Goshen NH Historical Society

02/05/2025

We were recently asked about the Mill Village store and post office.
Susan Pappas Babka, the granddaughter of the 1950’s to 1970’s store owners could remember visits to the store, but not its location. This prompted us to go back through time to trace the history of the building. We searched our photo archive, property records, and the list of post masters.
We found two photos from the past. The first, is from when the store was owned by Lorenzo S. Chamberlain between 1891 and 1908. Look at the nice bay storefront window and the long covered porch. Next is a picture of the store and post office when it was The O S Lear store. Orra S. Lear bought the store in 1912 and the Lears owned it until 1920. Notice the porch roof is gone, but the bay window remains.
The grandparents of Susan Pappas Babka were Ernest and Louise Gallatly, who owned the store and operated the post office from 1957 to 1972. At that time it was an IGA grocery, and had a Texaco gas pump out front. Susan Pappas Babka posted the undated picture of her grandparent’s store that we are reposting here. She also posted another view where you can just barely see the big stone chimney that is still in place today. And finally, we see the store today, now very much different, fixed up and housing apartments.
The 1970’s are not long ago. Does anyone have other pictures from that era? Anyone remember the Gallatly’s? If so, please let us know. Susan says they were known as Mr and Mrs G. It is a big jump from our last photo to the building of today.
For more about the early history of the store, anyone can read The History of Goshen by Walter R Nelson. The 1957 edition is available on the Internet Archive here: https://archive.org/details/historyofgoshenn00nels/page/n1/mode/2up. In that edition the store history is on pages 282-286. The updated edition is available at the Goshen Library.

01/06/2025

Lemuel Barton

(Lemuel Barton is the father of Lucy Barton Barker(born 1899) and Cloie Barton (born 1901) and grandfather of Ellie Barton Trommsdorff of Goshen, NH. He farmed 400 acres in Kellyville near the Claremont-Newport Road.)

Native Yankee
In appearance Barton gives the impression of austere simplicity and dressed in his coonskin cap, brown coat, none of his wit and original humor is evident. However, a closer examination of his person reveals deep penetrating and thoughtful blue eyes, and a long white beard, and an engaging smile that adds to the color of his native Yankee character. A devotee of hard work and honest living, he looks back with pride on his accomplishment in raising nineteen of his twenty children to manhood and womanhood.
Some Quotes from Lemuel:

"Raising youngsters and hard work make for a happy life."

"People are just too anxious these days to make the best possible horse trade in a selfish way and that is why we find the world in the kind of a mixed up mess it is at present."

"One of our problems today is placing too little emphasis on making a home and having a family life. Too many women are leading dogs on leashes when they should be carrying a baby in their arms."

"If business today would stop complaining about government and get together, like my hens on the farm and start scratching for themselves, we would be a lot better off."

"People today are depending too much on what they can get from the government. Silly isn't it; when they have to turn around and pay it back in taxes. It is destroying our sense of independence and initiative."

About the census, "A bit skittish I am on that question. I am wondering why the government wants to know so much about so many of us common people. But I suppose we got to give them the answers, haven't we?"

"Too many of our college youngsters are exposed to knowledge but they close their minds and eyes to what is about them, especially the advice of older people. And you know that just ain't any way to live."

07/23/2024

Town Hall and church, Mill Village, 1913 by A. S. Currier. What is the tall ladder and guy wires doing in front of the town hall?

07/23/2024

Post Office pets, Ball Park Road, 1915

07/23/2024

Parish Hall construction 1976. "Goshen's only public building complete with septic system and running water" built by volunteer labor and a hired carpenter. Argus Champion 10-27-1976

07/23/2024

Main Street, Mill Village 1913 by A. S. Currier

11/30/2023

The Goshen Historical Society will be selling note cards, hand blown glass objects by Al McGuire and books at the Library Fair this Saturday. Check us out between 10:00am to1:00pm at the Goshen Town Hall.

07/07/2023

05/20/2023

Today we are at Naturfest at the Olive G Pettis Library. Come on down and say hello!

04/04/2023

Goshen post offices from the past:
Mill Village Post Office and O. S. Lear store,
Hanson Store and Post Office on Rt. 10, 1906,
Post Office on Mountain Road,
Post Office on Lempster Coach Road.

10/22/2022

The FIRST history of Goshen NH was hand-set and hand-printed by Walter Nelson in 1903. He commented in a later history that when he ran out of type for a page he changed the words.

The Goshen Historical Society has printed a faithful copy of this rare original document which is now on sale for $15 at the Goshen Town Office.