CHAPTER XLIX
NOTABLE EVENTS, STORMS, FRESHETS, METEOROLOGICAL OCCURRENCES, ETC.
Farmer's Catechism of New Hampshire, published in 1830, says: "The greatest snow ever known in New England was that which fell in February and March, 1717, to the depth of 8 feet on a level."
April 14, 1726. Goffstown was called Shovestown, on account of Edward Shove. February 9, 1733. Town granted as Narragansett No. 4.
November 18, 1755. Seven earthquake shocks lasting about two minutes followed by a second shock more terrific. Second shock extended over New England, and was of sufficient severity to shake the tops from the chimneys in many places.
February 7, 1756. The first newspaper published in New Hampshire called New Hampshire Gazatee and Historical Chronicle, at Portsmouth, by Daniel Fowle. First book printed and published in New Hampshire was issued in 1756. See "Sanborn's History of New Hampshire," page 57.
July 6, 1761. First town meeting held in Goffstown after incorporation.
May 20, 1763. Snow fell sufficient to cover the ground and lay until the next day.
April 27, 1768. First meeting-house raised in Goffstown. May 11,1769, when the apple trees were in blossom snow fell to the depth of two inches, sufficient to cover the apple blossoms.
April 19, 1775. Battle of Lexington; cherry trees in full bloom.
August 16 and 17, 1777. Battle of Bennington; Goffstown had a detachment of men in the engagement.
May 19, 1780. Dark day in New England, so dark that it was necessary to light candles at noon.
1781. Snow five feet deep. April 24, snow was so deep no walls or fences could be seen; known as a hard winter.
November 29, 1783. Earthquake.
December 5, 1784. Great freshet, high water in Piscataquog River, bridge at Piscataquog carried away.
1785. Snow lay deep upon the ground until late in April.
June, 17, 1794. Great frost occurred, severely cold and water froze.
November 19,1798. Snow began to fall and fell three days.
December 14, 1799. George Washington died.
May 8, 1804. Snow fell sufficient for sleighing; it lay on the ground two days; apple trees in full bloom.
October 9, 1804. Snow fell two feet; the crops were unharvested; the leaves had not fallen from the trees and the hues of autumn were blended with the whiteness of winter.
February 21, 1806. Great freshet; ice went out of the Piscataquog River.
June 29, 1809. Severe thunderstorm; James Eaton who resided in the cottage near St. Anselm's College killed.
January 19, 1810. Cold Friday, accompanied by terrible gale of wind.
November 27, 1814. Severe shock of an earthquake at 7 o'clock in the evening.
September 25, 1815. September gale began at 10 A. M. and lasted until 2 P. M.; great quantity of timber blown down.
1816. Known as the poverty year, season cold and backward. June 6. Snow squalls. June 11. Heavy frost, destroying all corn. July 10. Frost. August 22. Very heavy frost. Corn was so scarce that little pork was fattened during this or the following year. As a substitute for pork large quantities of salted mackerel were used, which give rise to the name of "mackerel years" for 1816 and 1817. 1817. Cold and the season unproductive.
May 26, 1820. Storm of rain and snow; snow laid on the ground until the next day.
May 8,1822. General John Stark died. June 22, 1825. General Lafayette visited New Hampshire.
1826. Long continued drought; grasshoppers devoured everything they came in contact with and were checked only by the great freshet of August 28.
August 26, 1826. Great rain occurring in the afternoon, small brooks swollen to raging torrents, bridges swept away.
August 6, 1830. Great freshet. May 28, 1833. Andrew Jackson at Amoskeag.
November 13, 1833. Great display of meteors; thousands were seen flying in every direction throughout a clear and unclouded sky.
January 7, 1835. Great rain raising the streams to a great height, carrying away bridges.
April 15, 1838. Snow four feet deep upon level. January 2, 1841. Great freshet; ice all went out of the river.
June 30, 1841. Severe hailstorm accompanied by thunder and lightning; hail did an immense amount of damage.
June 11, 1842. Three inches of snow fell.
April 1, 1843. Enormous depth of snow on the ground, four feet deep and over on a level.
May, 1850. The last Goffstown muster was held.
1851. Thomas Wycom died in Hooksett, aged 101, formerly a resident of Goff town.
April 23, 1852. It rained a greater portion of the time for five days; water very high at Goffstown Village.
January 23, 1857. Severely cold day, thermometer from 30 to 40 degrees below zero.
January 4, 1859. Exceedingly great fall of snow, 2~ feet fell in twelve hours; funeral of Moors Roby.
February 6, 1861. Thermometer 40 below zero, terribly cold; 20 at noon, wind blowing a gale from the northwest.
February 24, 1862. Thunder and lightning.
April 1, 1862. Snow deep, frozen solid, crust would bear a horse, fences not visible.
April 20, 1862. Water high in Piscataquog River.
March 7, 1864. Great freshet, bridges and railroads destroyed.
July 4,1867. Severe gale of wind and rain, great damage done to buildings and trees.
October 3 and 4, 1869. Great destruction of property by freshet, known as the October flood.
January 1, 1876. Remarkable day for time of year, no frost in ground and thermometer stood 64 degrees above zero.
May 13, 1879. Torrid wave swept over New Hampshire, thermometer standing at 100 in many places; Concord 100 above zero, Goffstown 95 above.
May 24, 1879. So cold that water froze.
November 3,1879. Snow fell to the depth of eighteen inches from 7 A. M. to midnight.
July 25, 1881. Severe thunderstorm, buildings of G. F. Farley burned; storm began about 6 o'clock and continued until midnight. The light of burning buildings could be seen in almost any direction.
September 6, 1881. Known as the Yellow Day. In the morning the sun arose brassy, and it grew dark until 1 P. M., when everything assumed a yellow appearance.
September 24, 1881. Remarkable thunderstorm, one constant roar of thunder and unceasing lightning flash for two hours.
October 5, 1881. Thermometer stood 25 above; water froze all day in shade; snow squalls occurred during the day; winter of 1880 and 1881 famous for the great quantity of snow.
February 25, 26 and 27, 1886. Severe blizzard; weather was extremely cold, thermometer below zero; snow falling continually the 26th and 27th; velocity of wind 30 miles an hour.
January 27, 1888. Fourteen inches of snow fell, fierce gale, referred to in Boston papers as the fiercest since April 17, 1851, when Minot's ledge lighthouse was swept away.
March 12, 1888. A remarkable snowstorm; but few spring elections held in New Hampshire on account of the storm.
April 14, 1895. Great rain, almost unprecedented high water in Piscataquog and Merrimack Rivers; highest water known in the Merrimack River for years. At 10.30 P. M., Monday, April 13, the water flowing over the Amoskeag dam at Man-chester showed a depth of 10.4 feet; railroad traffic delayed throughout the state.
February 28 and March 1, 1896. Great fall of rain; unprecedented damage from rain throughout the state; the Merrimack River reached its highest point between 9 and 10 o'clock on March 2; the electric light plant at Kelley's Falls washed out; part of Granite bridge across the Merrimack washed away; Parker's gristmill damaged, large quantity of grain lost in the river; portion of the dam carried away; family living near the old shoe shop were compelled to vacate; house was completely surrounded by water. This was followed on March 2 by a severe snowstorm.
August 23, 1916. Wednesday, one of the severest showers which ever visited this section broke over Goffstown and the surrounding towns. For seven days preceding, the weather had been intensely hot, also until about 3 o'clock on Wednesday. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon the temperature suddenly changed, the thermometer indicating the fall of 20 degrees, and a severe electrical storm at once set in; the thunder and lightning were especially severe. The first shower started at 4 o'clock and lasted about forty minutes. At 5 o'clock a second and much heavier shower broke over the town, rain falling until 6 o'clock, when there was a cessation of a few minutes, when a third shower occurred, which lasted for about three quarters of an hour, and about 7.30 o'clock a fourth shower followed, accompanied by heavy thunder and very vivid lightning, lasting until about 9.30. There was a total rainfall of three inches, 1.4 inches falling between 5 and 6 o'clock. The buildings of B. Frank Hazen were struck by lightning and totally consumed; the barns of Oliver B. Pierce and F. W. Russell being struck, little damage done to the latter. Five soldiers of the 1st N. H. Battery were prostrated by an electrical shock at the camp ground on the farm of H. K. Libbey. The farm buildings of Thomas E. Cochran, Alonzo Blood and Arthur Wilson in New Boston were all struck and entirely consumed; also the buildings of Albert S. Farmer, formerly known as the Samuel Gove farm in Weare.
December 30, 1917. Thermometer 20 below zero, and did not rise above 5 below at any time during day.
December 31, 1917. Thermometer 31 below zero, and did not rise above 4 below at any time during day; two coldest days since weather bureau was established.
February 5, 1918. Thermometer 18 below in morning and 8 below at noon; severe wind all day; winter of 1917 and 1918 severe; 35 snow storms, 110 days of sleighing.
June 20 and 21, 1918. Severe frosts; thermometer sank to 28 above zero; water froze thickness of glass; great loss caused on account of crops ruined; vegetation suffered severely.
August 8, 1918. Great fall of rain in afternoon, electrical shower; wind did much damage to fruit and forest trees.
ALHN Hillsborough County
Chapter 49
History of Goffstown
Hillsborough County
ALHN-New Hampshire
Created May, 2002
Copyright 2002