Labor Day Riots
On Labor Day weekend in 1962, rowdy youths blocked traffic on the beach and caused minor disturbances. The problem escalated on Labor Day weekend in 1963, with police using teargas and arresting 55 teenagers. On Labor Day weekend in 1964 the State Police and National Guard were called in to quell a rioting mob of 10,000 youths. One of the Hampton police officers on the scene was Historical Society President Harold Fernald, who theorized that the riots were a 'training ground' for other, larger riots.
Men on the Moon
On July 20,1969 Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, in the Eagle spacecraft, were the first men to land on the moon. Aldrin called the lunar surface a 'magnificent desolation.' After touchdown Armstrong radioed the command center in Houston, Texas: 'The Eagle has landed.'
Miss Hampton Beach
Johnye McLeod of Hampton (left) was the first local girl to win the Miss Hampton Beach contest. Two years later Sheila Scott (right) of North Hampton won. Born in England, she was a talented singer who performed with local groups like the Starliners from Methuen and the Marauders from Exeter. Both girls were Winnacunnet High School graduates.
Hampton Playhouse
The Hampton Playhouse opened in 1948 in a 200 year old barn on Winnacunnet Road, where New York actors performed top notch plays with a burlesque style. Katherine Helmond of TV's Who's The Boss was introduced to Hampton audiences in 1961. Hollywood actress Blythe Danner joined the cast in 1967 in Strip For Action and Barefoot In The Park. The summer theatre was a beloved venue for 51 years, with the last performance in 1999.
Fallout Shelter
In 1961 Bill Kennedy and Robert Moore tested their homemade, above-ground fallout shelter at North Beach. Planning to remain in the shelter for five days, their stay was cut short due to a lack of oxygen that sent the men to the hospital for treatment. Repairs to both men and structure were made and they kept at it. The government later asked Kennedy to test equipment for safety. The shelter was demolished a few years later.
In 1962 Mr. and Mrs. Mason Carpenter became the tenant custodians. Their main responsibility was to manage the museum docents during the summer season. They would remain throughout the decade.
One of the more unusual members of the Historical Society was former Boston publicity agent Bill Frary, who had been adopted in the 1930s by an aging baroness, Adelheid Marie von Blomberg, and he became Baron William Frary von Blomberg. When funding for the new museum wing was discussed, the records show that he offered suggestions on how the Society could raise money for the project.
Presidents for the decade were Judge John Perkins (1959-1961), Harold Fernald (1961-1964,1967-1968), Margaret Barry (1964-1967), and Samuel Towle (1968-1976).
Hampton's population at the end of the decade was 8,011.