Events

History of the Newport House and the 1908 Renovation

The original Newport House was built in 1814 by Col. William Cheney, and was kept for a while by Capt. Joel Nettleton, who greatly enlarged it and continued as proprietor for more than 20 years. Since his day it has been kept by Parker Nettleton, James Kendall, Stephen Day, W. C. Colston, Samuel Emmons, Milton Glidden, Ira M. Clark, David B. Jones, Cross & Ayers, J. & H. G. P. Cross, E. L. Putney, A. J. Smith, B. R. Ferrin, F. L. Hutchins, and now Mr. Smith, mentioned above, has returned as the present landlord. The original building was burned in 1860, and the present structure was erected the same year by the Messrs. Cross, assisted by liberal contributions from the citizens of the town. The opening was a brilliant social event, taking the form of a leap year party which occurred Dec. 14, 1860. It was purchased by Mr. Putney in March 1866, and with the exception of a short time in the 70s when it was leased to H. A. Averill, he continued as proprietor until his death in 1898.
In this picture, from top right: Newport House 1908; S. M. Richards, Owner; B. H. Cutting, Owner; F. L. Hutchins, Retiring Proprietor; E. L. Putney, Proprietor for Over 30 Years; A. J. Smith, Present Proprietor; Sam D. Lewis, Supervisor of Remodeling; E. A. Robinson, Remodeled Building

November 4, 1910

John B. Cooper…. Civil War Hero
John B. Cooper, born in Walpole, NH in 1841, was soon orphaned. He came to Newport in 1857 at sixteen years of age and apprenticed at the blacksmith shop of D. B. Chapin. At the outbreak of the Civil War he enlisted at Newport with Co. D, marrying Mary O. Moody of Newport two days before leaving for war. At the end of his first enlistment, he recruited members for Co. K, NH Volunteers, and eventually became a Captain in that Regiment. During his service he fought at the major battles of Antietam and Fredericksburg. He became one of Newport’s valued citizens after the war, serving as selectman, Postmaster and Town Moderator (both for over twenty years) and superintendent of the Newport Water Works. He also served as a NH state senator and representative. At the 1938 Memorial Day services, John B. Cooper was honored by the citizens of Newport when a tablet in his honor was erected at the corner of Sunapee and Central Streets, to be know as Cooper Square.

Look for this plaque the next time you travel through Cooper Square!

Polley, “The Human Fly” Scales Richards Block
George G. Polley, “the human fly,” who has been scaling buildings of all heights for the last 16 years, successfully scaled Richards block Monday evening before an audience of a few hundred people, who contributed quite generously when the hat was passed around. After he swung himself up over the cornice, he stood on his head, completing the exhibit. Tuesday evening he duplicated the stunt of scaling the block, with the added touch of going part way up blindfolded. After he had gone over the cornice, he rode a bicycle the full length of the cornice and back and did some balancing stunts on the edge with chairs. Later in the evening he appeared in a vaudeville act at the Coniston Theatre.