fitchburg-hometown (Here are the last couple pages of this delightful book. The Fitchburg Public Library has no copies in its computerized system. The children's section has the copy that I have been using. That copy is getting old and tattered. If any of you have a copy to donate I am sure that the library would be appriciative. The book is long since out of print.) TAKING THE HIGH ROAD When people talk about going to New Hampshire to see the scenery, they usually have the White Moutains in mind. This involves a long car ride up, plenty of hectic traffic and back-to-back tourist traps. Yet Fitchburg is only six or seven miles from the state border, and drives throughout the beautiful Monadnock region can be made without spending more than three or four hours. In addition, this area of southern New Hampshire is unparalleled for the beauty of its town centers. One of the shortest and most picuresque routes to the Monadnock area is by heading out Rte. 31 to Ashby. A well preserved village, Ashby is a convenient place to start the trip. At the common, take a right in between the churches and at the first fork, bear left onto New Ipswich Rd. Many old farms line the way, which you will follow for several miles. At the first stop sign, which, incidentally, is in New Hampshire, take a right and follow the road in and out of the woods. Soon you'll arrive in Bank Village, one of several communities located in the town of New Ipswich. Bank Village is a cluster of a dozen or so beautiful old homes strung along a narrow country road. Bear right at the village and head past the old houses until you reach a fork in the road. Turn around here and head back into Bank Village. At the head of the common, bear right onto Old County Rd., ascending a slight hill at which point the road becomes dirt. At the first fork, bear left onto another unpaved road. Upon leaving the woods, you'll enter New Ipswich Center, which is a rambling old community priding itself in its legacy of early New England architecture. Like many other present border towns, New Ipswich was settled as part of Massachusetts, and it wasn't until 1741 that the town was ceded to New Hampshire. Immediatedly beyond the church, turn right onto Main St. and continue down the road. On your left a short way up is the Barrett Mansion, open to the public from June to Octover. This three-story mansion is owned by the Society of the Preservation of New England Antiquities and is one of the most meticulously restored houses in central New England. At a cluster of white houses shortly beyond, keep bearing right onto Main St. At an old white-steepled church, take a right and proceed clockwise around the common, the original settlement of New Ipswich Center. (Approaching the common, bear left towards the white house, take a right in fron of the brick school, and then take another right bringing you back to the church.) Now go up the hill and turn right at the first street, known as Lower School St. You'll be able to get a good bird's-eye panorama of the village below you, with its hodge-podge of chimneys, barns and roofs. At the end of this narrow lane, turn left onto the main highway and almost immediately, turn left again onto a small road. Bearing right at the approaching fork will bring you once again onto Main St. in the vicinity of the Barrett Mansion. Head out past the mansion and the cemetery, and at the first intersection, take a right onto Rte. 123A. In about a half-mile, you'll come to a four cornered intersection. Turn right up the hill and follow the road to its end, at a large brown house with a sweeping view of the Pack Monadnock Mountains in nearby Temple. Turn left at the house, and at the end of the raod, take a left turn at the stop sign onto Rtes. 123-124. Rte. 124 will lead you all the way into Jaffrey. At the blinking lights in the town, keep going straight up the hill for two miles, until you reach the quaint village of Jaffrey Center. This is the original settlement of the town, still with its fine array of well kept homes and chuches. The meetinghouse on the commons was erected the day of the Battle of Bunker Hill, and next to it is the little red schoolhouse, authentically furnished as a period school, and open to the public. The peak of Mt Monadnock, elv 3166 feet, conspicuously looms over the common. After the blinking lights here, take your first right and continue throught the woods for two miles, where on your left stand several large yellow buildings, formerly an old tavern and a summer estate. This is the entrance to Monadnock State Park, and one of the bases for the hiking ascent up the moutain. Farther up the road, also on your left is the Monadnock Recreation Area, another starting point for hikers. The old Dublin Rd. keeps going straight (or crooked, depending on how you look at it) for several miles until it eventually reaches Rte 101 at Dublin. The Main St. Rte 101, has quite a few nice old homes along its edge. One of the highest towns in the state, Dublin has also been a popular summer resort for over a hundred years because of it lakes and beautiful scenery. Take a right onto Main St. for a short distance until just above the flagpole, then turn left onto the Harrisville Rd. It is a short five miles to Harrisville. This is a unique town in that it is predominantly brick and as a mill town, it fittingly has a canal in place of a village green. The entire village is being preserved as a historic district, in order to keep the beauty of this rustic, out-of-the way town. It'll be worth the effort to get out of the car and walk around the village, as the reflection of the bricks on the water is an inspiring sight. Go back down to the bottom of the hill and turn left, or eastwards, towards Hancock. You'll weave in and out of Lake Skatutakee, popular in summer with its camps, and in winter for ice fishing. At the first fork after leaving the lake, bear left, downhill. At the road's end turn left onto Rte. 137 and follow it up the hill into Hancock village. The church, immediately in front of you as you approach the town, still has its carriage stables. The village center is well preserved and today attracts many out of towners who have come to live here in retirement. At the fountain at the easterly end of the village, take a left onto Rte 137 towards Bennington. This road eventually meets Rte 202. Turn left onto Rte 202 north for just a short way, then take a right into Bennington (marked). Continue east on Rte. 47 through the center on your way to Crotched Mt. and Francestown. Two ski areas are located near this road: the first one is Onset, and the second is CRotched Mtn. If the driving makes you hungry and you're in the mood for a hearty New England Fare, take a right onto the Crotched Mtn. road and enjoy a meal at "Grandmother's House", a country restaurant in the best New England tradition. Otherwise, keep going straight on Rte. 47 into Francestown, one of the most unspoiled and asthetically appealing towns in the state. Essentially, the town is spread along the Second New Hampshire Tpke. once an important coach route around 1800 from Boston to Claremont, N.H. Most of the homes in Francestown are well-preserved and one is even open to the public, The Levi Woodbury House, opposite the church. Keep straight ahead on Rte. 135 towards Greenfield, where you'll intersect with Rte 31. Take a left onto Rte 31 and head south towards Wilton and Fitchburg. This highway will bring you into Fitchburg via Ashby state Road. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank Barbara Chjittick for proofreading the text. JoAnne Chittick for many hours of work on the design and layout, Jane Martignoni for the cover design and other members of the family for their trenchant observations. We would also like to mention a few good friends in absentia (Tom A., Jeff and Dennis B., and Jeff D.) who have joined our ramblings about town, which helped to inspire this literary effort. In addition we want to thank A & L Graphic and speedy Secretarial Service for their professional work. And beyond that, we just hope you enfoy our city. John and Bill Chittick 111 Ross Street Fitchburg, Ma,