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| An advertisement for Londonderry Lithia Water bottled in Nashua, New Hampshire 1882 - 1920 |
For more information on Londonderry Lithia Water see this link:
Showing posts with label Londonderry Lithia Water. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Londonderry Lithia Water. Show all posts
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Happy New Year!
Monday, January 6, 2014
Londonderry Lithia Water
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| 1902 Harper's Bazaar advertisement |
Near where I live in Londonderry, New Hampshire there once was a spring for lithia water located near the intersection of Route 102 and High Range Road. It was first discovered by the Native Americans, and at one time a commercial operation collected the water and had it bottled in nearby Nashua. Until about ten years ago there was a rest area nearby on Route 102, with a public pump for the spring water. On weekends there was a wait to collect the water, as motorists brought bottles, jugs and giant containers to fill. This water was cold and delicious. We must live on the same aquifer, because our home well water is very tasty.
The images above and below are from the book
Londonderry, by Acadia Publishing, 2004, pages 109 and110
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| The pump house at the Londonderry Lithia Spring This building is no longer standing |
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| Photo from the "You know you're from Old Nashua if..." Facebook group courtesy of John R. Bolduc Look behind city hall to see the Londonderry Lithia bottling building |
The Londonderry Historical Society and many local bottle
collectors have saved the pottery jugs and glass bottles from the Londonderry
Lithia Water Company. The jugs are the
oldest, and then glass bottles were introduced.
Most of the water was sold (still or sparkling) and advertised as mixers
for alcoholic drinks, so by 1920, and prohibition (1920 – 1933) the company
went out of business.
I find lots of Londonderry Lithia advertising art at the
eBay website. I’ve also found it just by
accident in old magazines (my husband loves to collect old magazines like
National Geographic). The following
advertising art for Londonderry Lithia water was all found at eBay. Imageability, a local business in Londonderry (also now located in the spring water neighborhood), sells
reproductions of the advertising art.
For more information:
Londonderry, by the Londonderry Historical Society, Acadia Publishing, 2004, pages 109 - 115.
Londonderry, by the Londonderry Historical Society, Acadia Publishing, 2004, pages 109 - 115.
Londonderry Lithia Water website http://www.londonderrylithia.com/
Read about “Annie Londonderry”, and her bicycling trip
around the world, promoted by Londonderry Lithia Water in 1894- 1895 at this
link:
Or you can read this book about “Annie Londonderry”, it has
a lot of historical information about the Londonderry Lithia Water bottling
company: Around the World on Two Wheels,
by Peter Zheutlin, Citadel Publishers, New York, 2007.
Imageability, a business in Londonderry, New Hampshire http://www.imageability.com/ also produced the website above for the
Londonderry Lithia Water
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To Cite/Link to this Blog Post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Londonderry Lithia Water", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 6, 2014, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/01/londonderry-lithia-water.html: accessed [access date]).
Saturday, May 21, 2011
A Dozen Random Things about Nutfield
1. Nutfield, later called Londonderry, was the second largest town in New Hampshire in early colonial times. Derry, Windham and a portion of Manchester were formed from its boundaries.
2. In 1719 the first white potato (Irish potato) in the United States was grown in Derry
3. For the first census in 1790 the population of Londonderry was 2,622 and in the 2000 census the Londonderry population was 23,236 and the Derry population was 34,021.
4. The Londonderry Lancers Marching Band from our high school marched in 4 different Rose Bowl Parades, most recently in 2011!
5. The first tomatoes grown in New England for food were introduced by the widow of Rev. Morrison in 1822. Previously tomatoes were considered to be poisonous.
6. Linen from Colonial Londonderry was worn by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Londonderry produced much linen, and it was considered the finest, thus it was often found that other towns tried to sell cloth with the Londonderry label, so the New Hampshire House of Representatives wrote an act to have an official seal affixed to all Londonderry Linen.
7. Upon hearing of the attack at Lexington on 19 April 1775, George Reid marched with a contingent of men from Londonderry to Lexington and then to Medford, where they joined General Stark’s troops in the battle of Bunker Hill in June. Later in the war he attained the rank of Brigadier General.
8. Matthew Thornton was born in 1714 in Northern Ireland, but was a Londonderry selectman, President of the Provincial Assembly, later the President of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, and signer of the Declaration of Independence.
9. The first woman who claimed to bicycle around the world was “Annie Londonderry”, a mother from Boston who was sponsored by Londonderry Lithia Water in 1895. Her real name was Annie Cohen Kopchovsky, a Latvian Jewish immigrant.
10. The first American in Space was Derry resident, Alan Shepard.
11. Professional Baseball player Duffy (George Edward) Lewis is buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery, Londonderry. He played for the Boston Red Sox 190-1917, the New York Yankees 1919-1920, and the Washington Senators in 1921.
12. James Wilson (1763 -1835) of Londonderry manufactured the first pair of terrestrial and celestial globes made in America in 1813. The 13 inch globe sold for $50.
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Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo
Thursday, January 20, 2011
eBay Treasures- for Treasure Chest Thursday
The following are things I saw on eBay. Some have to do with family history, some with local history, and other are just curiosities. A few of these items I even bid on, but in general I just watch the numbers go up past my limit. I posted a story last week that was prompted by a postcard seen on eBay. The idea to search for local history on eBay came from Portsmouth historian J. Dennis Robinson at the SeacoastNH.com blog. You can catch his last post about eBay at this link http://www.seacoastnh.com/Today/Seacoast_History_Blog/More_Things_I_Missed_on_eBay/
I always check the latest prices on the silver souvenir spoons made by Daniel Low Jeweler’s of Salem. They invented the whole phenomenon of souvenir spoons back in 1892 when they came out with a spoon with a witch figure on it for the tourists. It was the 200th anniversary of the 1692 witch trials in Salem. I remember the Low’s shop, even though I’m not old enough to be an antique. My grandmother, who was born in Salem, collected spoons. (What happened to her spoon collection?) I don’t think she had any spoons worth this much! Most spoons of this type go for $100 - $200 on eBay, but for much less in local antique shops. I would like to have one of these spoons as a reminder of my family heritage, but I’m not paying that much!
Londonderry Lithia Water advertising usually goes for $20 to $50 a page ripped from magazines. This infuriates me because of the destruction to the magazines and ephemera. This destruction happens not just for Londonderry Lithia Water, but for all sorts of old advertising. Very sad.
Ever since the Old Man of the Mountain rock formation fell from Cannon Mountain in 2003 I have been fascinated with old souvenirs with his image. I saw a great collection of this stuff at the New Hampshire Historical Society Museum in Concord about five years ago and there is a great display at the ranger station/information center in Lincoln, New Hampshire off Route 93, at the head of the Kancamaugus Trail Scenic Byway. This stuff on eBay is a riot, and very overpriced. I’ve got the Old Man on my license plate, on a quarter, and a magnet on the fridge. That will have to do until I win the lottery.
Next, on eBay I sometimes search for family names, because I have several that are quite rare and unique. If they show up, sometimes it is due to a family connection. Sometimes, things show up that are just funny or interesting. For example, here are some British beer coasters labeled with the name Hitchings, which was my maternal grandmother’s maiden name. This would be fun to have or to find for a dollar at a yard sale. A four pack of these cardboard coasters were going for more than $20 the last time I checked on eBay. Fun to have, but not so funny to pay that much for a paper beer coaster!
Genealogy books, town histories, and local records appear occasionally on eBay. Sometimes they are reprints, sometimes originals, and usually as scanned books on CD. Beware! Read the fine print. If you are lucky you might find a family bible. Here is another bit of local Londonderry history that surprised me. I never thought boats took tourists for rides on Kendall Pond!
As you can see, I do a lot of looking, but rarely purchase anything on eBay.
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Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo
Monday, November 30, 2009
Annie Londonderry and her “Extraordinary Ride”
An Adventurous Woman Attempts to Ride a Bicycle Around the World!
Last year Peter Zheutlin, the author of the nonfiction book Around the World on Two Wheels: Annie Londonderry’s Extraordinary Ride, came to the Leach Library to give an interesting lecture about his ancestor. Annie Kopchovsky, was “Annie Londonderry,” the first woman to go around the world on a bicycle. She was actually paid $100 by Londonderry Lithia Water, a very popular drink of the era, to carry their logo on her bicycle as she rode on her quest in the 1890s. Annie was a young mother, a wife, a Jewish immigrant, and a lone woman in a man’s world, which makes her story so very compelling.
I often imagine I’m a sleuth when I’m researching my genealogy. At his lecture Peter Zheutlin explained his detective skills for researching his own family tree. Annie’s ride was fascinating, but the whole story of how Zheutlin found out about his ancestress, and how the rest of the family actually hid her exploits was even more interesting. He had to dig through newspapers and magazines of the era to uncover his research for his book, since the rest of the family had hidden her story. In the 1890s, her adventure was their embarrassment! Any woman who would leave her husband and babies behind in Boston to go on such an adventure was not proper, and she had never ridden a bicycle before either!
Londonderry Lithia Water was bottled from a spring right near my backyard. The spring and its bottling plant have long ago disappeared, but around town antique ads can be seen on the walls at local restaurants such as “TJ’s” and “The Homestead.” Many people have Lithia water bottles on their windowsills, and I can find Londonderry Lithia Water postcards, ads and bottles for sale at local flea markets and on E-Bay. At the turn of the twentieth century, Londonderry Lithia Water was considered in vogue, and very medicinal. During prohibition it had a surge in popularity, until other bottled drinks such as Coca Cola and Pepsi became more popular. Imageability, a Londonderry company, sells reproductions of these amusing advertisements of Londonderry Lithia Water.
The town of Londonderry was also the base for Cohas Spring Water, produced by the Cohasaukee Corporation. The spring was on a large 100 acre parcel of land known as Cohas Park in the North West part of town, near today’s Manchester Airport.
Now, bottled water is again in vogue, and I’m sure that the aquifer my own well is served from is the same aquifer as the legendary Londonderry Lithia Water spring. Over 75% of Londonderry’s homes are served by well water, and it is quite tasty and refreshing. For years, the state of New Hampshire serviced a public water pump just off Route 102 near my neighborhood. Cars would be lined up on weekends as the public filled their water bottles and containers. For unknown reasons, this public water pump was removed several years ago when the rest area was closed.
I just saw on the internet that Amanda Costa of ProSeries 24 acquired the rights to the book Around the World on Two Wheels, and she will write the screenplay titled “An Extraordinary Ride.” (see “Screenwriting Buzz” at www.scriptforsale.com November 21, 2009) I have previously blogged about the movie “Barbarian Princess,” and the story of Ka’iulani of Hawaii. Unfortunately this historical movie about the popular Princess Ka’iulani lacks funding to be shown in my area, and I may never see it. Unfortunately, when local history is involved, these types of movies sometimes do not receive nationwide coverage at theaters. I hope that this film about Annie Londonderry receives the funding and advertising it deserves, so I won’t miss seeing it in local theaters!
For more information:
Around the World on Two Wheels, by Peter Zheutlin, Citadel Publishers, New York, 2007
www.londonderrylithia.com – A history of Londonderry Lithia Water
http://annielondonderry.com/ - the story of Peter Zheutlin’s book on his ancestress
www.imageability.com to buy reproductions of the Londonderry Lithia Water Ads
http://cohas.com/ the Story of Cohas Spring Water
-----------------
Last year Peter Zheutlin, the author of the nonfiction book Around the World on Two Wheels: Annie Londonderry’s Extraordinary Ride, came to the Leach Library to give an interesting lecture about his ancestor. Annie Kopchovsky, was “Annie Londonderry,” the first woman to go around the world on a bicycle. She was actually paid $100 by Londonderry Lithia Water, a very popular drink of the era, to carry their logo on her bicycle as she rode on her quest in the 1890s. Annie was a young mother, a wife, a Jewish immigrant, and a lone woman in a man’s world, which makes her story so very compelling.I often imagine I’m a sleuth when I’m researching my genealogy. At his lecture Peter Zheutlin explained his detective skills for researching his own family tree. Annie’s ride was fascinating, but the whole story of how Zheutlin found out about his ancestress, and how the rest of the family actually hid her exploits was even more interesting. He had to dig through newspapers and magazines of the era to uncover his research for his book, since the rest of the family had hidden her story. In the 1890s, her adventure was their embarrassment! Any woman who would leave her husband and babies behind in Boston to go on such an adventure was not proper, and she had never ridden a bicycle before either!
Londonderry Lithia Water was bottled from a spring right near my backyard. The spring and its bottling plant have long ago disappeared, but around town antique ads can be seen on the walls at local restaurants such as “TJ’s” and “The Homestead.” Many people have Lithia water bottles on their windowsills, and I can find Londonderry Lithia Water postcards, ads and bottles for sale at local flea markets and on E-Bay. At the turn of the twentieth century, Londonderry Lithia Water was considered in vogue, and very medicinal. During prohibition it had a surge in popularity, until other bottled drinks such as Coca Cola and Pepsi became more popular. Imageability, a Londonderry company, sells reproductions of these amusing advertisements of Londonderry Lithia Water.
The town of Londonderry was also the base for Cohas Spring Water, produced by the Cohasaukee Corporation. The spring was on a large 100 acre parcel of land known as Cohas Park in the North West part of town, near today’s Manchester Airport.
Now, bottled water is again in vogue, and I’m sure that the aquifer my own well is served from is the same aquifer as the legendary Londonderry Lithia Water spring. Over 75% of Londonderry’s homes are served by well water, and it is quite tasty and refreshing. For years, the state of New Hampshire serviced a public water pump just off Route 102 near my neighborhood. Cars would be lined up on weekends as the public filled their water bottles and containers. For unknown reasons, this public water pump was removed several years ago when the rest area was closed.
I just saw on the internet that Amanda Costa of ProSeries 24 acquired the rights to the book Around the World on Two Wheels, and she will write the screenplay titled “An Extraordinary Ride.” (see “Screenwriting Buzz” at www.scriptforsale.com November 21, 2009) I have previously blogged about the movie “Barbarian Princess,” and the story of Ka’iulani of Hawaii. Unfortunately this historical movie about the popular Princess Ka’iulani lacks funding to be shown in my area, and I may never see it. Unfortunately, when local history is involved, these types of movies sometimes do not receive nationwide coverage at theaters. I hope that this film about Annie Londonderry receives the funding and advertising it deserves, so I won’t miss seeing it in local theaters!
For more information:
Around the World on Two Wheels, by Peter Zheutlin, Citadel Publishers, New York, 2007
www.londonderrylithia.com – A history of Londonderry Lithia Water
http://annielondonderry.com/ - the story of Peter Zheutlin’s book on his ancestress
www.imageability.com to buy reproductions of the Londonderry Lithia Water Ads
http://cohas.com/ the Story of Cohas Spring Water
-----------------
To Cite/Link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Annie Londonderry and her “Extraordinary Ride”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted November 30, 2021, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2009/11/annie-londonderry-and-her-extraordinary.html: accessed [access date]).
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