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I believe we will be moving to Gilmanton and want to learn about what's around there, restaurants, activities, taxes etc, town government, medical, wintertennis, golf etc. Local history.
Home of "Payton Place" author (home is now a winery) and childhood home of America's #1 serial killer. Well funded community due to lots of lakes and $$$ taxpaying properties. Besides the lakes (with limited public access) - nothing else is around. Drive to Laconia 10 miles or concord (about 22 miles) for everything else - not even close to an Interstate.
Grace Metalious wrote of what she knew. Social hypocrisy, typical of New England. Peyton Place is a combo of Gilmanton, Alton and Laconia. Her story was written about patricide, but she had to change the father to a non-blood relative, hence, he became a step-father. It messed up her plot line for the real reason for the abortion.
William Loeb, the editor of the Union Leader, trashed her and threw her under the bus. Too bad someone didn't do the same to him.
Peyton Place is a novel (based on a true story) about a sexually repressed society. The reaction to her book is still far reaching but didn't stop everyone from buying it. It was the original "50 Shades".
The subsequent movies and TV series don't follow the novel.
Her book raised the awareness of child abuse. Before her book, child abuse was not considered a problem. Incest was never acknowledged at all.
As mentioned above, there isn't much of anything in Gilmanton. The closest hospital is Laconia, followed by Concord. Tilton, Belmont and Laconia will have shopping and restaurants.
It's a beautiful town, with rolling fields and stone walls, as well as forests, and lakeside locations. It has two distinct areas - the Corners, and the Iron Works. There is quite a large number of very old houses, and a very strict Historic Commission, which adds to the scenic nature of the town. Whenever I go there I kind of feel like I am in some town untouched by time, which has a certain appeal.
To me it has a much more isolated feel than many nearby towns, despite the reality of its location. You can shop in Concord, Laconia, or Rochester, travelling no more than people in other nearby towns travel to go shopping. But, I think the feel of isolation comes in part because it's not on a major and open route. It is on 107 and 140, but other nearby towns are on Route 28, which is bigger and more open (meaning most of the time you're not travelling through woods.) I also feel that it's more of an insular community than some nearby towns (not that that is true of all residents, of course) and that adds to the general feel of isolation.
Yes, it was the home of Grace Metalious, author of Peyton Place. I have been involved enough with the town to get a strong feel that it IS Peyton Place - once you get at all involved, you find it is your stereotypical gossipy and corrupt small New England town. It's the kind of town where people sit on multiple boards, and that, as well as the various familial connections create major conflicts of interest or the perception of conflicts of interest. This is true of many small towns although Gilmanton seems more extreme.
. . . . . once you get at all involved, you find it is your stereotypical gossipy and corrupt small New England town. It's the kind of town where people sit on multiple boards, and that, as well as the various familial connections create major conflicts of interest or the perception of conflicts of interest. This is true of many small towns although Gilmanton seems more extreme.
Absolutely superb description of all small towns in New Hampshire.
For those thinking about moving to small town New Hampshire . . . read and reread cowbell's description.
Absolutely superb description of all small towns in New Hampshire.
For those thinking about moving to small town New Hampshire . . . read and reread cowbell's description.
Then read it again !
Yup... this is true of my town, too (near Gilmanton) except that for the most part, the familial connections don't come into play. We don't have police officers with children who are also police officers in town sitting on the Board of Selectman which appoints and promotes other police officers. We don't have situations with the School Board chair being married to a Selectwoman who is also the administrative assistant for the school superintendant's office. We don't have multiple members of the same family (one of whom was appointed, not elected) sitting on the Budget Committee. We don't have members of the Budget Committee sitting on Boards of entities which seek town funding, which are also headed by the Budget Committee member's spouse.
I find the situations in small towns seem more tolerable if you just don't get involved so no one knows who you are.
Last edited by cowbell76; 09-12-2013 at 12:15 PM..
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