New Hampshire Axe Thread

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Glenn Bailey

Joined
Jun 1, 2017
Messages
241
I've been meaning to start this for a long long time and surprised we don't have one already. The history of axe manufacturing in New Hampshire has great personal interest to me and played an important role in the history of axes as a whole. Please share, pics, stories and knowledge.

I'll start with an 5 lb masting axe from Underhill & Brown from Auburn NH. Lamond offers a surprisingly small window of manufacturing from 1850 to 1856. I should mention that there are Underhill & Brown examples with Manchester stamps which contradict Lamond's research. I'd also like to give a shout out to the Auburn Historical Association for offering unappriciated knowledge. https://www.auburnhistorical.org/underhill-tools.html

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Hey Glenn, I don’t have much to offer to this thread, as I think we decided that lathing hatchet was a later one from Boston. At the time, I didn’t realize there were so many Underhills.

But after looking at the AHA site, I’ve got a bad case of slick chisel envy. I also speculate that Don Dollard is a descendant of the Underhills rather than their ancestor.

Parker
 
Here is a link to a post of mine from a few years ago. The subject is not an axe, but thought it might add some relevance here as a cross reference.

BLODGETT EDGE TOOL MF. Co.: Adze

Got this last month and got around to a little clean up yesterday. Length is 32 inches. 4 i/2 inch blade width. Weight unknown. I believe the mark on this would have been: BLODGETT EDGE TOOL MF. CO. CAST-STEEL WARRANTED H.C. REYNOLDS, AGT Also did some...
bladeforums.com bladeforums.com


Bob
 
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Here are a couple Underhill Edge Tool Co axes, a lathing hatchet and a broad hatchet. I can believe that I'm the only one that's excited about their New Hampshire axes! Show me your stuff (or if you don't care, sell them to me, $5 a pound sounds fair to me if you don't care).

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I might have opened this thread as to why I care about NH axes, but here I am late explaining.

My story isn't particularly important. I want to here your story!

During the late eighties into the early nineteens I worked in the mill district of Manchester NH, on the Merrimack river, presumably where Amoskeag axes was made. There is (was?) a mile or so of loong massive (northern New England massive, not real city massive) brick buildings on the river. I worked in those buildings for years. Amoskeag was the name of my bank and the bridge I used to sit under and read books (yup, books) underneath the traffic. I lived there for 10 years, mostly without a car, so my experience of the city, and specifically the mill district, is a grounded one. I definitely feel connected to the history of Amoskeag axe co and all NH axe manufactures.

There were early 20's yr old shenanigans that happened in those old brick buildings that I won't write about, but someone here has gotta care about NH axes!?!? I'm Channeling CopperHill and other ghosts of Bladeforums past.
 
I got a thing for Amoskeag stuff. Aside from 3 Amoskeag muskets, a couple spare lockworks and an old G.B. Fogg shotgun made in Manchester NH, I also collect Amoskeag axes. Always looking out for more. I have a Blodgett that I just bought online but it hasn't shipped yet. New to these forums. Just recently found it doing a Blodgett search.
https://imgur.com/a/MssDlMM
 
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