[mcdude]

From the Baysider

Loon Cove bids welcome

Along with the many new additions at the park, Fry said, the committee recently put the first phase of the Loon Cove station restoration (the repair of the roof, floor joists, windows, and doors) out to bid. Local contractors interested in tackling the project are encouraged to obtain a
specification sheet from Town Hall, she said, adding that all bids are due by Oct. 10. Originally built sometime around 1890, the Loon Cove
station served as one of 11 Alton stops on the Lakeshore line, which ran from Rochester to Lakeport during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Closed down by the Lakeshore Railroad in 1935 when increasing automobile
traffic made rail service obsolete, the station was purchased by Thomas L. Moore II and his wife, Margit, in the mid-1960s and moved from its
original location near the entrance to Route 11-D to a new spot further east on Route 11. After placing the building on a stone foundation, Moore
added a chimney for the wood stove, two decks on the outside, and a new set of stairs leading up to the sleeping loft and connected it to a
well and septic system to convert it into a seasonal cabin. After being instructed by the state Department of Transportation to remove the station from its former location (which was located within a state right-of-way), Moore’s son, Thomas Moore III, donated it to the DRC last fall.
Following extensive renovations and prep work undertaken by resident Marty Cornelissen and his brother Mike, the station was transported
from Route 11 to the B&M Park on the morning of April 26. The DRC’s plan, Fry said, is to use as many of the original building materials as possible to restore the station to its former glory. Thanking the Cornelissen
brothers for the hours of hard work they spent renovating the station at its former site on Route 11 and the Historical Society for its assistance
with the restoration project, Fry said donations toward the upcoming repairs are welcome, and can be mailed to the DRC at P.O. Box 659, Alton, NH 03809.

Brendan Berube