There was a time many decades ago when the key to the world rested in some fortunate hands within our community. The world was their canvas and they were eager to paint. Living in Concord, they were fortunate to be in a central location where they could enjoy the miles of shoreline at the ocean, the mountains, the fancy stores in the city of Boston or the tranquil pastures and mountains in Vermont. It was at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century when residents of Concord were first exposed to the new horseless carriage and the automobiles of the future. The lure for adventure and travel was ignited and the people were eager to jump onboard in route to the future.
My very own grandparents were living in Concord during this period of time. My grandfather, a relatively recent immigrant from Ireland possessed some skills that allowed him to earn a better than average income before the great depression visited. He was a finish stone mason and applied his artful skills to the construction of many of the beautiful monuments that are featured in Blossom Hill Cemetery to this very day. With an eye for detail and a desire to succeed he enjoyed this success. A man with class and admired by his coworkers he was elected the president of the Concord Stoneworkers Union, wore his fine suits to his union meetings and drove a very nice motor vehicle.
As the 1920s proceeded, he enjoyed many new automobiles, traveling around the small town of Concord and embracing a caring lifestyle. A weekend journey might include a drive to the ocean with his loving wife or a trip north to cooler climates. When my mother was born, she found enjoyment traversing the streets of Concord and the surrounding communities safely seated in the back seat of the automobile behind her parents. It was a different time, when you owned an automobile during the early twentieth century you enjoyed a freedom that was not known by many.
My grandfather was one of the first to own an automobile in the town of Concord. There were town ordinances limiting travel in an automobile within city limits at that time, fear that this new invention would disrupt the citizens, horses and wagons as well as adding to the already poor road conditions featured during the annual mud season. My grandfather was John Joseph Cahill, apparently a very good friend to Henry Ford. It was said that grandfather could purchase any color Ford automobile that he desired as long as it was painted black. The variety of early automobiles included Model T’s, Stanley Steamers and some early editions of horseless carriages powered by dry cell batteries. I have heard his stories about a coveted 1909 Buick Touring Car that did not feature doors, covered in brass trimming, featuring early carbide lighting while driving in a right-hand side seat behind the large steering wheel.
As the years progressed and my mother, Mary Cahill, was born in Concord in 1932 the local map boasted more than enough automobiles traveling about our town. My grandfather was certainly a Ford man, though he did venture to other competitive showroom windows on occasion and purchased some fascinating automobiles. With his career successful he managed to purchase a new automobile every single year, many of those years during the great depression. An amazing feat given the era that he lived here in Concord.
It was the decade of the 1930s that saw tourism grow as a result of the availability of the automobile to the average person. It was no longer a toy for the wealthy, it was quickly becoming the workhorse for the modern family. As grandfather purchased his early cars he ventured further and further to the surrounding countryside with his wife and daughter. There were many picnics in faraway meadows, ventures north to be the first to enjoy our colorful fall foliage season. There were hikes in the mountains and swimming in the lakes and ponds north.
Concord, New Hampshire was featured with points of interest in multiple newspapers and magazines. The desire to escape the city and venture north was indeed very real, embraced by many during this time. Concord boasted a population of about 23,000 residents and enjoyed the county seat position hosting the New Hampshire State House. Many points lured the curious to our town in their Ford Model A’s; adventure, nature, Native American history and stories of the past. We featured several notable public buildings in addition to the state house. There was a beautiful Concord Public Library, Post Office and New Hampshire Historical Society building. There were many fine churches representing every denomination and there was a past rich with history.
As grandfather traveled, venturing further and further, he developed a fond love for his town of Concord. He missed his days as a child growing up in Castleisland, Ireland, but felt a strong kinship with his many Irish friends in the north end of Concord. There are times we travel and venture very far, be it in a Ford Model A or just within our own minds as we dream each eve, discoveries are made. Grandfather found a home here in his adopted city of Concord, New Hampshire, for this I will always be grateful.