berries and fruits. We were especially interested to learn of their meads made with foraged ingredients, such as sumac, elderberry and spruce tips; after tasting the latter, we left with a bottle. Before the railroad came through, the nucleus of Center Ossipee was about 500 yards east, where we found the Grant Hall Museum of Ossipee History, in the former Grant’s Store, moved here from elsewhere in town to serve as a museum. At the northernmost edge of town is West Ossipee, a busy crossroads of routes 16, 25 and 41. The steep mountainside above it was once the Mt. Whittier ski area and, until it closed in 1985, its gondola cars rose on cables suspended over Route 16. The base terminal building now houses Tramway Artisans, a gift shop. The intersection is a landmark for our family, as it’s conveniently located between home and our favorite ski mountains; the children have never let us pass without stopping for lunch at Yankee Smokehouse. If the sign with its cheery pink pigs doesn’t get attention, the mouthwatering fragrance emitting from the barbecue in the yard will. The Whittier Bridge, built in 1870 to carry the old Route 25 across the Bearcamp River, is a rare example of a Paddleford truss. It no longer carries traffic, or even crosses the river; it stands forlorn on dry land off Nudd Road, hauled off its abutments for repair in 2008 and still there. It’s not fenced and no signs warn visitors off, so of course we ventured under it for the rare opportunity to see how these bridges are constructed. West Ossipee holds a place in White Mountain — and winter sports — history as the birthplace of the snowmobile. White’s Garage was a landmark at the intersection; its owner, Virgil White, invented a conversion system in 1913 to allow a Ford Model T to be driven on snow. His principle was simple: He put wooden runners on the front and a double set of wheels with tractor treads in the back. He patented the name “Snowmobile,” selling the conversion kits — about 25,000 of them. These vehicles were not for recreation: In a day before roads were plowed, they allowed winter travel at a faster pace than a sleigh, especially important for doctors, mail carriers and others who needed to travel in all conditions. White sold the snowmobiles for $750 and conversion kits for $400; in 2011 an original White 1923 model was sold by Sotheby for $27,000. NH
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