The Board of Trade Building is pictured here in 1873. This beautiful building was constructed on the corner of North Main and School Street in downtown Concord. The building was dedicated in 1873 and one of the very first tenants was the Concord YMCA.
The Board of Trade Building still lives down on Main Street, some on the west side and some on the east side of the street.
You see, the top of the building was removed many years ago, but the bottom floors were preserved and can be seen each time we look at the current Merrimack County Savings Bank.
When demolition of the tower was completed both the bell and clock were not discarded, they were put into storage. The clock was manufactured by E. Howard Company of Boston in 1872 just before it was installed at the top of the Board of Trade Building. The cast iron bell was manufactured in Sheffield, England, in 1873 and presented to the City of Concord by George Pillsbury. After many years in storage the bell was restored by the New Hampshire Historical Society in 1998.
Each afternoon as the sun fades into the west you can view both the clock and the bell in the shadow of the Board of Trade Building. They rest together across Main Street in the clock shelter at the entrance to Eagle Square. Though they were together in the tower as our ancestors traversed Main Street we still continue to enjoy them as we travel the same street almost 150 years later.
