Peterborough New Hampshire and Beyond

After arriving in Peterborough New Hampshire via US Hwy. 202, it threatening more rain and it was time for lunch.  Then I spotted a restaurant…a diner…that we couldn’t resist just based on appearance alone!

This is the Peterboro Diner.  Its official name is the Peterborough Diner…but the correct spelling is too long to fit on the side of this classic New England diner.

The Peterborough Diner is an historic late 1940s, early 1950s Worcester Lunch Car Diner.  It was the first one made with this color combination.  It was placed in this location, in Depot Square, near the heart of downtown Peterborough, back in 1949.   

We loved the interior of the Peterborough Diner, don’t you?  The checkboard pattern on the floor, that classic curved ceiling and the traditional long narrow dining area with the counter and stools all the way down the length of the structure.

The place was loaded with regulars…many who the waitresses knew well enough to know what they’d order for lunch.  We sat at the counter just to soak up the diner’s ambience!  It was fairly busy given the rainy day and the fact that it was after the normal lunch hour…

Old time for sure!  There is nothing like an old time advertising placemat to validate a restaurant’s style… Laurie and I love to see these mostly forgotten advertising placemats.  This one covers everything from auto mechanics through plumbers, guns and ammo to end of life care.

I had the Hot Pastrami on Rye. ($9.99) The fact that both the pastrami and the rye bread were grilled really added great flavor to the sandwich.  All sandwiches at the diner are served with your choice of bread, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise as well as French fries, potato salad, coleslaw or potato chips.

Laurie went for a grilled Hot Dog with Cheese plus a bag of chips. ($3.99) The fact that the hot dog was split and both it and the bun were grilled, knocked it out of the park as compared to the usual preparation!

The lunch menu is as wide reaching as a diner’s menu should be.  In addition to sandwiches, burgers and the like, there are diner baskets featuring chicken and fish, spaghetti, macaroni, Shepard’s pie, chicken parmesan, Yankee pot roast and that all time oldie, liver and onions with bacon! 

We enjoyed the diner, the diners and our waitress!  We wish we had a place like this near us in East Tennessee… Peterborough/Peterboro Diner is open daily for breakfast and lunch, from 7 AM until 3 PM.  The diner is located at 10 Depot Street in Depot Square.  Phone: 603-924-6710.  Their website is at http://peterboroughdiner.com/.

If you noted the diner’s location, you may have noticed that it’s on Depot Square.  That meant shopping for Laurie…my mistake!  While she went shopping I moved quickly to take some photos as heavy rain appeared imminent.

Peterborough is an old town and it used to be quite an industrial center.  It was first permanently settled in 1749.  The Contoocook River and Nubanusit Brook provided ready sites for watermills and the town prospered.  By 1859, there were 5 cotton factories, a woolen mill, 2 paper mills, an iron foundry, a machine shop, a carriage factory, a basket manufacturer, a maker of trusses and supporters, a boot and shoe factory, 7 sawmills and 3 gristmills! 

The Mariposa Museum and World Culture Center at 26 Main Street occupies the former Baptist Church.  The building dates back to 1842, when it served local mill workers.  The church was disbanded in 1926.  Among others, parts of the structure were subsequently used by the Scouts, as an art gallery, an antique store, a ballet school, a harness shop, barber shop, shoe store and an electronics store.A fire in 1999 gutted the building and it sat empty for 2 years. 

Then two townspeople bought the building, rebuilt the interior and transformed it into a museum and cultural center.  To quote from their website: “The Mariposa Museum brings the rich diversity of world cultures to New England.  Through educational programs, exhibits, performances and workshops, we provide a unique place for children, seniors and adults to celebrate our common humanity."

For more information regarding the Mariposa Museum and World Culture Center, go to http://mariposamuseum.org/.

The Carr Block at 44 Main Street, which is apparently a multi-unit residential property, was built in 1842.

This frame construction Second Empire style commercial block, the Anderson Building, with its mansard roof, was built at 40 Main Street ca. 1872.  

The building is occupied by Steele’s Stationers.  Steele’s is under new ownership now, but it originally opened its doors in 1860.  One of the oldest businesses in the area, the store still has the original ornate tin ceiling and classic wood floors.

This store supplies office needs, books, writing materials, maps, newspapers, magazines and the largest selection of cigars in the area.  To learn more, go to https://www.steelesstationers.com.

The Coopers Hill Public House at 6 School Street in Peterborough occupies a portion of the structure that also serves as the Community Theater.  The Theater is still in business with both movies and live shows.  Cooper’s Hill Public House opened in its space in 2017.

Peterborough Community Theater is the oldest movie theater in New Hampshire.  It celebrated 104 years of movies in September of this year.  It was originally named the Gem Theater and it could seat 500.  In 1914, adult admission was 10 cents, children cost 5 cents…and if you wanted to splurge, a balcony seat was 15 cents!

To learn about Coopers Hill Public House and to check out their menu, go to: http://www.coopershillpublichouse.com/.  For information regarding the Peterborough Community Theater, go to: http://pctmovies.com/.  

Note:

·         Despite the fact that the total population of Peterborough is around 6,500, it has had a lot of political clout over the years.  It has produced 1 US Senator, 9 US Congressmen and 5 Governors!   

It started pouring rain, so I stopped taking photos and headed for the stores on Depot Square looking for my better half.  I knew that it was trouble when I saw the name of the store she was in… The Sharon Arts Center Fine Craft Store has a lot of quality items for sale.  It’s affiliated with the New Hampshire Institute of Art!  The store is well merchandised and even I was impressed with the offerings…

The Sharon Arts Center Fine Craft Store is located at 20 Depot Street in Peterborough New Hampshire.  Its open daily.  Phone: 603-836-2591.  I couldn’t find a website for the store itself and the NHIA site didn’t help either…

The shopping was completed and the rain let up.  So we headed north on US Hwy. 202.  In Bennington New Hampshire, I stopped to take a photo of this old combination passenger and freight railway depot.  It was built by the Boston and Maine Railway in 1892 but it was moved across the street from its original site in 1936.  As you can see, it now serves as the home of the Brown-Knight Memorial VFW Post 8268. 

That’s all for now… Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave