeing a Moose ranks high on the wish lists of our guests. While sightings are somewhat rare we have seen Moose in the yard of our Squam Lake bed and breakfast/country inn numerous times over the years. It’s always a thrill. The heavily wooded areas of Holderness, Ashland and Sandwich, NH which surround the lake provide excellent habitat for Moose. Clearly wildlife like this and the beautiful landscape of our state are prime reasons that people like to stay in NH inns.

All of the rooms in our inn are named after native New Hampshire animals and birds, but we don’t have a Moose room. Perhaps we’ll have to think about renaming one of them. And by the way, can you imagine the conversation our guests had when they called the car rental company to report their accident?

Hope you enjoy this short video.

Ashland, Center Harbor, Meredith fireworks all close to our Holderness bed and breakfast

July 5th, 2010 by billwebb

Happy 4th of July! What a great stretch of weather we’ve had and the forecasters say we’re in for several more days of sunny, hot conditions. Well have no fear the Inn On Golden Pond offers air conditioning in all our guest rooms so you can expect to have a cool time during your visit with us.

This weekend featured several fireworks displays in central NH. On Saturday both Sandwich and Ashland set them off and on the 4th itself Center Harbor and Meredith held their displays. We’ve always enjoyed the fireworks in Center Harbor, sitting on the lawn by the town library and viewing the spectacular show as they burst out over the bay on Lake Winnipesaukee. Of course, there’s a concert at the town gazebo preceding the fireworks and the local scouts are selling food and drink. Kind of takes you back in time.

Squam Lake has been very active this weekend as boaters officially kicked off the summer season. This is truly a great time to be in the lakes region of New Hampshire. Although it’s not all about the lakes. Several of our guests decided to take a journey north yesterday driving up to the top of Mt. Washington - two of them on motorcycles. The peak of the mountain is certainly one place to beat the summer heat, in fact last Thursday they had snow at the top!

So make your plans now to visit our Squam Lake bed and breakfast. A few days of relaxation and an opportunity to enjoy Squam Lake, Lake Winnipesaukee or the White Mountains sure is an attractive combination.

Fireworks