Then And Now: The Old Bandstand

On Wednesday, the town will kick off its summer concert series on the Lynnfield Common. Looking back into the town's past however, it seems that summer concerts have been going on for much longer than the ones on the common have been around.

Specifically, this week's image from the files of the Lynnfield Historical Society shows a bandstand that apparently stood at Suntaug Lake Park in the spring of 1933. Where exactly it stood however, is difficult to tell. It almost looks like an area of the current park facing toward Route 1 with the future Little League outfield off toward the right. But I could just as easily be wrong.

Today, the park on the shore of Suntaug Lake is known as Newhall Park. An article from back in April previewing the sunrise Easter service at the park .

Elsewhere on the shores of Suntaug Lake once stood the Suntaug Lake Inn. looked at some very vintage images of the former place up for sale on eBay. Elsewhere, Google finds, of all things, a 1913 newspaper ad the inn ran in the Nashua Telegraph announcing its new addition and boasting of its famed chicken, lobster and steak dinners, with continuous dancing in their new ballroom de luxe. A 1903 ad in the Boston Evening Transcript emphasized the convenience of the Suntaug Lake Inn, noting that "steam and electric cars" were within a five minutes' walk.

Finally, just to put some "now" into "Then And Now," showing some of the present scenery of the lake. The photo gallery also that most likely dates back to the era of the previously mentioned hotel.