There is something about science, history and human interest in this story of Pea Porridge Pond in Madison, New Hampshire, which began its history 14,000 years ago when the local glaciers receded. This date emerged as a result of an ambitious project to lift a core of sediments from the depths of the pond and analyze its contents. Using data from this study, we trace the landscape's vegetational succession over the intervening years. To share with others the richness of the human history of this place, we follow the pond's history from Pigwacket Indians through colonial land grants, farming, logging, and finally to the building of post-WWII second homes. Geologist Brian Fowler, aquatic ecologist, Lee Pollock, and author Connie Brown, all residents of the Pond, put together this book on the history of the Pond - from ice age to 1951, when the original second homes were completed. This history gives us a deeper appreciation of why we value this place and all the wonders it has to offer.
About the Author: Connie Brown, author and editor, conceived the idea and saw it through to completion. She is a 50 year resident on the pond. Brian Fowler, a retired Engineering Geologist with 35 years consulting experience in the mining and heavy construction industries, has authored numerous peer-reviewed maps and professional papers, including the only scientific study of the Old Man of The Mountain. He cooperates on mapping projects for the U.S. and N.H. Geological Surveys and conducts independent research on the deglaciation of the White Mountains. He is a Past-President and Life Trustee of the Mount Washington Observatory, the founder of the Mountain Rescue Service, and an Advisor to the Mountain Studies Institute in Colorado. Lee Pollock, author of scientific texts in his field, taught aquatic ecology for 35 years at Drew University in New Jersey. He received his undergraduate degree from Bates College in Maine, a graduate degree from the University of New Hampshire and research experience at the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole. Currently he is immersed in his science interests - conducting stream water-quality studies for watersheds in New Jersey and also the Mt. Washington Valley. The opportunity to participate in the MPEP lake-bottom coring project, described in The Pond, offered an exciting new link to the paleohistory of the area. He also volunteers in the Henney History Room of the Conway Public Library and spent hours researching material for this book.