c. 1883
4 Lake Ave
"Scotty's Rest"
Tanya McIntyre
1: Stephen Woodward’s Cottage – “Scotty’s Rest”
Lot 85, 4 Lake Avenue
Information has not been directly discovered regarding which lot was leased by George Blodgett to Stephen Woodward, (1822-1901) a Sunapee carpenter/builder, where he built his first Blodgett’s cottage. Woodward completed this cottage in June 1883 and may have been the first cottage built at Blodgett’s Landing. It was used by Stephen and his second wife Harriet, then sold to an unknown buyer by March 1889. Cottage deeds on rented lots were typically not recorded in those days. It is likely this cottage is the one at 4 Lake Avenue on Lot 85, for it has an unusual mansard roof, the hallmark of Woodward’s houses and the cottage he built later on Washington Street.
In March 1889, this cottage’s next owner was Albert Burton Johnson, (1839-1912) who was a farmer until becoming the railroad agent for East Weare. He and his wife Harriet had two children. Albert loved to fish, and it was likely fishing that brought the Johnson family to Lake Sunapee. Here Albert was active in the Sunapee Lake Masonic Association and in 1891, he was president of the Lake Sunapee Fish and Game Club that met at Forest Lodge. Albert and Harriet spent many summers here and in 1891 had an addition built on the cottage and other work done there in 1894. Four years later, George Blodgett sold Lot 85 for $125 to Harriet Johnson. The 1892, 1897, 1911 and 1915 Hancox maps all show A.B. Johnson here. In 1911, Harriet Johnson bought Lot 88, located on the east side of their cottage lot at the west side of Washington Street for $125 from George Blodgett’s heirs. Albert suffered from calcification of his arteries for the last two years of his life, then died in November 1912 of apoplexy, followed by Harriet’s death in 1917.
The Johnson cottage was inherited by their son, Albert B. Johnson, Jr. (1879-1933) who lived in Weare and was married to Edith McAdams. They had three young children, and Albert worked as the fireman at knitting factory in Hillsboro. In 1924, he sold the cottage to his parents-in-law, Leon and Carrie McAdams for $1,500. Leon “Scott” McAdams (1866-1943) lived his whole life in Hillsboro and worked as a carpenter at the factory. He and Carrie had three children and their sons also worked at the factory. They named their summer home “Scotty’s Rest.” After Scott died in 1945, Carrie sold Scottie’s Rest in 1945 for $2,000 to Robert & Gertrude Breck of Longmeadow, Massachusetts
Robert Gifford Breck (1890-1979) and his wife Gertrude Keith Breck (1896-1965) had one child, Robert Gifford Jr. Robert Sr. owned the Longmeadow Garage and named his cottage “Longmeadow.” At the start of the First World War, Robert worked for M.I.T. in Cambridge, and at the start of the Second World War, he was a captain in the military reserve police and worked as an industrial engineer with Wm. Filene Sons, Company in Boston. Robert served as fire chief for 35 years of the Longmeadow Fire Department and was a Mason. In 1971, Robert Breck sold the cottage to Barbara Breck Sleight (1934-2025) and her husband R. Edward Sleight (1931-2001) of Syracuse, New York. Barbara was the daughter of Roger S. Breck, who had purchased 6 Lake Avenue from Robert in 1968. In 1973, Edward transferred his ownership share to Barbara. In 2026, the cottage is owned by their grown children.
