The Silent Stars Go By:
Journeying to Bethlehem
by Katherine Hauswirth

Bethlehem, New Hampshire is a place to retreat to when you want to be entertained but not over stimulated. The little town of Bethlehem was founded on; you guessed it, December 25, 1799. The village, surrounded by lush and impressive mountains, sits in a geographical lull between the White Mountains' Franconia and Crawford Notches. It is most recently famous for its appearance in whimsical Yuletide newspaper stories. Once yearly the post office is inundated with floods of ambitious Christmas cards seeking authentically Biblical postmarks.

After the moose crossing sign and before the several rolling golf courses on the main drag, you can visit a small memorial carved out at the side of the road. It tells of times when Bethlehem was a boomtown of sorts. The story goes that in the mid-1800's the Governor of Rhode Island had an unexpected extended stay. This followed an injurious mishap involving his daughter and a runaway cart. When he stayed on for her recovery, he found that he enjoyed the place, and began to invest in local property. His interest coincided with the extension of the railroad, and before long a resort area was born.

The Caddy Camp Alumni Memorial, bypassed by many, is a quietly heartening whisper from a bygone era. Also called Our Lady of the Fairways Shrine, its small patch of greenery seeks to greet and comfort the weary traveler. People scribble messages in the guest book that sits in a sheltered pine box nearby. Children write silly sentences about finding ladybugs and older people pen memories of Bethlehem's golden days, when youths from Boston flocked there for summer caddying. Gazing at the shrine and the elegant 19th century buildings, I could imagine the likely forbidden flirtations between caddies and vacationing upper class women. I could picture the camaraderie of the caddies in the late evening hours, when they finally got to swing the clubs and walk to town with their hard working and affectionate group. The local Heritage Museum, also the information center, fills this picture in with old Shrine guest notebooks and gold rimmed china from the well appointed hilltop retreats.

The town is built for lingering and strolling, but for those who need to linger busily, it boasts two PGA golf courses. A festival called, "Open for the Season," starts off the lazy summer in June. Nearby, for those ignored by or indifferent to the Fairways Madonna, is the famed Mount Washington, frequently immortalized on bumper sticker boasts of the climb. Also easily accessible are the Cannon Mountain and Bretton Woods ski resorts. . Hikers seeking escape from the (hardly) maddening crowd will have plenty of trails to discover. The Copper Mine trail in Franconia Notch is particularly worth the twenty minute car ride. The gradual uphill grade leads to the cool secluded Bridal Veil Falls, and this is a delightful reward in itself. But ask locals about Bette Davis' quiet memorial to her late husband Arnold Farnsworth. Her heartfelt message rings true, and is captured in a modest copper plaque on an out of the way mossy river boulder.

There is a spotty availability of kitschy tourist attractions nearby, so that you feel amused but not quite overcome with tourist fever. Clark's Trading Post shows off bears that do tricks, and the Cog Railway clambers jerkily up the mountain while happy families 'ooh' and 'ah.' There are the usual Christmas ornament shops and moderately promising antique dealers to browse.

But better than that there is the hush. On my favorite day we looked at the shrine, then strolled a local flea market. Poking around in the antique shops was followed by a trip to the famed post office, which looked like every other small town post office, modest about its claim to fame. The Bethlehem Flower Farm nearby specializes in multitudes of daylilies, qualifying the town for Easter recognition as well, I suppose.

Bethlehem is not looking the proverbial gift horse in the mouth. Plans for Christmas are big this year. It is the bicentennial of the town, and for surprisingly reasonable rates you can spend a weekend in December bolstering your Christmas spirit. I daresay there probably is something special about a pine tree direct from Bethlehem, so I can't blame the local Christmas tree farm for their rather predictable advertising strategies. Holiday festivities include local home and inn tours, a genuine Yankee auction, and, yes, the much-coveted access to postmarks. I wouldn't mind a peek at some of these tributes to finer architecture, amidst the snow and horse drawn buggies. I imagine Jimmy Stewart might run by at any minute, shouting Merry Christmas and giving poor investors their money back.

Unless you are expecting the Taj Mahal, you won't want your money back. There is something magical but not over produced about little Bethlehem. The people there are real, and the routines of everyday life are comforting. But even passing encounters with namesakes like the Northern Star Inn and the Christmas Tree Trails remind you that the place is special, even miraculous to the weary soul.

Chamber of Commerce phone: 1-888-845-1957

Web Site: www.bethlehemwhitemtns.com

Katherine Hauswirth is a freelance writer who lives in the shoreline area of Connecticut. A native New Yorker, she enjoys her newfound New England life and New England travel. She has written for many online publications, and specializes in essays about nature, relationships and the pleasures in everyday life. Katherine can be reached at tkhaus@ntplx.net