BEMIS
at Crawford Notch
Idyllic scene on the Roosevelt Highway at Bemis, perhaps 1920's. Dr Bemis's stone house is seen at left.
Notchland and Samuel Bemis
By Rick Russack
From the website "White Mountain History.org" . You can read this article there if you can find it.
Since many "off-site links" go bad over time this editor has taken the liberty of copying parts of the story below.
By the time Samuel Bemis died in May of 1881, he owned nearly 6,000 acres in Hart's Location. His most visible, and lasting legacy, is Notchland, the granite mansion he designed and built, using granite quarried on his own land along the Sawyer River.
He would eventually own Abel Crawford's Mount Crawford Tavern, he allowed the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad to build their railroad through Crawford Notch on his land for one dollar, he was a progressive farmer who won awards for his apples and produce, he owned a sawmill, he gave his name to Mt. Bemis, he named other landmarks for friends, most notably Frankenstein Cliffs for the artist Godfrey Frankenstein, and he will always be remembered as perhaps the first landscape photographer in this country.
Samuel Bemis was born in Putney, Vermont in June, 1793. Young Samuel learned clock and watch making from his father. Samuel moved to Boston, in 1812, and found work as a clockmaker. Bemis was of a mechanical and inventive mind. He made a surveying instrument, designed a "painless" tooth extraction tool for a dentist friend, and substantially improved upon the false teeth of the day. He became a dentist in early 1822.
He made his first trip to the White Mountain in 1833, staying at Ethan Allen Crawford's Old Moosehead Tavern. Bemis visited the White Mountains every year thereafter, with Abel Crawford's Mt. Crawford Tavern becoming his destination after 1836. As time went on, Bemis frequently loaned money to Crawford, and Crawford's son-in-law, Nathaniel Davis, taking a mortgage on their Mt. Crawford Tavern in return. Abel Crawford died in 1851 and Davis took over running the tavern. By 1855, Davis's health and financial condition had deteriorated to the point where he could not continue running the tavern and he asked Bemis to foreclose on the mortgages, which he did. It was a friendly transaction; Bemis and the Crawford and Davis families remained friends.
Bemis was one of the first, if not THE first, American landscape photographer. On April 15, 1840 he purchased one of the first daguerreotype cameras sold in this country and immediately began to experiment with the new process, taking his first image just four days later. He took his first photograph in the White Mountains in June of that year and continued creating photographs in the area until 1843. Roughly half of his surviving daguerreotypes are in the George Eastman House in Rochester, NY with the others are in public and private collections.
In addition to being remembered for his photography, he will long be remembered as the builder of the amazing granite mansion, Notchland, in Hart's Location. He designed the building and supervised its construction in the 1860s. It took about a decade to build and he was finally able to move in on Christmas Eve, 1870. The mansion, as Dr. Bemis called it, is entirely of stone. Even the posts in the basement are cut granite and the fireplace is supported on granite lintels supported by granite posts. The sills are granite. Bemis quarried the granite on his own land, from a quarry along the Sawyer River. It's in the woods today, but the evidence of the work done there is clear.
A full telling of the Samuel Bemis story could fill a book. In addition to watchmaker, dentist, and daguerreotypist, his list of accomplishments is long.
Dr, Bemis was a friend of Godfrey Frankenstein, prominent painter of the White Mountain School of Art. Bemis named the Frankenstein Cliff after his friend. A Frankenstein portrait of Bemis hangs in Notchland today.
Bemis was an investor in several railroads and cooperated with the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad when they were building their railroad through Crawford Notch. He gave them a right-of-way over his land and allowing the construction crews to live in the old Mt. Crawford Tavern.
Samuel Bemis died a wealthy man in 1881. He owned his mansion and several thousand acres in Crawford Notch. He never married and left all his property to George Morey, his long-time friend, caretaker, and manager of his farm. Dr. Bemis is buried in a small cemetery behind his home.
Morey's daughter-in-law, Florence, eventually become the owner of the property. She operated the house as The Inn Unique, a small hotel. After her death, it was vacant for several years, and is now, once again known as Notchland, and open to the public as a Bed and Breakfast Inn and restaurant.
The Bemis House in Crawford Notch, Later Madam Morey's Inn Unique, and Now The Notchland Inn. It was constructed from granite quarried on the site over a ten year period beginning in 1860. Read the entire Dr. Bemis story at White Mountain History,Org. HERE (it will open in a new window) (Link OK, Dec 2024)
As a side note to the reference "Madam Morey", Merle Burke of Bartlett worked for Florence Morey and said, "When he was twelve, I called Mrs Morey 'Madam' -- not knowing any better. Luckily she didn't hear me. But, after I said it, I thought my two Uncles, Pep and Jake and my grandfather Joe were going to snatch me bald-headed and pull my ears out. I learned a lesson that day! I read one time in the Conway Daily Sun, where someone said that she liked to be called 'Madam.' Well, I knew her for a long time and, I never knew of anyone ever calling her Madam to her face!!"
REF: In Marion Varney's "Harts Location in Crawford Notch, New Hampshire's Smallest Town", published 1997, there is reference to the title, "Madam" on page 136: "She commenced her long reign as the Madam of Harts Location, as she preferred to be known, in 1928 when she was elected Town Clerk and Selectman." Since the author, Marion Varney, was a neighbor of Florence Morey there must be some truth to this statement.
Two Paintings by Godfrey Frankenstein. The details of this artist could make a whole side story. He was enamored with Niagara Falls. READ WHAT I FOUND ABOUT HIM HERE
A view looking west. The Dr. Bemis house at left. Crawford's Tavern is at the right. The cleared area has since grown into a forest.
Rare 1870's photo of Crawford's Tavern at Bemis (left) and the Bemis Mansion on the right. Appears to be recently after a flood. The donor believes the picture was taken in the late 1870's. Photo Credit: Judith V. Hoell. Click the picture for a larger view. Photo below shows the same building in better times.
Madam Morey's Inn Unique. She named and operated the Inn after it was bequeathed to her and George Morey, who had been Dr. Bemis' caretaker. She was also a N.H. State Representative.
After Madam Morey's death the Inn was unused for a time. In the 1980's it was purchased by John and Pat Bernardin who re-modeled eleven of the guest rooms and opened for business. They subsequently sold the business to it's current owners after their son's suicide. In the mid 1990's the Inn was purchased by Ed Butler and Les Schoof, along with their Berners, Crawford and Abby. As of this writing (2015) They still operate it as The Notchland Inn. You can see their current endeavors at website, where they have included a short history of the Inn.
