Interlaken Avenue around 1905.
In the postcard below, Interlaken Avenue leaves to the right of the main road. A trolley is crossing the steel bridge across the Weirs Channel.
The following plan of Interlaken Park comes from the 1899 book “The Illustrated Laconian”. Purportedly, a local businessman intended to build an alpine village on the site. Additionally, in the late 1800’s, Lake Winnipesaukee was oft referred to as the “Switzerland of America”. Hence, all the Swiss names for the streets: Oberland, Wetterhorn, St. Bernard, Grindelwald, Geneva, Lucern, Alpenrose, and Vevey. Lucerne Avenue, which parallels Interlaken Avenue on the 1899 map below, still exists. Alpenrose Avenue continues in altered form, as the Alpenrose Plaza. All the other named streets are long gone. Most of the area north of Lucerne Avenue is now part of the 27-acre Weirs Community Park.
Here is the current-day configuration of the same area. Clearly, the development did not work out as planned for the 1899 investors. Notice that part of Interlaken Avenue still seems to exist on the modern-day map.
This circa 1959 aerial photo of Weirs Beach shows that at least part of Interlaken Avenue, visible in the bottom right corner of the photo, was still in existence at that time. Today, no remnant remains of Interlaken Avenue, with the part visible in this aerial replaced by a miniature golf course.
From the 1910’s to the 1950’s a girl’s camp, Camp Acadia, was active on the part of the Interlaken property that is now the Weirs Community Park. The misspelling of the name of the camp in the photo below as “Arcadia” is fitting. With its many amusement arcades, Weirs Beach could be dubbed “Arcadia”! Click here for more info on Camp Acadia, here for a Camp Acadia brochure, here for a Camp Acadia booklet; and also read the article below.
A 1917 newspaper ad for Camp Acadia.
Here is a view of Weirs Beach from Interlaken Park circa 1900.
Here are two identical circa-1915 views of Weirs Beach from the boulder at Interlaken Park. First view is colorized, second is B&W.
Here are two identical views of Weirs Beach from Interlaken Park circa 1920 – one by day, the other by night.
The photos above and below are identical. The colorized version, below, was postmarked in 1905.
A sharper view of the Weirs waterfront, from a different Interlaken vantage point.
Here is a view of Weirs Beach from Interlaken Park circa 1930. Compare to the 1920’s photos above. Note the absence of the New Hotel Weirs and the addition of Irwin’s Winnipesaukee Gardens.
A souvenir plate based on the above view.
Below is a view of Weirs Beach circa 1935. The private wharves have been removed, replaced by the Weirs Seaplane Base. Jean’s Cafe has been built on the location of the former Third Regiment building.
Below, a 1940’s linen postcard view.
Here is a view of Weirs Beach from Interlaken Park circa 1945. Note the absence of the Weirs Cafe. Also the old Mount has been replaced by the new Mount.
A view of Weirs Beach from Interlaken Park circa 1947.
Another circa 1947 view, entitled “Thru the Birches, Weirs, Lake Winnipesaukee, White Mts., N.H.”
The Interlaken boulder in 1899, from the “Illustrated Laconian”.
A 1950’s postcard shows a view down Meredith Bay from Interlaken. The Interlaken boulder and flagpole is visible at the top right of the photo.
A similar view from a postcard postmarked in 1917 shows the boulder and flagpole splitting the familiar profile of Stonedam Island in the distance.
An interesting view from 1884, taken by the early Weirs photographer F.J. Moulton. Notable because the only Veterans building that can be seen on Lakeside Avenue is the 3rd Regiment building. Also visible in the photo is the Hotel Weirs, the Weirs Cafe, and the Lady of the Lake steamer.
