Pillsbury Hospital, the first general hospital in New Hampshire, was built on South Main Street in October 1891, and the cross street bears its name. It was at the end of the public trolley line and named after George Pillsbury, a nineteenth-century Concord mayor. The hospital made its mark by pioneering new surgical techniques that demanded cleanliness – and saved lives by preventing infections.

The Pillsbury Hospital is remembered today as one of the office buildings on the Concord Hospital campus. The story of how Concord matured into a regional health care center is a fascinating one, told by the Concord Historical Society in Crosscurrents of Change, the history of Concord in the twentieth century. The book is scheduled for publication later this year.

Reception to Dedicate a Historical Clock to the Concord Historical Society Attracts Several Notable Locals

Former US Senator Gordon Humphrey and Concord Mayor Jim Bouley were among the fifty guests who attended a reception at the New Hampshire Federal Credit Union on Tuesday, August 25, marking the gift of a noteworthy Walter H. Durfee grandfather clock to the Concord Historical Society. The clock is a significant gift to the Society, which has been active in Concord for the last five years, but does not yet have a facility to display its collections. The clock has an interesting past among two Concord families with long-standing ties to the community and the history of Concord.

The tall clock, a gift to the Concord Historical Society from the Ralph and Bessie Flanders family of Concord, was crafted in the early 1900?s by the noted Providence, Rhode Island clockmaker, Walter H. Durfee. The clock is currently operating and is on display at the NH Federal Credit Union office on Airport Road in Concord.

The history of the clock, as retold by the Flanders family, places its original ownership with a Concord minister, who willed it to his housekeeper, after which it was acquired by Robert Jewell in the 1940?s. Mr. Jewell is believed to have been the bookkeeper for the housekeeper. Because of the size of the clock, Mr. Jewell needed to store the clock until it could be given to his daughter, Roberta Jewell. At that time, Ralph and Bessie Flanders began caring for the clock. When Roberta Jewell married Edward Young, her home was not large enough to accommodate the clock, either. The clock remained with Ralph and Bessie Flanders. Upon Ralph and Bessie?s retirement to the NH Odd Fellows Home, Robert Jewell had the clock appraised and sold it to Roddy and the late Robert Flanders (son of Ralph and Bessie Flanders).

James W. Milliken, Chairman of the Society board of trustees, said, ?We are thrilled to receive this generous gift and we believe its current placement in NH Federal Credit Union?s lobby is wonderful for two reasons. People can come by and see the clock working, and the Flanders and Jewell families are also significant to the history of NH Federal Credit Union itself.?

According to Barry Cox, NH Federal Credit Union?s Chairman, ?Richard Jewell, Robert Jewell, Robert Flanders, and Jack Flanders ? together, these men spent four decades providing leadership for our sixty-seven year-old financial institution. We are where we are today because of their leadership and we are honored to be asked to care for and protect this beautiful timepiece until the Concord Historical Society has a space of its own.? Guests at the reception included Dr. Robert Wilson, who explained the intricacies of the clock, members of the Concord Historical Society, and members of both the Flanders and Jewell families, including Roberta (Bobby) Jewell Young, and Roddy Flanders Ashley. A special highlight of the evening was the recital of a poem in honor of the clock, composed by Jackie Katsch, NH Federal Credit Union?s receptionist. [read poem]

NH Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial institution, a financial cooperative, established in 1941 to provide its members a place to save and borrow. With assets approaching $250 million, today NH Federal Credit Union serves more than 21,000 members.