Benjamin Ames Kimball

Wayside Jottings or Rambles Around Concord, NH
By Howard M Cook, 1910
Excerpts as noted.

P. 25-6
On the north corner of Concord Street, standing on the spacious grounds now owned by Hon. B. A. Kimball, was a long wooden block, which at first was occupied as the "Thompsonian Infirmary"; afterwards it was converted into tenements. Hon. J.H. Gallinger, in his interesting chapter, in the new History of Concord, on the "Medical Profession," gives an account of the peculiar course of treatment that was practiced at this "infirmary," to cure the ills that flesh is heir to. The methods mainly seemed to be to steam the disease out of the patient, and were successful, either in curing or killing him. It was one of the fads of that day; a course of treatment, the antitheses of the "water cure," practiced in later years in the establishment of that name, located on the corner of North Main and Center Streets, now known as the Commercial House. Doctor Gallinger, in his article, relates the story of a good old orthodox minister, who resided in a neighboring town, and who made an exchange with one of his Concord brethren, arriving at the infirmary one Saturday night, suffering from a severe cold. He asked Doctor Thompson if he could get it out of him, so that he would be able to preach the next day, and was somewhat shocked when Doctor Thompson informed him that he "could steam hell and damnation out of him." Where Mr. Kimball lives in his beautiful and commodious home, which has been completely remodelled, dwelt George B. Chandler, who in the fifties was one of Concord's prominent bankers; next was the home of Peter Sanborn, for some years state treasurer, filling that position, in the years of the Civil War, and at a time when large sums of money passed through his hands.

P 71-2
Probably the Merrimack (river) from its source to its mouth was never shallow enough to be forded. As the early settlers of Penacook lived on both sides of the river, the primitive way of crossing it was first by a canoe, and later by ferry. There were at lease three of these ferries in operation at various times, owned by private parties.

There was a ferry at the South End, near Water Street, known as Merrill's ferry, owned by Deacon John Merrill; one owned by Benjamin Kimball, known as Kimball's ferry, which crossed the river from Hale's Point to Sugar Ball and reached by Ferry Road, now Ferry Street.

Tucker's ferry, owned by Lemuel Tucker, crossed the river near the site of the old Federal bridge, and accommodated the dwellers of East Concord, known aforetime by the designation of "Over the River," while a section of the intervale, a half mile above Federal bridge, embracing the farms of Samuel B. Locke, John Locke, Samuel B. Larkin and Henry S. Thatcher was known as "Christian Shore." Just why that name was given to this locality, the writer is not informed.

For some sixty years after the settlement of the town the river was crossed upon the ice in the winter, and by the ferries at other seasons of the year. The first bridge built across the Merrimack in Concord was the Concord bridge at the South End, opened for travel on October 29, 1705(should be 1795). This superseded the Merrill ferry. Three years after this the Federal bridge at East Concord was completed, and this bridge superseded the Tucker ferry. Since that time five bridges have been erected at this point to take the place of those that have from time to time been swept down stream or partially destroyed by the big freshets that aforetime visited the valley of the Merrimack and converted the river into a second Mississippi. The sixth and last bridge was constructed in the year 1872, during the administration of Mayor John Kimball. It was built with special reference to endurance, like all the structures of a public character that were constructed during Mr. Kimball's term of service.

P 82-3
The first mill (Penacook village) which marked the beginning of the woolen manufacturing industry, was built by Richard Kimball and Jeremiah Abbott about the year 1800. It was the custom in those days for the farmers to carry their wool to this mill, where it was carded into rolls; the rolls were then taken to the farm houses, where the women spun the rolls into yarn and wove the yarn into cloth on hand looms, and thus clothed their families. Thus the manufacture of woolens dates back more than one hundred years. Another sawmill was built at the lower falls by Nathaniel Rolfe. It was constructed by Benjamin Kimball, a noted millwright in those days, the father of John and Benjamin Kimball, and no doubt they inherited their skill in mechanical construction from their father. The elder Kimball did a good work in building dams and thus developing the water power that was used in running the saw and grist mills.

"Elmhurst" - Residence of Mrs. Robert R. Kimball

P. 125-7.

On December 16, 1859, a committee consisting of Joseph B. Walker, John Abbott and Benjamin Grover, was appointed by the city council to inquire into the feasibility and cost of supplying the compact part of the city with water. This committee made a report, giving their preference to Lake Penacook for a supply, and also gave an estimate of $172,475 as the cost of the introduction and distribution of the water therefrom. This project was held in abeyance for nearly eleven years, when on July 30, 1870, "the city council appointed a committee of seventeen, consisting of Lyman D. Stevens, David A. Warde, Benjamin S. Warren, Jesse P. Bancroft, Abraham G. Jones, Asa McFarland, James S. Norris, Josiah Minot, Nathaniel White, Daniel Holden, James N. Lauder, Edward A. Abbot, John Kimball, John M. Hill, Benjamin A. Kimball, Moses Humphrey and Benning W. Sanborn to report the best course to be taken to secure the early introduction of pure fresh water from Lake Penacook." This committee reported on the feasibility of the enterprise, and after various delays in obtaining the necessary legislation in reference to the water rights of the owners of the West Concord mills, an ordinance placing the management of the city water works in a board of water commissioners, consisting of six citizens, with the mayor as ex-fficio, was passed by the city council of December 30, 1871. The first board of water commissioners consisted of Mayor Abraham G. Jones, ex-officio; John M. Hill, Benjamin A. Kimball, Josiah Minot, David A. Warde, Benjamin S. Warren and Edward L. Knowlton. James A.Weston of Manchester was appointed chief engineer, and operations immediately commenced. The American Gas and Water Pipe Company of New Jersey took the contract to construct and lay the main line of pipe from the lake, and put in the distributing pipes, gates, hydrants, and other appendages, for the sum of $143,882. Within eight months after the contractors commenced operations the water was admitted, as before stated, on January 14, 1873, into the pipes, "and thus it was," as Mr. Hadley remarks, "that the quiet waters of Lake Penacook began to be utilized in multiform benefits to the Capital City."

Residence of Dr. George M. Kimball