1885 Rand Avery Map of Lakes Winnipesaukee and Sunapee, New Hampshire

A scarce c. 1885 map of Lake Winnipesaukee and Lake Sunapee in New Hampshire, printed by the Rand Avery Supply Co. for the Boston and Lowell Railroad. It demonstrates the importance of the railroad as the main means by which well-heeled Bostonians of the time escaped the city in summer months to the cooler, more scenic environs of New Hampshire.

A Closer Look

Two maps are displayed on the sheet: a larger map of Lake Winnipesaukee and environs at top and a smaller map of Lake Sunapee at bottom. Both maps highlight the route of the Boston and Lowell Railroad, which was incorporated into the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1887. Both maps indicate train stations, towns, post offices, roads, waterways, mountains, steamship routes, and town boundaries.

The Lady of the Lake

The steamship indicated here is the Lady of the Lake, a paddlesteamer launched in the late 1840s. By the time of this map's publication, the more modern Mount Washington, built by the Boston and Maine, was also operating on Lake Winnipesaukee, an early indication of their intention to expand operations to the Lakes Region. Although the Boston and Lowell linked up with the Boston and Maine in places, the absence of the Mount Washington reflects their somewhat competitive relationship. In 1893, the Lady of the Lake was taken out of service and stripped for parts before being intentionally sunk (at a site now popular with divers).

The Boston and Lowell Railroad

The Boston and Lowell began operation in 1835, the first railroad chartered in New England for passenger transportation. It reached Nashua, New Hampshire, by 1847 and, by the late 19th century, was a preferred means of carrying seasonal tourists to New Hampshire. As seen here, the Boston and Lowell ran north-south along the west side of Lake Winnipesaukee and the southern side of Lake Sunapee. Along with its various connections, it allowed easy access by train for visitors (especially Bostonians) to Lake Winnipesaukee and Lake Sunapee, as well as to the White Mountains and Montreal beyond. The Boston and Lowell was leased by the Boston and Maine Railroad beginning in 1887, only two years after this map was published.

Publication History and Census

These maps appeared in the 1885 (first) edition of Summer Saunterings: a guide to pleasant places among the mountains, lakes and valleys of New Hampshire, Vermont and Canada, published by the Boston and Lowell Railroad. However, in that work and in a subsequent edition the following year, they were published on separate pages. The colored lines in the margins suggest that this may be a proof print, used by the printer (chromist) to ensure the color plates had lined up correctly; in any event, it is an especially rare presentation of these maps.