A 1941 Souvenir flight ticket.



Before Irwin's Winnipesaukee Gardens were built, the original seaplane base in Weirs Beach had been located on the other (northern) side of the Weirs Cafe. The photo below shows the seaplane base around 1925, shortly after it had relocated to its permanent position on the south side of the Weirs Cafe. Note the designation "US Air Mail" on the body of the seaplane. Earlier in 1925, Fogg had been granted the country's first RFD airmail service contract. On August 1, 1925, Fogg began the "aero-marine" mail service, as it was called, delivering mail to ten points around Lake Winnipesaukee. Click here for an interesting article about the 1925 airmail service. The Weirs Times sells a colorized verision of the photo below here.





In 1938, the 1925 aero-marine service was commemorated during "National Air Mail Week" with this special rubber stamp which showed the route of the service. However, the 1925 service did not fly to Lakeport or Laconia. The 1925 service flew from Weirs Beach to Wolfeboro, then to Long Island and back to Weirs Beach, with various stops along the way.



Bob Fogg in the open cockpit of his seaplane.



In this pair of 1930's photographs of the seaplane base, we see first a "real photo" postcard, and then a colorized postcard, which was clearly based on a very similar photo.

In the colorized postcard, we can even make out the name at the top of the sign – it says Fogg



Here is another similar pair of Weirs Seaplane Base postcards from the 1930's, with again the "real photo" shown first, and then the colorized version. Even the number on the planes correspond between the two postcards.

The railroad tracks seen here descended underneath the railroad station to a freight house, where freight was transfered directly to the Mount Washington steamer. The spur was removed in 1940.



A seaplane party on Lake Winnipesaukee.