Clubhouse and tennis courts, Christmas Cove, ca. 1910
Item 79552 info
South Bristol Historical Society
SELECT "LIST VIEW" TO SEE THE "THEN" AND "NOW" PHOTOS IN SEQUENCE.
PAIR 1 - THEN
Christmas Cove Improvement Association clubhouse and tennis courts, around 1910. The west side of Christmas Cove can be seen in the background,
The CCIA Clubhouse and tennis courts, looking northwest.
Item 81749 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 1 - NOW
NOW: The CCIA building remains much the same except for an additions on the south, or left end, the first of which was made around 1913.
A small office was added on some 30 years later.
The tennis courts have been rebuilt several times, but always on the same spot. They were covered for the winter when this photo was taken.
Second Holly Inn, Christmas Cove, ca. 1917
Item 79554 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 2 - THEN
This is the view from in front of the CCIA clubhouse east toward the Holly Inn.
The building on the left was the Christmas Cove post office.
The red-roofed building on the right was probably the dormitory for the staff.
View across the CCIA tennis courts toward Holly Inn site, 2013
Item 81760 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 2 - NOW
The post office building still stands, though no longer a post office. It is obscured, however, by another building between the tennis courts and the post office that is presently used as housing for CCIA staff.
There is no longer a summer hotel on the hill and a private residence stands on part of the old Holly Inn foundation.
Christmas Cove, the Holly Inn and the Boston Yacht Club, ca. 1917
Item 79553 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 3 - THEN
The 100-room "New" Holly Inn, built in 1908 after fire destroyed the original building, can be seen across Christmas Cove.
The boats of Boston Yacht Club members are moored in the Cove during their summer cruise.
Looking toward the site of three Holly Inns, Christmas Cove, 2013
Item 81753 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 3 - NOW
There is no longer a big hotel across the Cove, and though in the summer there would be many boats moored there, this early spring photo shows an empty harbor.
Russell House and cottages, Christmas Cove, ca.1936
Item 79559 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 4 - THEN
The Russell House was one of the first hotels at Christmas Cove.
The owners, Albion P. and Hannah Gamage first took in boarders around 1890 and later enlarged their home, naming it Russell House.
Looking toward the Russell House site, from Tea Island, 2013
Item 81754 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 4 - NOW
This photo was taken from a vantage point somewhat closer than the "then" image above, but it shows clearly that there is no longer an inn on the site.
The house to the far right of the Inn, with the barn-style roof, still exists and can be seen through the trees, behind the flag pole.
Coveside Inn, Christmas Cove, ca. 1980
Item 79560 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 5 - THEN
The Russell House was renamed "Coveside Inn" in 1940 and continued to serve summer visitors until 2006.
Item 81736 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 5 - NOW
Where the Coveside Inn once stood, there is now a lawn, and new homes are being built elsewhere on the site.
Demolition underway at the Thompson Inn, South Bristol, ca. 1960
Item 79562 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 6 - THEN
The Thompson Inn had been fixture in South Bristol village from the 1890s until the early 1960s, but most of the building was demolished around 1960.
By then the Inn, which had grown larger and larger over the years, was no longer a viable business.
All that is left of the old Thompson Inn, 2013
Item 81759 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 6 - NOW
The original homestead of Ada Thompson McFarland and her husband Eliphalet is all that remains of the Thompson Inn.
Original shed at the Gamage boatyard, South Bristol, ca. 1930
Item 79583 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 7 - THEN
The A & M Gamage Shipyard was established in 1871 on the northwest side of South Bristol harbor.
The sheds used then were smaller and much of the boat building was done outside, but the large shed in this image is on the same site.
Gamage Shipyard and Marina, 2013
Item 81755 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 7 - NOW
The Gamage Shipyard remains on the same site today, though boats are no longer being built there.
A modern marina and storage facility continues the maritime tradition.
Packing lobsters at Farrin's Wharf, South Bristol, ca. 1973
Item 79584 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 8 - THEN
This photo of the docks on the eastern side of South Bristol show the bustling maritime activity that has always characterized South Bristol, even before it became a separate town in 1915.
Fishing boats at Osier's dock, 2013
Item 81758 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 8 - NOW
Today, not much has changed at the same location - some larger boats, but others much the same.
Wooden lobster traps, South Bristol, ca. 1978
Item 79585 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 9 - THEN
Learning how to rig a wooden lobster trap was an important skill passed on from father to son well into the 1970s.
In this photo, Lewis Kelsey Sr. shows his grandson Lewis the way it is done on the family dock on the mainland at South Bristol.
Lobster traps ready to be put out, South Bristol 2013
Item 81757 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 9 - NOW
Another Lewis Kelsey, father of the young Lewis in the photo above, stands on the same dock in South Bristol.
Now the traps are no longer wooden, but made of plastic-covered wire.
An early bridge across "The Gut," South Bristol, ca. 1900
Item 79589 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 10 - THEN
Crossing the narrow passage between mainland South Bristol and Rutherford's Island has played a major part in South Bristol's history.
While still a part of the Town of Bristol, keeping the bridge in working order was a major source of contention.
The view south from near the bridgetender's house, South Bristol, 2013
Item 81746 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 10 - NOW
The large building across the bridge in both pictures has changed little on the outside in the intervening years, but is now a private residence instead of a general store.
The bridge, however, has undergone many changes.
South Bristol village from a distance, 1910
Item 79597 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 11 - THEN
This image illustrates one of the reasons for dissatisfaction with being a part of the large town of Bristol - residents of South Bristol felt their roads did not receive the same attention as roads elsewhere in Bristol.
This road was the main thoroughfare from the north to Rutherford's Island.
Looking south toward the bridge across the Gut, South Bristol, 2013
Item 81744 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 11 - NOW
The house that appears in the center of the image above remains today, but is barely visible because of other buildings erected in the years since 1910.
Many more trees have grown, further obscuring the view toward the harbor.
Looking north toward the bridge and mainland, South Bristol, ca. 1926
Item 81747 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 12 - THEN
South Bristol's commercial activity was clustered on both sides of the bridge which connected Rutherford's Island to the mainland and the rest of the town.
The black steel superstructure of the bridge built in 1921 can be seen in the center of the image.
Looking toward the bridge from the north, South Bristol 2013
Item 81745 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 12 - NOW
The same view today shows that several of earlier buildings remain, though none house commercial operations any longer.
The green railings of the present bridge are visible in the center.
Third bridge over the "Gut," South Bristol, ca.1926
Item 79588 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 13 - THEN
This image shows the steel draw bridge across the Gut not long before it came crashing down in 1929 when one of the chains holding the counterweights in place broke loose.
The swing bridge at the 'Gut', South Bristol, 2013
Item 81748 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 13 - NOW
The swing bridge which spans the gut in 2013 is more modest in size and aspect.
The building across the bridge can be seen in both images, but it has been substantially altered over the years.
S Road School class, Bristol, 1914
Item 79576 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 14 - THEN
The S Road School was one of several one-room schools in the South Bristol area of Bristol. South Bristol residents felt their schools were neglected in favor of schools located nearer the center of Bristol.
Teacher Sarah Emery was responsible for the education of students in grades 1 through 8 in the tiny school.
South Bristol School grades 5 & 6 at the S Road School, 2013
Item 81751 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 14 - NOW
Standing beside the now restored S Road School, Jason Bigonia's 5th and 6th grades pose for their class photo in 2013 just as Miss Emery's students did in 1914.
Lincoln School and Union Church, South Bristol, ca. 1915
Item 79572 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 15 - THEN
AT the time of South Bristol became a town in 1915, the Union Church stood at the top of the hill up from the bridge; the Lincoln School, an elementary school, was just down the hill.
Former high school building, seen from near the church.
Item 81750 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 15 - NOW
The red-roofed building in the distance is the former Lincoln School, which began as an elementary school and later became the town's high school.
The church can be seen through the trees on the right having been moved some distance west from its original location.
South Bristol High School, 1937
Item 79578 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 16 - THEN
Many South Bristol residents were determined that the town should have its own high school, and in 1929 that goal was achieved. The first senior class graduated in 1931.
Former South Bristol High School building, 2013
Item 81752 info
South Bristol Historical Society
PAIR 16 - NOW
The high school building looks much the same, but has been a private residence since not long after it closed its doors for the last time in 1962.
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