Haverhill, MA Part 8 (John Rowlands)

(c) 2007, John Rowlands: 408 Groveland Street

When John called me and told me he was on the road to travel through Haverhill, I looked on google maps and saw that 408 Groveland Street was still standing in some form.

Lovecraft wrote (1) in July 1921: ...408 Groveland Street still remains a terra incognita to most amateurs ... flanked by fertile flower and vegetable gardens, and blessed with a background of mystical faun-peopled woods dear to the editor's heart, stands the pleasant cottage numbered 408 Groveland St. In the rear .. is the Holy of Holies - Tryout office. Here, within walls made colourful by pictures, stamps, buttons, post-cards, and countless other accumulations of delightful nature, rests the faithful Tryout press with its type-cases, piles of paper, files, and other accessories ...

(1) p.289=291, Collected Essays, Vol. 1, Amateur Journalism, ed. S T Joshi.

Haverhill, MA Part 7 (John Rowlands)

Washington Square circa 1920

Note the streetcar and the wide, expansive town square.

Lovecraft expected an industrial place, but was excited to see it was filled with parks, too.

Merrimac Street circa 1920

Notice the streetcar - Lovecraft adored streetcars.

While John prepares more on his recent trip to Haverhill, MA and environs, here are more images from CW Smith and Lovecraft's era.

Haverhill, MA Part 6 (John Rowlands)

1918 Historical Society. There is a long story about this that I'll post soon. Lovecraft definitely visited this "on a date" with Myrta Alice Little. :)

Haverhill, MA Part 5 (John Rowlands)

1914 St. James Church. (Postcard Image).

Haverhill, MA Part 4 (John Rowlands)

1910 Pine's View.

Haverhill, MA Part 3 (John Rowlands)

1908 Groveland Bridge.

Chrispy has found a number of ancient images of Haverhill, circa Lovecraft & CW Smith era.

Haverhill, MA Part 2 (John Rowlands)

(c) 2007 John Rowlands
(c) 2007 John Rowlands
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John was able to drive and take photographs in the pouring rain. These are images of the ancient Haverhill Cemetery. In the lower image you will see Peaslee's grave.
Recall the passage from The Shadow Out of Time: I am the son of Jonathan and Hannah (Wingate) Peaslee, both of wholesome old Haverhill stock. I was born and reared in Haverhill - at the old homestead in Boardman Street near Golden Hill - and did not go to Arkham till I entered Miskatonic University as instructor of political economy in 1895.

Starting A New Series by John Rowlands: Haverhill, Massachusetts. Part 1

(c) 2007 John Rowlands

On a number of occasions Lovecraft visited Haverhill, generally to visit with his acquaintance, C.W. “Tryout” Smith. Haverhill, MA, a city on the Merrimack River near the New Hampshire border, was established in 1641. This area was originally called Pentucket which means "land of the winding river," by the local Pentucket Indian tribe.

The Pentucket Cemetery is located on Water Street in Haverhill and was established in 1668. It's located adjoining the Linwood Cemetery. This is a very early burying ground with several interesting early carvings. A few stones here date to the 1600's. One of them was Nathaniel Peaslee’s whose tombstone which reads:

“HERE LIES INTERRED Ye PRECIOUS DUST OF Mr NATHANAEL PEASLEE JUNr Ye ONLY & DESIRABLE SON OF Mr NAthLL PEASLEE WHO WITH COMFORT TOOK HIS YOUTHFUL FLIGHT FROM Ye PROMISING JOYS OF EARTHLY POSSESSIONS IN HOPE OF A FAR MORE EXCEEDING & ETERNAL WEIGHT OF GLORY ON SEPT Ye 9 1730 AGED 23 YEARS.”

Many of the tombstones in Pentucket Cemetery describe a new epidemic disease, known as the throat distemper, or, throat-ail, but we know it today as diphtheria. This was not limited to any one town or any small section of New England, as I have seen it on many tombstones. This epidemic soon became the putrid sore throat disease and was described as “the general description of it was a swelled throat, with white or ash-colored specks, efflorescence on the skin, great debility of the whole system and a strong tendency to putridity.” In 1735 it was an epidemic throughout New England states.

Lovecraft believed that children will always be afraid of the dark, and men with minds sensitive to hereditary impulse will always tremble at the thought of the hidden and fathomless worlds of strange life which may pulsate in the gulfs beyond the stars, or press hideously upon our own globe in unholy dimensions which only the dead and the moonstruck can glimpse. He got some of his best ideas from his visit to local cemeteries.

John Rowlands: World Explorer

I kid you not. My colleague and fellow writer has been to many continents, inside caves, volcanoes, and through jungles. This past weekend he visited Haverhill, MA and has sent to you (through me) some great Lovecraftian pictures.

As soon as he gets settled from yet another trip, I'm going to beg a boon and have him guest blog about his New England mini-adventure.

To start, however, here is a tease.

Cemetery in Haverhill, MA. (c) 2007 John Rowlands, used by permission.

John Rowlands Helps Chrispy Go to the Bats

Writer colleague from HL.net, John Rowlands, sends this photo along. He thinks this is the type of bat I tried to take a picture of - and they tried to take a bite out of Chrispy. For the previous blog entry on this, click here.

John Rowlands and The Endless Caverns

Previously (here) the Endless Caverns were discussed.

Lovecraft wrote in The Shadow Out of Time: “Later in that year I spent weeks alone beyond the limits of previous or subsequent exploration in the vast limestone cavern systems of western Virginia – black labyrinths so complex that no retracing of my steps could be considered.”Joshi says these are the New Market Endless Caverns which HPL visited in July 1928.

Now, the adventurous John Rowlands has returned to these caves and shares these pictures.

Thanks

...for being faithful in my absence. Chrispy's day job has overwhelmed my ability to blog. I have several more obligations for the month of June, but I will post as much as possible.

Thanks to John Rowlands for concern and recent suggested post. Will do so soon. Also, to all of you who have posted comments - they are greatly appreciated.

MoMM - Mountains of Madness the musical!

This just in from the watchful eye of John Rowlands


The Berlin performance of' The Mountains of Madness' based on stories by H.P. Lovecraft was filmed for release on DVD. At present there are no plans for a CD version.

As the show was so well received by the large crowd who attended, plans are now afoot to perform more concerts some point in 2006.

With 12 new songs from the Tiger Lillies, infernal electronic and narration by Alexander Hacke and set design/illustrations by Danielle de Picciotto, Mountains of Madness is a tribute to the paranoid fantasy and myth of H.P. Lovecraft.

"The mountains of madness are the preferred location for change under the double sign of the ancient and the monstrous." (Gilles Menegaldo)

During his lifetime, H.P. Lovecraft (born August 20th, 1890 in Providence, Rhode Island) did not make a name for himself as an author, yet today he enjoys the posthumous fame of being regarded as one of the most outstanding and important writers of gothic literature. Alexander Hacke, bass player for the German band Einstu?rzende Neubauten, and London-based band The Tiger Lillies, broadly admired for their choices of unusual material and their eclectic musical repertoire, joined forces for the first time to pay a very special tribute to H.P.
Lovecraft's genius and mastery.

As a result of several months of work, Alexander Hacke and The Tiger Lillies co-present the world premiere of their musical performance which is based on some of Lovecraft's eerie stories such as "The Rats In The Walls", "At The Mountains Of Madness," and "Cthulhu Mythos." Martyn Jacques' penetrating falsetto, the musical saw, the piano and the stand-up bass are being surrounded and accompanied by Alexander Hacke?s electronic soundscapes: This will be a unique first-time-ever event, up until now, The Tiger Lillies have never been accompanied by electronic instruments in any collaborative effort.

In "At The Mountains Of Madness", stories of ancient gods, inexplicable terror and lost souls are being lastingly brought to life in a sometimes humorous, yet gloomy and melancholic manner. The eccentric confrontation of The Tiger Lillies' rather traditional array of instruments with Alexander Hacke?s sound compositions give this performance its ghostly three-dimensional depth in which an open-minded audience can immerge in with a glee of enjoyment.
The production?s very special stage design is the work of artist Danielle de Picciotto. With their partly intentionally old-fashioned, partly modern elements, de Picciotto?s "Nature Morte"- still lives - emphasize Lovecraft?s scurrilous stories in an expressive way. Lutz John, known for his impressive work for bands such as the Einsturzenden Neubauten and Wir sind Helden, will, once more, magically transform the stage with the mere beauty of his lights.