Jim Irwin boarded a train in South Boston headed for Weirs with hopes of playing music in front of thousands of people looking for amusement after long days spent on the lake.
Irwin Marine was foundedafter purchasing Greens Boat Livery and renaming it Irwin Marine. Jim signed with Chris-Craft Boats and began selling them in the Lakes Region.
After several years of playing in Boston in the winter and in New Hampshire in the summer it was time to find somewhere to settle down. World War 1 had ended, and Jim was back home from the Navy. It was then that he had the opportunity to purchase the old music hall at the Weirs right on Tower Street.
What could have been the first ever ski train in the world pulled into the Weirs from Boston with thousands of excursionists. The music hall flourished, and days spent out on the lake stretched into nights dancing and singing in the hall. Power boat regattas were held in the bay, a seaplane and pilot gave rides at the Weirs which turned into the country’s first air mail service.
Business for Jim Irwin flourished as he entertained crowds with movies and music at The Winnipesaukee Gardens and sold brands such as Chris-Crafts, Gar Woods, and Hacker-Crafts under the dance hall.
In the following year, The Winnipesaukee Gardens was built on the waterfront and the minute, the building was complete, the crowds came barreling in.
Unfortunately the music hall was set aflame and much of the Weirs was too. But this tragedy only led to greater opportunity.
The Great Depression struck and made it difficult for boat owners to continue to boat. Jim Irwin came up with the idea to run Miss Winnipesaukee speedboat rides. Tours of the lake were offered on the Flying Yankee and the Queen of the Lakes Region. These solutions helped everyone to continue to enjoy the lake and made sure the Irwin businesses made it through these tough times.
The old Mt. Washington and everything else on the waterfront except the Gardens burned down. Jim Irwin and a group of businessmen set out to find a new boat. They found The Chateaugay of Lake Champlain, purchased it, and stripped it down to be sent to the lake and rebuilt. This became the Mt Washington II.
Rock n’ roll became popular and The Winnipesaukee Gardens drew in crowds with bands such as Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, The Kingsmen, and more.
After years of success The Winnipesaukee Gardens was sold. Jim Irwin hosted talents such as Duke Ellington, Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra, Les Brown, and many more. Now heading into the 1980s, it was time to focus solely on boating.
Irwin Marine was known to be the oldest Chris-Craft dealer in the country for over 66 years, however after some troubles in the 1980s, Irwin was fortunate enough to take on Sea Ray and later drop Chris-Craft.
Irwin Marine has come quite a ways since Jim Irwin founded the business in 1919. The current team is made up of Bill Irwin and Bruce Wright and Irwin Marine now consists of four locations. Irwin Marine also manages Mountain View Yacht Club and South Down Shores. The focus continues to be on the customers and making sure the boating community is receiving the best product and the ultimate boating experience!
Jim Irwin boarded a train in South Boston headed for Weirs with hopes of playing music in front of thousands of people looking for amusement after long days spent on the lake.
Irwin Marine was foundedafter purchasing Greens Boat Livery and renaming it Irwin Marine. Jim signed with Chris-Craft Boats and began selling them in the Lakes Region.
After several years of playing in Boston in the winter and in New Hampshire in the summer it was time to find somewhere to settle down. World War 1 had ended, and Jim was back home from the Navy. It was then that he had the opportunity to purchase the old music hall at the Weirs right on Tower Street.
What could have been the first ever ski train in the world pulled into the Weirs from Boston with thousands of excursionists. The music hall flourished, and days spent out on the lake stretched into nights dancing and singing in the hall. Power boat regattas were held in the bay, a seaplane and pilot gave rides at the Weirs which turned into the country’s first air mail service.
Unfortunately the music hall was set aflame and much of the Weirs was too. But this tragedy only led to greater opportunity.
In the following year, The Winnipesaukee Gardens was built on the waterfront and the minute, the building was complete, the crowds came barreling in.
Unfortunately the music hall was set aflame and much of the Weirs was too. But this tragedy only led to greater opportunity.
The Great Depression struck and made it difficult for boat owners to continue to boat. Jim Irwin came up with the idea to run Miss Winnipesaukee speedboat rides. Tours of the lake were offered on the Flying Yankee and the Queen of the Lakes Region. These solutions helped everyone to continue to enjoy the lake and made sure the Irwin businesses made it through these tough times.
The old Mt. Washington and everything else on the waterfront except the Gardens burned down. Jim Irwin and a group of businessmen set out to find a new boat. They found The Chateaugay of Lake Champlain, purchased it, and stripped it down to be sent to the lake and rebuilt. This became the Mt Washington II.
Rock n’ roll became popular and The Winnipesaukee Gardens drew in crowds with bands such as Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, The Kingsmen, and more.
After years of success The Winnipesaukee Gardens was sold. Jim Irwin hosted talents such as Duke Ellington, Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra, Les Brown, and many more. Now heading into the 1980s, it was time to focus solely on boating.
Irwin Marine was known to be the oldest Chris-Craft dealer in the country for over 66 years, however after some troubles in the 1980s, Irwin was fortunate enough to take on Sea Ray and later drop Chris-Craft.
Irwin Marine has come quite a ways since Jim Irwin founded the business in 1919. The current team is made up of Bill Irwin and Bruce Wright and Irwin Marine now consists of four locations. Irwin Marine also manages Mountain View Yacht Club and South Down Shores. The focus continues to be on the customers and making sure the boating community is receiving the best product and the ultimate boating experience!