In northern Trump country, a political agnostic mulls his vote
“This is live free or die territory,’’ he said.
Steve Ellis in his Pittsburg, New Hampshire living room.
PITTSBURG, N.H. — In this first-in-the-nation primary state, you can’t get much further north than Steve Ellis’ property.
Giving directions, he specifies: His street is about the last one before the electricity stops.
Ellis is technically an outsider — a flatlander, they’re called — who relocated here in 2008 from Connecticut to reside on land he owned along a lake.
“If you’re an avid fly fisherman like I am and a country guy,’’ he said, “this is the place to be.’’
Now 69, the former insurance employee has coached a state championship baseball team and serves as the chair of the board of selectmen. He’s building a massive log cabin that he calls his dream home.
He understands why his friends who retired to sunnier, warmer climates think he’s a little crazy for heading north instead of south. But it doesn’t bother him much.
“This is God’s country,’’ he said.
The view of First Lake from Ellis’ under-construction log cabin.
Ellis sits in his current cozy living room, flanked by a taxidermied moose dressed in overalls named Larry and an otter staring at the wall. Two bears, a handful of deer and several shellacked fish are also mounted on the walls.
He’s not a hunter, he said, but has a taxidermist friend whose work he admires.
Scenes from Ellis’ living room: Larry the taxidermied moose (left) and stuffed deer and salmon.
No campaign signs flank Ellis’ land, unlike the terrain occupied by many of his neighbors, who have blue Trump signs fluttering along the shoulder or nailed to the side of their house.
“This is live free or die territory,’’ he said. “My town is a town where people are still extremely independent. We don’t have a zoning, planning boards, so you can build whatever the hell you want up here. And that’s kind of their attitude. ‘Nobody’s going to tell me what to do.’’’
The barn, built in 2008 and stuffed with antique cars, snowmobiles, tools and motors.
Officially, Ellis is undeclared, though he’s pulled Republican ballots in the last few elections. He’s attended a few debates, including Saturday’s Republican debate at St. Anselm’s College, where he’s a board member.
He wouldn’t say who he’s voting for on the Republican ticket. But he likes the governors: New Jersey’s Chris Christie, Florida’s Jeb Bush and Ohio’s John Kasich.
“Whoever I think can do the job to address the issues the country is facing, that person’s the one I’m going to vote for,’’ he said.
Ellis with some of the antique outboard motors he’s collected over the years.
He’s not as enthused about Trump as some of his neighbors. Ellis isn’t quite sure how Trump would manage in a foreign policy discussion, for one thing. And he worries about the unstable stock market.
Ellis’ property includes a massive 7,500-square foot barn, which is more museum than garage. Inside sits his collection of antique cars, snowmobiles, outboard motors and dozens and dozens of other immaculately cared-for antiques.
“I have the sickness of collecting,’’ Ellis admitted.
Some of Ellis’ antique Fords.
He’s no disorganized hoarder. The snowmobiles are perfectly angled in the same direction. The sailboat flags are hung in alphabetical order. The farm equipment upstairs is placed on shelves and displayed better than most historical societies would manage.
“This is what happens when you have an empty van and some money,’’ he said.
Some of the 31 snowmobiles.
As he walks through his treasures, he explains the heritage of each item and asks guests to guess what a particular contraption was used for 100 years ago. The wooden piece here is a cooper’s workbench. That metal plow-like tool is a corn planter.
Upstairs in Ellis’ barn.
Ellis will go to the Pittsburg fire station Tuesday and cast his secret ballot like 500 or so of his neighbors. But in this part of New Hampshire, even an elected official isn’t too obsessed with politics.
“To be very candid with you,’’ he said, “I’m kind of living in the woods right here.’’
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com