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Where the Sidewalk Ends - historical South End tour

Writer's picture: Stacey BrownStacey Brown

The South End of the City is flush with sidewalks - and history. It's easier to find the clues to Concord's past when you're moving at a slower pace. The two booming industries that fueled Concord's economy in the mid to late 1800s, the railroad and Abbot-Downing Company, are echoes on the landscape. The housing and infrastructure that supported them remains and continues to serve Concord.  Stroll along on foot, or two wheels, and Concord's history comes alive. This tour is 1.5 miles on South End sidewalks.


Of the two Osage Orange Trees next to 112 South State Street, the one in the front is a State Champion. Named for the Osage tribe of Missouri, who used the dense wood for their bows.  Stronger than oak and rot resistant, it's wood was used for war clubs, wagon wheel rims and hubs, railroad ties, and telegraph poles. This valuable tree may have been brought northeast to serve many folks who called Concord home - from the Native people in trade or engineers with Abbott-Downing stagecoaches, rail magnates or communication pioneers.


The West Street Playlot is on the corner of State and West Streets and has been owned by the Concord School District since 1864. With a fast growing population where folks walk to work and few have large backyards, the playlot served as a gathering place for families in the area.


Residents turned to mail order catalogues for homes, using paint and individual detailing to express individual style along streets where the framework and footprints of homes were similar. Wooden trimwork as seen on a number of houses on Morton Street could be purchased at local shops.


West Street Ward house, built in 1884, was likely the result of Concord's booming population.  Due to the railroad, population almost doubled in eight years to 8,576 by 1850. The company's facilities expanded over six acres in the South End and employed 1,300 people.



The Theobald Apartments, built in 1900, have six apartments and a facade that is meant to be viewed up close. While the South Street Market on the corner has been serving the neighborhood for three generations.













Directly across from the Theobald apartments, is a magnificent Northern Catalpa tree, also known as the Cigar Tree with showy white blossoms in June.


The sidewalk is the best place to enjoy the stained glass, contrasting brick work, ornate ironwork, and the copper creatures as water spouts and awning hangers.

The Rumford School, now the Concord Community Arts Center, was built in 1902. In 2014, it was one of three schools sold by the Concord School District, each for a fraction of their value. At the same time, three historic schools were demolished and three new elementary schools were built. The bond for the three new elementary schools will not be paid off until 2041.


Turning onto Grove Street, a hitching post and an American Plane Tree greet folks strolling by. The American Planetree, also known as American Sycamore, grow to 100' and can live up to 600 years. They are wonderful shade trees that can withstand the stresses of an urban environment and make ours more livable.


By the 1860s, the Abbot-Downing Company employed almost 200 men with facilities on South Main Street, south of Perley Street.

The lilting gas holder near the corner of West and South Main is the last in the nation with all its internal tank intact. Erected in 1888 to store gas used for keeping the lamps lit along main street, encouraging folks to window shop, connect, and enjoy our beautiful city. While the architecture is remarkable, entering it now would require a hazmat suit.


Viewed through the fence by the Gasholder, the B &M Switch Tower is one of the last structural remnants of the railroad in Concord. In its glory, it was once responsible for controlling several railroad tracks throughout Concord until 1959. It may be the last in the country. The new owner, CSX, is responsible for renovations.



While industries that attracted people to Concord and spawned the development in the South End have run their course, it is the sidewalks, the homes, and the gathering places they inspired that lasted.






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