Mapping the Oval

The Milford Information Booth (September 2026 Edition)

Long before the days of Google Maps, TripAdvisor or Yelp, Milford had a rather low-tech means of giving locals information on restaurants, attractions, and other goings-on.

For nearly three decades in the mid-20th century, this small white log cabin known as the Milford Information Booth was set up in various spots around the Oval between July and Labor Day each year. A sign above it read: “Welcome to Milford, N.H. — In the Heart of New England — Settled 1738 — Incorporated 1794 — Population 5,202 — Elevation 271.”

For years, it was staffed by Edward Ruonala, a knowledgeable local who served as a kind of town-wide concierge, giving visitors a roundup of local eating dives, the most direct or scenic route to nearby destinations, and even the best place to get fresh worms — for use as bait, one would hope. More than 2,000 information seekers stopped by each summer.

In 1971, the booth was replaced by the Chamber of Commerce’s information services, which no doubt were just as knowledgeable about local businesses but didn’t quite have the same charm.

The Milford Inn

When a Sunday evening fire heavily damaged the Milford Inn in May 1959, not everyone saw it as a great tragedy. The late 1950s were an era when old buildings often disappeared with little ceremony, and plenty of people were happy to replace aging landmarks with something newer and more modern. Standing on Union Square since 1786, the inn—known over the years as Buxton's Tavern and later Hotel Howison—had certainly seen better days. One of Milford's oldest frame buildings, it had long since ceased to attract travelers and instead housed mostly single male boarders.

Looking back more than 60 years later, though, it's hard not to wonder if Milford gave up something it would now treasure. Today, towns like Concord and Groton proudly anchor their downtowns with beautifully restored colonial inns. A restored Milford Inn would almost certainly have become one of the architectural showpieces on the west side of the Oval.

Then again, history rarely gives us a clean choice. The old inn's footprint also includes today's Riverhouse Café, and suggesting Milford trade away its "damn good grub" would be asking an awful lot in the name of historic preservation.