HAMPTON NH

HAMPTON NH

The Hampton Gazebo

Hampton Center

Built - 2001

For most of its 360+ year history, the town of Hampton has primarily been a rural community with Hampton Beach frequented by fishermen only up until World War 2 when a housing boom brought a significant growth to the town and the beach itself. The beach has been a popular summer draw for more than a hundred years attracting hundreds of thousands of people from all over northern New England and eastern Canada. Many hotels and other beach attractions are now long gone mostly being destroyed by fire and today's Hampton Beach bears little resemblance although still a popular spot to vacation or spend a quiet day on the beach and boulevard.

Hampton's town center is still recognizable from one hundred years ago although the areas near Route 1 have undergone major changes although still mainly residential.

Hampton's first bandstand was built in 1925 on Depot Square which is now named Marelli Park. It was an open 8-sided structure with rails and an opening. The town of Hampton raised funds to build it, led by Chester Marston, town offical and long-time barber. Dedicated by the B&M RR and Town of Hampton, the Hampton Academy Band and Hampton Beach Band frequented the bandstand. It was then moved to Tuck Athletic Field in the 1960s and was used for fall concerts but fell into disrepair and was hauled to the town dump.

The current bandstand is a handsome figure and was built in 2001 after the planning for it was in the works for a few years and is located in the center of the town. It is called the "Hampton Gazebo" and has seen little use so far as of this writing but the town expects to have many concerts played from its imposing structure for many years to come.

INFORMATION PROVIDED BY:
Bill Teschek, Asst Director
Lane Memorial Library
John M. Holman, Hampton History Volunteer
Lane Memorial Library

HAMPTON NH

HAMPTON NH

The Sea Shell

Hampton Beach

Built - 1962

Hampton, New Hampshire has basically stayed as the same quiet town over the past 100 years or so with a slight growth in housing units built and population directly after World War 2, but still has a very rich New England history. The town has always been downplayed by the importance of its beach due east of the town's center if you are coming north, a few miles from the Massachusetts border.

Hampton Beach, for over one hundred years. has been a coastal resort and playground for millions of people, mostly from all over northern New England and eastern Canada. Unlike the town itself, the beach has changed over the years once housing many hotels, casinos, dancehalls and other major attractions but today Hampston Beach bears little resemblance of what it used to be, clean and well maintained.

The old Hampton Beach Bandstand, built in 1899, was an extremely important structure and landmark on Hampton Beach. The "kiosk" was erected when the northern half of a new casino was built directly across the street. In the beginning of its existence, prior to the turn of the century, the bandstand was used only intermittently but after the famous Ocean House was built in 1901, the bandstand was used on more of a regular basis. From those early beginnings, Mr. Henri G. Blaisdell and his 20-piece band played for a week in the beginning of the summer, returning in August for 10 days and then back again on Labor Day. In 1902, after the south half of the casino building was completed, regular band concerts started and became a regular feature on every day of the summer season for over 50 years which was probably the only recreational community in the entire United States with so many band concerts due to the popularity and crowds the beach attracted.

In 1962, Hampton Beach's cherished bandstand was torn down since it evidently had been deemed unsafe after many years of service. The bandstand and remaining police station were soon replaced by a new beachside facility including a new bandstand and much needed public restrooms along with an observation area and offices. The Middlesex District Commission (MDC) oversaw this new $200,000 building project. The new bandstand (shell) was dedicated and named the "Sea Shell" of which design followed the band shell design of that period.

From that point on, the MDC has run summer concerts which have numbered into the 80s - nightly free concerts on the Hampton Beach Seashell Stage where now generations of families have been entertained by some great regional bands who normally perform two shows per night, along with a lot of other forms of entertainment. These concerts normally begin on Memorial Day with spectacular fireworks displays after the concerts on holidays and Wednesday nights during the summer months.

NORTH HAMPTON NH

NORTH HAMPTON NH

The North Hampton Bandstand

North Hill Common

Built - 1996

In 1639 the town of North Hampton was known as North Hill or North Parish and part of Hampton until the residents petitioned for separation which did finally come about in 1742. The town was always a quiet one but has become increasingly popular in New England due to the fine surfing on North Hampton Beach which is a stretch of land that is a natural coastal setting and just north of the very large and populated Hampton Beach. The town is also the birthplace of General Henry Dearborn who was the Commander-in-Chief of all American forces during the War of 1812 and of whom Fort Dearborn (Chicago and Dearborn, Michigan) are named after.

The town's bandstand was built in 1996 on the North Hill Common which intersects Rtes #111 and #151 in the center of town and is the first North Hampton has had. The structure was built by the Southwick Construction Company located in the town and supervised by the Friends of the North Hampton Bandstand.

The bandstand was built as a gathering place for residents and visitors to the town and for concerts paid for by private funds. The opening dedication ceremony was held on June 22, 1996 with speakers and local bands and has since hosted at least 12 concerts every summer along with Old Home festivities, DARE graduations, pre-school use, graduation exercises and other public uses. During political years, politicians do visit the town and speak on the bandstand during concerts.

INFORMATION PROVIDED BY:

Delores Chase, President

Friends of the North Hampton Bandstand