The Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce wants the public’s help to unearth the origins of a safe found in the basement of its headquarters. The safe has been down in the basement for “as long as the Chamber has been in the building,” said board member Martha Schaefer. Now, they’d like to know more about its history before deciding what to do with it.
It’s not doing anyone any good in the basement, after all; though there are no signs of forced entry, the doors are open, the tumblers clicked closed and the combination’s long-forgotten. And although it’s on wheels, it’s a massive thing, Schaefer said, and will be very difficult to move.
Monadnock Center for History and Culture Executive Director Michelle Stahl got a look at some photos of the safe and its most interesting feature — painted gold leaf flair, the word “Monadnock,” and a mountain view painting, a little worse for wear.
Stahl said the painting was typical of work done around 1890-1910, when tourists flocked to Mt. Monadnock and souvenirs were aplenty. Of course, you could hardly get a safe into your luggage, so chances are, it was an office safe — most likely from the offices of the Monadnock Region Association, a precursor of sorts to the Chamber, Stahl said.
The MRA, founded in the 1930s, built the building which currently houses the Chamber — and the safe — in 1975, and when the Chamber acquired the building in 1984, the safe probably came with the deal.
“I would say it’s probably a pretty good bet that it’s from the Monadnock Region Association,” Stahl said.
Anyone who has information regarding the origins or other details about the safe is urged to contact the Chamber at 924-7234.