Thursday, June 29, is the first of a series of programs at the Weld Free Public Library for young folks this summer and is entitled “Friendship”.

Please reserve your child’s spot to ensure enough materials are available for the crafts and refreshments by calling 585-2439. The Kids Summer Reading Program is from 10 a.m. to noon. July 20 is “Kindness” and August 3 is “Community Connection”.

Since I haven’t been getting my Franklin Journal until Saturday or even sometimes the following Monday – I’m going to remind you of some upcoming events now. The church is having its annual sale Saturday, July 1, from I believe 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the church. Check the posters or go online. Get there early if you want pies and baked goods, they go fast. They will also have the Rada knives available.

The Weld Volunteer Fire Dept. is having their annual chicken barbeque the evening of July 1 beginning at 5 p.m. You can drive by and enjoy the aroma during the afternoon but no purchases until 5 p.m. However, the line will probably start forming around 4-4:30 p.m. if it isn’t raining.

They will have tables set up for you to eat there or you can take it home. Following your meal you can go to the street dance on Mill Street, which will be closed to traffic that evening, put on by the Winter Wildcats. Traffic will be re-routed to the Back Road from about 5-11 that evening.

Now we have seen how large Weld was in the 1860’s with no inhabitants on the shore of Webb Lake. Are you living in a 160-plus-year-old home, or where one used to stand? Such as one of the Houghtons, Holts, Russells, Mastermans, Jones, Hutchinsons, Snowmans, Holmans, Scolfields, or perhaps one of the old schools.

This time we’ll travel around town and note the brooks and streams within our town. Most of the mountains, which are visible and can be accessed from Weld, are not in or completely within our town borders.

However, there are many brooks and streams that flow into our little basin around Webb “Pond” from the hills and mountains that surround us. We’ll start on the west side of the lake at the Carthage border. Hutchinson Brook ran from Spruce Mountain more or less straight down from there through J Hutchinson and the Dist. 13 School.

Lapham Brook crossed over the road after J Dunning’s and before Ira White’s and Dunning Brook crossed over the road just after the Dunning property on its way into Carthage. Basin Brook crossed the road just before the intersection where the white schoolhouse still stands today and the road continued to Carthage.

Swett Brook came down from Spruce Mountain traveling all the way to Lake Webb crossing the road just beyond the entrance to the Sennett Cemetery [below today’s entrance to Mt Blue State Park beach and camping area]. Snowman Brook also came down from Spruce Mountain to the lake crossing over the road just before C Snowman.

West Brook was long and meandering, coming in from the northern town line and taking a turn to the right [and being joined by another unnamed brook from the northern border] to run along today’s West Brook Road then just before crossing over today’s West Side Road it is joined by another unnamed brook originating across the road near Mountain View Cemetery and coming straight down into it just before it goes under the bridge by Robertson Cemetery on to the lake.

Bachelor Brook, the next “named” brook comes more or less straight down from the town line a bit east of today’s Byron Road, traveling along-side for a bit before crossing under the bridge and entering the wide-open fields at the head of the lake and going behind the small single-story house/two story home and huge barn/small one-story house on your left [remember we’re following the brook not the road], and under another bridge and on to the lake. Rand Brook flows into Weld just past Potter Hill from our northern border and crosses today’s Phillips Road just before the N Rand property and down into East Brook.

East Brook traveled from the northern town line about a third of the distance from Pope Mountain to Potter Hill crossing the road between P Austin Reynolds and the Dist. Schoolhouse then continuing southerly for a short distance and intersecting with Keyes Brook at a 90 degree angle as it turns west continuing on through the woods/ fields westerly until it crosses under the bridge just before the left-hand corner of the Phillips Road then the intersection of today’s West Side Road in the Upper Village, crossing under the bridge and on to the lake.

Keyes Brook began at Pope Mountain running down to Masterman Neighborhood and the shingle mill continuing down in back of Webster Cemetery taking a sharp 90 degree right coming out and crossing the road between Levi Webster and H Holt [intersection of today’s Spirit Way] and continuing on to intersect with the East Brook.

Parlin Brook began by the corner to the left beyond Center Hill Cemetery, meandering to the west until it takes a sharp left, going a short distance then crossing the now extinct road to the Upper Village and taking another 90-degree turn to left and heads southeasterly until it crosses today’s Plummer Way and flows behind the Hutchinson homes on the Maxwell Road.

Then down the hill and crossing over the Maxwell Road and flowing behind the two Herman cottages in the upper field and the Smith home on the Phillips Road down behind the field and crossing the Phillips Road onto Cottage Lane and traveling beside this lane then turning to the left at Parlin Lane Road just before Jean Sickel’s camp, going a short distance before flowing under a final bridge, to the right, and on to the Lake.

Houghton Brook travels from the vicinity of the base of Little Blue Mountain southwesterly down to the Sanborn residence, which today is the last house on the left of today’s Temple Road [Braun]. Then continuing on a westerly route behind the homes on the left of the Temple Road [remember you’re going from the “brooks” origin and “down” the Temple Road] and Center Hill Road under the bridge at the now town hall and the one at the beginning of the Dixfield Road to the Lake.

Fran Brook begins just a short way up the Mount Blue Road on the left and continues down to the south where it flows into Houghton Brook. Bowley Brook which comes in from Wilton and runs along and behind School Street on the left through the woods then slowly veers to the left toward the Dixfield Road across from large home and connected barn, which was the original Ellis farm. It continues down through the woods, crossing under the bridge on the Dixfield Road just before Hutchinson Beach Road on its way to the lake.

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