1890-1899

1890

The Everett-Norfolk Knitting Works moved to Lebanon from Manchester, N. H. in 1890. By 1893 they were employing 265 people and the mill had been running day and night since its beginning. They manufactured “union suits” and other knit garments until 1932. (F-8)

A few electric lights were in use in town in 1889, and Lebanon Light & Power Co. was organized in 1890. Poles for street lights were erected, wiring was installed and Lebanon’s streets and many homes were lighted by electricity by December 1890.

1893

Rail transportation was very heavy on the Boston & Maine Railroad. Lebanon’s Granite State Free Press, June 30, 1893 reported, “There are 34 regular passenger and freight trains over the railroad here every 24 hours. Pretty good for a one track line.” (G-2 to C-16)

For ten years, townspeople had been using telephones locally and for calls to neighboring towns. Long distance lines were connected in 1893, so that for the first time residents were able to communicate by phone to towns and cities throughout the country.

In 1893, Cole & Sons, Lebanon machinery manufacturers, were busy with an order for 500 Eclipse Corn Planters. Castings for the planters were supplied by their own foundry. Iron and brass foundries had been major industries in town for many years. (F-8)

It was voted to allow Grafton County Court to use the Town House and to furnish it for their use. When the building burned in 1923, a courtroom was planned in the new Town Hall, and the Superior Court met here until March 9, 1972. (F-8)

1895

Keeping winter roads passable for sleds and sleighs was a laborious task. A huge snow roller with two 7-foot diameter sections was made by local builders in 1895. Drawn by six horses, it rolled and packed the snow in the streets after a snowfall.

1897

The first automobile purchased by a Lebanon resident was a Haynes-Apperson, ordered from the Indiana manufacturer in 1897. Delivery was so slow, however, that a Stanley Steamer, purchased later, actually became the first automobile delivered to a Lebanon owner.

1898

The sinking of the United States battleship Maine in Havana harbor in 1898 set the stage for the Spanish-American War. Over 100 from Lebanon volunteered for service in this four-month-long war, including “Shaw’s Rifles,” the local national guard company.