Ski Bradford: from a 1949 Dead Hill rope tow to three generations of Sawyers

"Circa 1956," per New England Ski History, Roger and Evelyn Sawyer purchased the Bradford Ski Tow; the Sawyers later purchased the land on which the ski area operated, then gradually acquired adjoining parcels. After more than two decades of rope-tow service, Bradford installed the Hornet T-Bar in the center of the ski area for the 1971-72 season. Sawyer Enterprises, Inc. was formed in October 1972, owned by the Sawyer family and led by Roger and Evelyn's sons Neil and Brad; that December, Roger and Evelyn transferred ownership of Bradford to Sawyer Enterprises, Inc. "Circa 1980," ski instructor John Moody became Bradford's general manager. On March 10, 1982, Bradford hosted the Massachusetts state ski championships (MIAA); Haverhill, with the home-field advantage, defeated Western Massachusetts schools for the boys' championship, and future Warren Miller movie star Dan Egan of Milton finished fourth. Bradford "moved into the chairlift age in 1983, when it installed the Hornet triple chairlift" in the center of the ski area. Improvements for the 1985-86 season included expanded snowmaking, base lodge upgrades, and a new surface lift, with snowmaking improved again for 1987-88; "the area's second triple chairlift was installed in 1988 on the Wasp slope." In January 1991, Bradford reported that it "had averaged 89 days per season in recent years, notching between 80,000 and 100,000 skier visits," and a snowboard halfpipe "was reportedly constructed for the 1993-94 season."

During the mild 1994-95 winter, when Bradford reported only three good days below 25 degrees for snowmaking by February, co-owner Brad Sawyer told the Boston Globe, as reproduced by New England Ski History, "This is an equipment-buying business and it gets expensive," and that Bradford's goal was to "offer a lesson, rental and lift ticket that is less expensive. Basically, we teach people how to ski and then they go across the border." Bradford rebounded for a strong 1995-96 season, boosted in part by snowboarding; ski school director William Hegarty told the Globe, "The increase in snowboarding is amazing. It's attracting a different clientele than you would get with skiing." A third triple chairlift was installed on the southeastern side of the ski area for the 2003-04 season, providing access to the terrain park and other terrain. In a March 2005 Globe article, owner Neil Sawyer said, "In the '70s, people skied around bare spots on the mountain; now if you have a bare spot, you might as well close. People expect perfectly groomed snow. It's a very different business than it was 30 years ago." Matriarch Evelyn Sawyer passed away on February 15, 2009, at the age of 92. The expert trail Hugh's Run -- named for co-founder Hugh Pearson -- was cut for the 2009-10 season and served by the Wasp Chair; Neil Sawyer said the trail was "like skiing back in the '50s" because of its steeper, narrower design. "Circa 2014," the area reportedly logged about 60,000 ski and snowboard lessons per season. Co-owner Brad Sawyer passed away on September 5, 2016, at the age of 71, and former general manager John Moody passed away on December 10, 2018, at the age of 77. As of New England Ski History's page, last updated October 29, 2024, "Bradford features snowmaking and night skiing on all of its terrain." The Bradford Ski Team's own page describes it as a youth alpine race club for grades K-12 that "offers entry-level competition by participating in the Eastern Mass Buddy Werner League and an optional higher level of competition by attending select Tri-State and USSA open races in Southern New Hampshire."

Winnekenni Castle, per the Winnekenni Foundation's own site, sits within Winnekenni Park at 347 Kenoza Avenue. Dr. James R. Nichols purchased the farm overlooking Lake Kenoza in 1861, and castle construction using native boulders was completed between 1873 and 1875; in 1885, due to health issues, Nichols sold the castle and 27 acres to his cousin William Webb of Salem, and in 1895 Mrs. Annie Webb sold the property to the City of Haverhill, which merged it with the Haverhill Water Department. A 1969 fire destroyed the castle's elaborate Victorian interior; the Winnekenni Foundation, Inc., founded in 1968 as a nonprofit, oversaw remodeling efforts with help from Whittier Regional Technical High School students and faculty. As of September 2026, the Foundation's own site states that "The Castle Building itself has been CLOSED by the City of Haverhill, as it needs extensive rehabilitation," though the surrounding park remains open. The Museum of Printing, per its own About page, "was incorporated in 1978 as The Friends of The Museum of Printing, Inc., to save and preserve printing equipment and library materials associated with the graphic arts"; in 2021, per the museum's own site, "the Massachusetts Cultural Council selected the Museum of Printing to receive a competitive Cultural Organization Economic Recovery Grant." The museum's founder, Frank Romano, has separately shown his own personal acquisition of an original copy of Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, "published by Aldus Manutius in Venice in 1499" and described on the museum's site as "the supreme illustrated book of the Renaissance," at a ticketed special-viewing event. The Buttonwoods Museum, operated by the Haverhill Historical Society, which brands itself on the museum's own site as "HAVERHILL HISTORICAL SOCIETY - EST. 1898," holds "Over 10,000 artifacts spanning Native American heritage, colonial life, and the industrial era of Greater Haverhill," including the Luce Collection, Bradford College materials, and William Henry Moody artifacts.