Laconia’s Colonel Sanders And Other Businessmen Of Years Past

PHOTO: Colonel George Sanders.

by Robert Hanaford Smith, Sr.
Weirs Times Contributing Writer

Newspapers sometimes print special editions to give special attention to certain events, businesses, or people.
The News and Critic published a “Special Edition” booklet around the year 1892 featuring businesses and prominent people in the city of Laconia and one of those persons was Colonel George Sanders.
This Colonel Sanders of many years past was not in the fried chicken business but appeared to have had an energy level comparable to that which the Kentucky Colonel Sanders is depicted as possessing.
Colonel George Sanders was in the stove and plumbing business, but before he took over his father’s business in that profession he had been a traveling salesman for 21 years. Born in December of 1846, Sanders was educated in Laconia Schools and New Ipswich Academy. His Laconia business was said to have been the largest of its kind north of Concord, employing ten skilled workmen whose jobs extended outside of Laconia doing plumbing and installing steam and hot water heating systems.
That type of heating gained in popularity in the late 1800s but Colonel Sanders activities ranged far beyond his plumbing and heating business as he was involved in politics and belonged to a number of local organizations.
His title was apparently conferred upon him as a member of Governor Tuttle’s staff in 1891. As a Republican he was the chairman of the town’s Executive Committee, a member of the party’s State Central Committee, a state legislator, and a candidate for county commissioner. The News and Civic publication declared him to be “the right man in the right place” as the Chief Engineer for the Fire Department. If that wasn’t enough to keep a man busy, the Colonel was also a notary public, a trustee of the Belknap Savings Bank, a director of the Laconia Gas Light Company, secretary of the Belknap Agricultural Society, member of the Board of Trade, Secretary and Treasurer of the White Mountain Travelers’ Association, and Eminent Commander of Pilgrim Commandery.
Another successful business man of that 1890’s era was a “laundry man” by the name of Charles H. James of Lakeport. He considers his Lakeport Steam Laundry business to be the best north of Concord as he, also, relied upon hot water and steam to conduct his business. James purchased the business with his wife, but her death left him to carry on the business by himself.
In a year’s time the laundry business grew from one employee in addition to the owner to a work-force of eight. The building housing the laundry was over 100 feet long and was divided into an office, boiler room, wash room, and an ironing room. Equipment included “…two of the latest improved washing machines, …gas machines, collar shapers and shirt and cuff ironers.” These were run by a fifteen horse power boiler and a ten horse power engine. The laundry was able to deliver completed orders within six hours of when they were left to be done for those who needed the work done quickly. Work was done for families in the area as well as for leading hotels at the Weirs. If the finished goods were not completed to the satisfaction of the customer they were “cheerfully done over without charge.”

Another prominent citizen and businessman of Lakeport and Laconia was Captain Edmund Tetley.
Captain Tetley was a manufacturer of paper boxes with factories in Laconia and Lakeport.
His business served the needs of other manufacturers for containers in which to package their products.
It was in the early 1800’s that paper and cardboard boxes were first made, giving an alternative to wooden crates. In 1890 the pre-cut cardboard piece that could be folded into a box was invented. Mr. Tetley had a large three-story factory in Lakeport with machines capable of producing large quantities of boxes in a short period of time.
Like many business men Captain Tetley was involved in civic affairs. He had the distinction in the those late 19th century years of having been the only successful Republican candidate for high sheriff and served on the town council. As a military man he was held in high esteem and was involved with Company K, Third Regiment, N.H. N.G., which was named the Tetley Rifles in his honor. He was a member of several organizations including being the First Sachem of the Pontauhum Tribe of Red Men.
A business whose beginnings went back to the year 1852 had grown to the point where it employed 55 to 65 people and was an important lumber supplier in Laconia. Originated by Gardner Cook it later became G. Cook and Son. The description of its production of wood goods was impressive: “ This is one of the busiest manufacturing plants of the town and in the course of a year 3,000,000 feet of lumber are made up into all descriptions of wood work, including school-house and bank furniture, doors, sashes, blinds, hosiery packing cases, shingles, lathes, clapboards, and a hundred other things and shipped to Manchester, Nashua, Lowell and Boston.”
The firm used steam power and the power thus generated also supplied the power for the electric lighting company. G. Cook and Son also did a large business in “wood, coal, hair, and cement.” Hair? Yes, hair, and if you’ve ever lived in an old house with plastered walls you know where some of the hair, probably horse hair was used.
Those are some of the businesses and the men who ran them in Laconia more than a hundred years ago, yet in this article I didn’t mention the ones the city is most associated with.
In last week’s article I mentioned New Hampton’s long serving Road Agent of not so long ago, Mr. Millard Blake. What I didn’t realize at the time was that he was born 125 years ago in this month of September which would be about the time the men mentioned in this article were prominent personalities in Laconia.

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