This water color rendition of Bridgewater in 1905 was created by Rebecca Bowman who taught art at Bridgewater College from 1894 until 1913. She was born in Rockingham County on June 14, 1871 and had eleven brothers and sisters. Utilizing her artistic talent, she painted a wedding portrait for each of her siblings and their spouse as a wedding gift. However, her most famous work is this painting. It now hangs in the Treasurer’s office at Bridgewater College

Occasionally North River would freeze over, and when this occurred it became a popular spot for young and old alike. Ice skaters gathered, hockey games were organized, and parents pulled small children around on sleds. While ice skating was the number one event, this occasion was also used to cut blocks of ice out of the river, place them in a ice house, and cover them with sawdust to be saved and used during warm weather months.

This is how Main Street looked in the early 1900s. Notice the streetlight at the center of the picture just in front of the covered bridge. This allows us to date the picture to 1904 or later since Town minutes indicate that Council approved using electric streetlights that year. To the right is the Robson and Robson store and Rinker Marble Yard. With the arrival of the automobile, streets were paved but weeds often grew knee-high along the curb.