Rye and Rye Beach

By Lewis T. Karabatsos

Although small, the town of Rye played a significant role in New Hampshire's history and in nineteenth-century lifestyle and recreation. From its beginnings in 1623, Rye was predominantly a farming and fishing community. In the years prior to the Civil War, however, local entrepreneurs recognized the potential of their seacoast location and began catering to the needs of wealthy Victorians seeking a temporary escape from urban living. These entrepreneurs exploited the restorative powers of the ocean and established boardinghouses and grand hotels that gained national recognition. By the 1890s, the Rye Beach area had peaked as a summer resort destination and began to evolve into a summer residence colony. Houses of grand scale and variety began to appear. Later, with the introduction of the automobile and the extension of cable-car systems up the coast, Rye and Rye Beach became more accessible for day trips to the ocean.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Aug 18, 2004
• ISBN: 9781439632017

Lewis T. Karabatsos

Lewis T. Karabatsos, a summer resident for more than twenty years, is an avid collector of Rye postcards, souvenir china, and other memorabilia. Working with members of the Rye Historical Society, he has compiled this unique look back at this town's prominent position as a leading seacoast community.

Book preview

together.

INTRODUCTION

The town of Rye has played a significant role in New Hampshire’s long and proud history. In fact, this small municipality, with 5,200 residents and 8 of the state’s 18 miles of rocky coastline, is credited as the birthplace of what was to become the Live Free or Die state.

In 1623, David Thomson set up his home on what is known today as Odiorne Point. With the development of more settlements and communities over the next century, the land that Thomson originally occupied became, in 1726, part of the incorporated town of Rye, whose economy was based on the farming and fishing industries. In 1876, the town once again experienced significant change with the annexation of four of the nine Isles of Shoals, located six miles off Rye’s coast and the site of Thomson’s early fishing venture. It was also during this time that Rye entrepreneurs began to see their proximity to the ocean in a different way. Although fishing and farming had been critical to the town’s early development and growth, it was the establishment of a first-class resort community, catering to the needs of the wealthy, that eventually would become the town’s chief source of income.

During the mid-to-late 19th and early 20th centuries, hotels and boardinghouses of varied quality and size sprang up, located mostly toward the southern end of the coastal town. It was here that Rye became a magnet for those wanting to escape the heat of the cities up and down the northeastern seaboard. They came by train with their trunks, their nannies, and their servants. So many arrived that the town, in 1900, designated the area where most of the hotels were located as the Rye Beach precinct.

Although Rye’s popularity as a resort town had begun to wane by the 1890s, its seaside location continued to attract the seasonal tourists, as well as those who appreciated the environmental benefits of the sea and, subsequently, built their summer residences along the coastline. To this day, Rye continues to share its natural beauty with a unique combination of residents and summer visitors.

This book of postcards covers the period of Rye’s history from the 1890s to the 1940s. This time frame not only mirrors the introduction, evolution, and popularity of the postcard itself, but also visually documents those grande dames of hotels and landmarks that have influenced the town’s development over the years. Many of the sites still exist or have changed, while others, like the Ocean Wave and Farragut Hotels, were destroyed by fire or were demolished. These commercial images do at least provide us with a glimpse of the subject at a certain moment in time.

The postcard as we know it was introduced as a souvenir item at the 1893 World Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and the concept quickly caught on as an inexpensive memento that was accessible to everyone. In the early 1900s, for example, a postcard cost between 1¢ and 2¢, and postage ran about the same. Serving as an easy means of communication, a card was used to send a quick note or to extend a greeting for a special occasion, event, or holiday. Some local vendors exploited the card’s value and stocked a variety of them; other establishments published their own cards.

Rye merchants, likewise, were quick to see the potential of the postcard. Local scenes, many of which are reproduced in this book, were made available and were mailed to recipients across the country. The card images were as varied as the imagination, and many cards were produced that highlighted the town and its surroundings. Soon, however, postcards were challenged by the growing popularity of greeting cards, which were produced by a number of companies like Hall Brothers (the predecessor of today’s Hallmark).

Over the years, postcards have developed certain features that allow us to date them to specific time periods. According to the Postcard Price Guide by J. L. Mashburn, the years from 1898 to 1901 constituted the