Steamboat
Era History on Lake Sunapee
In
the late nineteenth century, Lake Sunapee became a popular
vacation destination for city folk from New England, New
York and New Jersey. The railroad line that passed by the
shores of the lake spawned the arrival of wealthy Victorians
to spend their summers here.
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The Bell Cove Caboose |
An
original caboose, which commemorates the importance of
the railroad to Lake Sunapee,
can be seen
in Newbury Harbor. From there, steamships ferried passengers
from the south end of the lake to family estates, cottages
and swank grand hotels all around the lakeshore. One
of the first commercial boats was actually propelled
by
horsepower
in 1854.
N.S.
Gardner purchased Little Island for one dollar and built
a bowling alley on it. He then launched the steamer
'Penacook'
(later renamed Mountain Maid) to carry passengers to
Little Island for recreation, and so the steamboat era
began.
The Woodsum brothers launched the Lady Woodsum' 1876.
It was
50 feet long and could carry 75 passengers.
Little Island
The
90-foot 'Edmund Burke' (named after a prominent Newport
lawyer who summered on Lake Sunapee) was launched in
1885, carrying 600 passengers. In 1891, the Edmund
Burke struck
an underwater ledge at Loon Island. The accident led
to the construction of a lighthouse on the island in
1893
which
was built by the Woodsum Brothers, owners of the steamships.
In 1887, the 'Amenia White' was launched; it was 101
feet long and held 650 passengers. It was the flagship
of the
Woodsum fleet and the biggest steamer ever to sail
Lake Sunapee.
The Original MV Kearsarge |
In
1897, the 'MV Kearsarge' was launched at 70' carrying
250 passengers. A gas powered replica of the Kearsarge
sails daily in the summer months featuring a dinner buffet
and a narrated tour of the lake.
In
1902, the 50-foot 'Weetamoo' was launched. She was named
after the daughter of an Indian Chief in
John
Greenleaf Whittier's poem 'Bride of Penacook'.
After twenty-five
years of service
on the lake, she was suddenly scuttled off Pine
Cliff near
Newbury. The ship is still intact and is visited
frequently by local SCUBA clubs.
The
50-foot (15 m) 'MV Mount Sunapee' was launched in 1965
and takes passengers on lake cruises in
the summer
months.
The original 'Mount Sunapee' was named 'Susie
Q' and had been used as a rum runner in Damariscotta,
Maine.
Lake Station
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Blodgetts Landing
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There
were major steamboat landings at Sunapee Harbor, Georges
Mills, Lakeside Landing, Blodgett
Landing,
Brightwood, Pine
Cliff, Lake Station, Soo-Nipi, Burkehaven,
and Granliden to service the grand hotels. The Great
Depression
took its toll and tourism declined. This led
to the demise
of the
steamer era and many of the grand hotels fell
into disrepair and were torn down. The
Ben Mere Hotel site now features a bandstand that holds
free concerts in the summer.
The Ben Mere Bandstand
Click here to view Lake
Sunapee antique postcards.
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