11 KYES LANE (Mountain View)

Builder: Dolliver

The Mountain View - by Kay Hoover, July, 2009

1927 - 1940’s:

The Mountain View cottage was purchased in 1927 by Alice F. Herlihy and her sister, Elisabeth M. Herlihy. My grandmother, Katharine M. (Herlihy) Morris was their sister. They grew up in Wilton, New Hampshire, in a very large family of twelve children. Even in the early days Mountain View was overflowing with young nieces and nephews. The name Mountain View originated because the top of Mount Monadnock could be seen from the porch if you looked to the right of the ice houses next to the public beach.

There was an ice box on the porch. George Shea would arrive in his truck and carry in a big block of ice on top of his shoulders, which were covered by a rubber cape to keep the ice from soaking him. He would have cut the ice in the winter from the frozen Sunset Lake and stored it in the ice houses next to the public beach.  Eventually the old ice box was replaced by an electric refrigerator. That refrigerator lasted many years well rusted but still serviceable until it was replaced by a new one in the mid-1990’s.

My mother, Helen (Morris), and my father, Bill Canty were married in August of 1929 and spent part of their honeymoon at the Mountain View on Sunset Lake. A young girl from the “Just-A-Camp” cottage next door, Catherine Kyes, kept them company, and a life long friendship was formed.

Many pictures of those early years show my first swim by the birch tree in front of the Mountain View. However, my first memory was of being stuffed into an iron crib to sleep on, and at four years old my legs had grown too long to fit comfortably in that crib.

Our beloved “Aunt Al” taught school in nearby Milford, New Hampshire, for fifty years, so she always had summer vacations to enjoy the Mountain View. She always had one, two or more family children visiting. I probably started coming for a few weeks at a time about the age of 7 or 8. The trips across the road at night to visit the two-seater outhouse were quite terrifying to me. I was sure some wild animal would gobble me up.

Many nights Aunt Al would light up her oil lantern and off we would go down the road to visit my Aunt Annie Herlihy (widow of Joseph Herlihy) at the “Birches” cottage (21 Sunset Lake Road). While at the “Birches” we would have many wild games of Chinese Checkers. Often Isabel Devoy and her sister Mamie from the “Maples” cottage next door would come over and join in the games. Aunt Annie was one of the first on the lake to have an inside bathroom. (A closed in corner of the porch).

My Aunt Annie’s sister was Alice Margaret Herlihy (widow of Charles Herlihy, who built the cottage, “Onarock”) We always called Alice Margaret Herlihy, Margaret, to avoid confusion with Aunt Al.  Aunt Annie and Aunt Margaret were sisters.

Several times. when their families came to visit, a picnic supper was planned for the top of Pack Monadock.

When World War II came, the sons were in the service, so “Aunt Margaret” rented “Onarock” (27 Sunset Lake Road) for many years until it was finally sold to Dr. Galloway from Wilton.

Aunt Annie would stay at the “Birches” long into the fall each year. The “Birches” were later rented to Mr. Buxton with his sister, Mae, and son, Dick.

When the Eaton family built their place, the “Lazy E,” I soon made friends with the Eaton children, Helen, Barbara and Dick.  Dick Eaton had made friends with Sylvia Dart so Sylvia soon became a friend also.

Mrs. Eaton had a little black car during the war to get downtown, and it was great fun when she let us ride on the running board.

Barbara Eaton and I often walked downtown on errands. By the time I’d make it back to the Mountain View with milk, it would have turned sour, so Catherine Elberfeld would loan me her bicycle with its wonderful cushy lambswool seat to make the trip shorter.

A big treat each day when I was 10 would be to “help” Catherine Elberfeld give baby Anne her bath.

Four years later Anne’s brother, Tiny, arrived. My brother, Bill Jr., was born about the same time and they soon became playmates in our sandpile.

My cousin, David Morris, also came to stay with Aunt Al in the summer. He was five years younger than I was, but we still had great times swimming and catching frogs and turtles.

There was a young girl next door, Norma Clark, who stayed all summer with her grandmother, Mrs. Ramsey, at “Seven Keys” (13 Kyes Lane).  Mrs. Ramsey made beautiful quilts and often would be hard at work on the quilts.

Norma and David had great times swimming and boating.  Norma had a couple of beautiful white ducks for pets. One summer the ducks were scooped up by a hawk and were never seen again.

It was finally decided to modernize the Mountain View in 1940. The living room was extended to one section of the porch, the fireplace was built and an inside bathroom was added. That summer any children who were at the lake could contribute a special stone to be included in the fireplace. A chipmunk or squirrel would often stop by to check out the fireplace area before it was closed in. Our little log bathhouse was built around 1940 to keep wet towels and bathingsuits off the beds.  It saw a great deal of use with all the kids we had around.

There was a big black stove in the kitchen, and each August my grandmother and aunts would go over to Joe Quinn’s pasture in Hancock to pick many gallons of blueberries. Back at the lake Aunt E would pick them over and Aunt Al and my grandmother would boil them on the stove and then can them for the winter. It was about the only time each summer that I remember them all going in for a swim to cool off after the hot job over the stove.

In the mid 1940’s my trips to Sunset Lake were mostly on weekends because of job obligations, and another special “Al” had come into my life. After we married in 1951 we rented the Mountain View from Aunt Al for a month each summer for several years. Aunt Al’s health was failing and we purchased the cottage in 1959 complete with all the wonderful memories and started another chapter of Hoover memories.

1959 on:

Mt. View always seemed to be bursting with people on weekends. July 4 and the “Whing Ding” in Greenfield brought family and friends galore. More than a few times the water pump would go on the blink, but everyone would gladly tote buckets to the bathroom (sure wished the old two-seater in the woods was still there on those times). There was no TV in the early days but books, funny books, card games, checkers and chess kept the boundless energy of so many kids in check when they weren’t swimming. Long walks downtown to visit the candy counter at Carbee’s store kept them all busy also.

Al’s sister, Rosemary Machunski, and her husband Paul, Sr. came often with Jean, Paul and Nancy. My brother, Bill, and Al’s youngest brother, Jimmy, were early teens then and with us most of the time. It made for quite a boisterous house, and on rainy days (and there were many) we used to pray for sunshine. Al’s mother often came during her vacation. Al’s mother, Rosemary, and I took on the task of making curtains by hand. Amazingly, they are still in use today--sentimentally, I just can’t change them! Al’s brother, Hank, and Claire also came often with their kids, Michael, Donnie, Karen and Wayne. Our dear friends, Bob and Shirley LeFave, with Gary, Dick and Judy were frequent visitors. Also, Joan Conway and her son Michael. (Today Michael says the lake was a “little boy’s paradise.”) The Tricketts -- Alice and Bill with Dan, Tom, Maureen and Billy came along in the 60’s and 70’s. They rented Buxtons a few times.

In the 70’s we had a motorboat so Al, Stephen and Ellen could waterski.  Their cousins and friends tried it also.  Joanie and I finally gave up trying.  A very heavy visitor was too much for the motor, so we finally sold the boat.

So many memories involved the Elberfelds. We had a telephone and they didn’t, so when John would get a calls from the college where he was dean, we would run over to fetch him to our “private phone booth” - the bathroom.

Next door the “Just-A-Camp” cottage was built around a large tree. Dr. Kyes also had two big platforms with tents used for guests. When Just-A-Camp needed too many repairs the Elberfelds decided to build their A-frame. We had the great job of helping to hoist the A’s into place. John Elberfeld was very creative and talented with all his building. He even put together a station wagon, the woodie, from scratch.

One year John and Catherine took a trip to Hawaii.  They asked us to meet them at Logan Airport and bring their compact car, a Simca, back to use at the lake. On their way to the airport from Westboro they had not one, but two flat tires. They arrived late at the airport, a rarity for John who was always punctual. Al grabbed the car keys and I raced with the Elberfelds and their luggage to the gate, where they just made their flight with only seconds to spare.

The “Seven Keys” cottage was purchased in the 1950’s by Ken and Esther Warren who had a daughter Betsy. They proved to be most kind and understanding. Ken Warren was a Game Warden for the State of New Hampshire. 

Some months each summer our cottage would be overflowing with children. In addition to our son, Stephen and our daughters, Ellen and Joan, were my brother, Bill, and Al’s brother, Jimmy, and cousins, Jean, Paul, Nancy and Geoff. You can imagine the noise and commotion generated by the exuberance of all these children enjoying vacation at the lake.

One summer Tiny Elberfeld gave us a basketball hoop, which we hung up in the back yard. Ken Warren came over and helped teach the children how to better aim and sink baskets.

One time Ken Warren had captured a raccoon in one of those Hav-A-Hart animal traps and had brought it to his back yard at “Seven Keys”. His dog, Blondie, came close to the cage with the raccoon inside. The raccoon started to hiss and spit, a real “hissy” fit.

The Warrens had acquired an old World War II navy life raft. It was huge, as it was designed to support at least six sailors from a sinking ship. One year the Warrens gave us their navy life raft.  Our children and numerous visitors had more fun with it playing pirates, sinking ship survivors and “king-of-the-hill” games. The life raft started to deteriorate after many years of use. It was a sad day when we reluctantly loaded it onto the boat trailer and brought it to the town dump (or transfer station or recycle center or whatever they call it now).

When the Warrens moved to another lake, they rented to Wes and Mary Sheldon and their daughter, Margaret, and a long friendship started with the Sheldons and Wes’s cousins, Al and Esther Atwood and their children, Billy and Allison and Jane. Billy Atwood and his wife, Carol, later bought the “Maples,“ a cottage which had originally been the post office in downtown Greenfield, and when the post office was moved, the old building was transported, lock, stock and barrel, to the shores of Sunset Lake. The Crooker family lived in it for several years before Billy and Carol purchased it.

When our son, Stephen, was sixteen he got a summer job at Carbee’s General Store in downtown Greenfield where he served as “jack-of-all-trades.”  He would stock shelves, ring up sales, and they even had him drive to Manchester to pick up groceries and sundry supplies from the warehouse. Stephen would even pump gas for the customers when needed. One time Stephen was pumping gasoline when the hose split where it was well worn. He got covered with gasoline. It was in his face, in his eyes, in his hair and on his clothes. Luckily, a customer having lunch in the restaurant dashed out and grabbed the garden hose to flush Stephen’s eyes out. A friend drove him hurriedly back to the lake where he jumped into the water to wash the fluid from his face, eyes and body. Fortunately, he was frightened but not really harmed.

The Wheelers bought “Lake View” from Mrs. Sumner and the Ercoline’s were next door in “Rest-A-While.” Libby and Jack Farrell came more often to the little white cottage. Sometimes Libby would join us in a walk downtown. Libby’s grandfather, Mr. Dolliver, had built Mt. View originally. Libby and Marilyn Ercoline both had Aunt Al as a teacher at Milford High.

In 1979 the first of our nine grandchildren arrived. Nolan Stephen Hoover was born to Steve and Tricia, then Tim and Brendan arrived. Ellen and her husband, Steve Mosher bought a house in Antrim soon after Nicholas was born, then along came Michael, Billy and Julie. They lived there for about 10 years. Our daughter Joan added two more boys to the family group when Kyle and Liam Callahan arrived. My brother Bill tried to visit often from Maryland with his wife Ann, daughter Michele and son Christopher.

More kids -- more fun at Sunset Lake!

Years ago, it was customary to hike to the top of Crotched Mountain at least once or twice each summer. (We wouldn’t even attempt it now). It was interesting to note the large wind turbine perched on the summit with the large pole supporting the fan blades anchored to the ledge with several sturdy steel guy wires. It must have been experimental and didn’t prove to be worth the cost of maintaining it back then. It fell into disuse, disrepair and abandonment. Given today’s energy prices, it’s too bad it wasn’t kept up. A worthy idea conceived before its time.

The Old Stagecoach Road to Francestown
Contributed by Al Hoover, based on stories from Kay’s aunts

Many years ago there was a stagecoach company that carried passengers along a rather circuitous route between Greenfield and Francestown.  For instance, passengers could board the stagecoach in downtown Greenfield (or anywhere along the way).  They were then transported up what is now Route 31 turning at Crotched Mountain Road to reach Sunset Lake Road.  The horse-driven coach rode up to the path known as the wagon trail and through the woods, crossing over a small brook on a narrow stone bridge.  The stagecoach came out onto what is now Route 136, the Francestown Road, near Winrose Farm.  It traveled along the Francestown Road, taking care to skirt the many marshy swamps prevalent to the area.  Some of the stagecoach’s path has evolved into a ski-mobile trail, providing its riders with an equally picturesque and precarious trip.