Made land available to NHVA at the Weirs for 43 years. Railroad cleared trees, graded a few road ways and built a dancing pavilion (Southern end of the grove). Tents housed the members and were set up in camp streets parallel to Lakeside Ave. Larger tents were used to house the Headquarters and Kitchen facilities.
First floor was an open reception area, second floor was a dormitory with partitions. Original colors were straw with dark green and white trim and a green roof.
An appropriation is made to erect 5 barracks ringing the top of the grove. A Simple headquarters building next to the Lowell building serves as the Association Headquarters.
A speakers stand and pavilion are also built. The Sanborn Memorial is created and plans for the headquarters building and Dining pavilion are begun.
The 1st Floor consisted of a large reception area, with the 2nd floor partitioned into sleeping area. The original color was off-white with dark green trim and had a brown roof. Individual Regiment associations begin to make plans to construct their own buildings on plots allocated to them.
7th Regiment buildings are completed on Lakeside Ave. Other smaller barracks may have been built to house the veterans.
(Grand Army of the Republic) are built to the right and rear of the Lowell Building. The huge Dining Pavilion occupies the area in front and to the right of these structures out to Tower Street.
southern end. Next to the 16th is a new pavilion and smaller storage building. On Lakeside Ave., at the southern end, the 1st Cavalry build there Headquarters.
between the Cavalry and 7th Regiments building. On Veterans Ave, opposite the 16th Regiment, the 15th Regiment finishes their building.
is converted to use by the 8th and 13th Regiments.
NH constructed the largest and most detailed building. This group was made up of NH veterans who were not in the individual regiments raised in NH. The building was sometimes referred to as the tramps building.
the 14th Regiment constructed their building. The road was now named Cavalry Avenue, and marked the southern boundary of the property. 1894 A beautiful civil War Soldier statue and water trough in honor of Laommi Bean of the 8th Regiment was erected at the base of New Hampshire Ave.
the last of the large building. This building sat at the western boundary of the property in an area with the state barracks. This seems to be the last of the large buildings constructed.
This construction period is sometimes referred to as the High Victorian period. Most of the buildings were very colorful with ornate details. Sometimes called the Queen Anne Camp Style, using a “balloon” construction style with sweeping roof lines and wrap around porches, they were and are beautiful to behold. Many of the buildings boasted running water and sewer, long before other “camps” in the area. Most featured large open areas on the first floors with fireplaces and water closets. The second and third floors would consist of dormitory style sleep areas which could, in some cases, be broken up into smaller more private areas with partitions.
3rd Regiment Building, and damaging a few of the other barracks.
Soldier statue and water trough honoring Laommi Bean of the 8th Regiment.
over 200 large trees were brought down, destroying the 8th & 13th Regiment Building, National Veterans Association Building, Speakers Stand, Convention Pavilion, and a few smaller structures. The 14th Regiment Building, Cavalry Building, Dining Pavilion, and other buildings suffered some damage from the storm. The State made another appropriation to help the Association clean up and repair after the storm.
Speaker’s Stand, Dance Pavilion, and other buildings were removed for public safety reasons. The front buildings were repainted during this time using surplus military paint, hence the various shades of gray, blue gray and off-white.
Three of the old state barracks and separate fires damaged a few other buildings.
The 16th Regiment Building and the Berdan’s Sharpshooters Building. The 2nd Regiment Building was taken down for public safety reasons.
Structural repairs – foundations, roofs, windows, upgraded electrical wiring, plumbing, grounds work. Cosmetic improvements of painting and landscaping, are ongoing/ What has been accomplished may not show outwardly, but lays in the foundation of a long term plan to maintain the NHVA’s holdings for future generations of veterans and the citizens of New Hampshire.