By Mary Carter
Eagle Times Correspondent
NEW LONDON, NH – This past Saturday, Sept. 9, the Ice House Museum in New London, NH, offered their fourth “Cars and Coffee” event of the season. Many of the spectators arrived with looks of surprise and wonder on their faces.
“Who knew?” some were heard to say.
Bill Kidder knew.
Nearly 100 years ago, when cars were first required to be registered in the state, roughly 700 automobile owners coughed up $3 apiece for plates. By 1911, there were more than 7,000 vehicles legally roaming the roads.
William M. Kidder, knowing a golden opportunity when he saw one, opened the first New London garage that same year.
His son, Bill, born in 1912, grew up learning and loving the business. The embodiment of Yankee ingenuity, Bill loved to tinker. He was often able to fix the unfixable. His collection of machinery, novelties and gadgets became such that he purchased a nearby icehouse to store it all.
When sentimental landmarks and items became outdated, such as a dairy wagon, an information booth, or even a tinsmith’s shop, they’d end up at the icehouse property. Even the town’s traded-in 1926 Cosmopolitan fire truck found its way there.
The salesman, driving it back to Boston, stopped at Kidder’s Garage to top off the tank. Bill was able to keep the fire truck by dishing out $250, a train ticket, and a ride to the Potter Place Train Station. Owning this 1926 classic meant something to Bill. His father had been the fire chief when that truck was new.
While amassing one-of-a-kind automobiles and related paraphernalia was a given, Bill and his family secured many other collectables. These include such items as children’s ride-on toys, sleighs, steam whistles, arcade games and antique signs that exemplify pure Americana.
Today, Bill’s intriguing treasures are on display for the public to enjoy at the Ice House Museum where grandson Putnam Kidder serves as president.
Putnam’s first job was cleaning, weeding and mowing around the icehouse. He remembers working on projects after school, and being able to ride in his grandfather’s classic cars in parades.
A vivid recollection was of the town’s antiquated and singular jail cell arriving at the icehouse in rusted pieces. Putnam was amazed at the transformation a restoration would bring about. Today, local students marvel at this oddity and obvious proof of New London’s low crime rate.
Putnam is pleased that “in this world of go, go, go, what’s next?, use it up and throw it away,” that people actually delight in taking a moment to slow down and appreciate the emblems and stories of the past that can be found at the museum.
It’s due to the dedication of area volunteers that the museum thrives. Some have the best of connections. Their parents were friends with the Kidder family. These knowledgeable volunteers exude a sense of pride at being a part of Bill Kidder’s legacy.
The musuem is at 91 Pleasant St., in New London. It is open Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., through Oct. 7.
The fifth and final ‘Cars and Coffee’ event of this season will be on Saturday, Oct. 7, from 9 a.m. — 11 a.m. This adds an excellent opportunity to chat with area car enthusiasts in a setting that sure beats a generic parking lot. Admission is by donation.
Please visit wfkicehouse.org, Facebook, or call 603-526-9394 for more information.
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