A river runs through...
“The river has great wisdom and whispers its secrets to the hearts of men.” – Mark Twain
From the beginning of human history, rivers have been an important part of our survival. Rivers provide important ecologic functions, are habitats for many species of plants and animals, and can provide a critical means of transportation. People gathered around rivers to make use of their natural resources and it can be argued that in many cases rivers gave us the ability to grow as a civilization. Evidence of this importance is signified in river towns throughout New Hampshire which experienced rapid growth in the middle of the 19th century after newly constructed railroad corridors connected rural farm towns to the rest of New England, fostering the development of numerous profitable mills along the banks of rivers throughout the state.
Over time, the rail lines stopped running and many mill operations failed. By the close of the 20th century, formerly bustling towns experienced the abandonment or closure of the mills along their riverbanks. Some towns have prospered and found new uses for their mills as housing or other industrial, commercial, cultural or educational space such as mills in Manchester and Dover. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, many of the other mills have remained abandoned, particularly in rural small towns. With no occupants or use for these former buildings, the properties and derelict buildings often have become a nuisance to some communities, many with windows broken, graffiti on walls, and parking lots overgrown with weeds.
Up and down river valleys across the state, mills can be found on a continuum from structurally sound but empty or underutilized mill buildings, to buildings that have fallen into disrepair due to flooding or neglect, to vacant lots. Many towns continue to wrestle with this legacy and struggle to identify the means and options available to adequately address and restore these sites. Two such mills, coincidentally both along the Contoocook River, have recently been the focus of efforts to rescue the river from hazards associated with these buildings, and pursue a new vison for these sites. These recent steps forward are the direct result of a commitment from many partners, primarily the towns where the mills are located and most recently, with assistance from the EPA Removal program.
The Contoocook River flows for 71 miles from Poole Pond in Rindge, New Hampshire, north-northeasterly to the state capitol, Concord, where it enters the Merrimack River. This river is often associated with boating, paddling and scenic views and was designated into the New Hampshire Rivers Management and Protection Program in June 1991. Historically, the Contoocook River’s north-northeasterly flow pattern made it an important travel and communication corridor in pre-colonial times and during settlement. The area was home to the Kon-wa-teg-ok trail, which connected the Native American villages along the Contoocook River north to the river’s confluence with the Merrimack River. The river was later harnessed for energy as mills were built along the river. Hillsborough was one of the first communities to harness the power of the Contoocook and by the 1950s, a half dozen mills in Hillsborough had thrived using energy from the Contoocook. One of these mills was the Woods Woolen Mill.
The Woods Woolen Mill operated as a textile mill in the late 1800s, with textile manufacturing occurring for about the next 100 years. The mill diverted water from the river to power its machinery and thus was built essentially into the river over time. When the mill operations ceased in 1985, the site was sold and successive operations failed at the site. Eventually the site was abandoned. Following a fire, the buildings most in disrepair and presenting significant hazards were demolished in the early 2000s, leaving behind concrete foundations along the riverbank, and in the uplands, a small office building and a former boiler house. Since that time, the overgown, vacant site has become the responsibility of the Town of Hillsborough through tax deeding.
The former boiler house contained significant quantities of asbestos and lead paint. Perched precariously next to the river, it threatened to collapse into the river with a high likelihood of causing a release of hazardous materials to the air, surrounding soil, and the adjacent Contoocook River. As such, in the fall of 2021, an EPA Removal Action was initiated to remove the building. Removal of building debris and associated contaminated soil hot spots is currently underway and will be completed in the early summer 2022. The removal of the boiler house and the last remaining building positions the Town of Hillsborough at an important step towards progress for the future of this site.
From Hillsborough, the Contoocook River winds its way through Henniker, Contoocook, and Penacook and into Boscawen and Concord where it converges with the Merrimack River. Just upstream of this confluence, the remnants of another large mill remain. This site was established in 1820 as a sawmill and by the mid-1800s it was developed into the Stratton & Company Flourmill. At the turn of the 20th century, the mill was the largest flour mill in New England, producing 300 barrels of flour and 500 bushels of corn meal a day. In 1942, the site was sold and converted to a modern tannery known as Allied Leather, which processed split leathers and received hides. The Site, which was acquired by tax lien and transferred to the Town of Boscawen in 2009, has been vacant since Allied Leather filed for bankruptcy in 1987.
The site has remained vacant despite efforts from the Town of Boscawen to assess, revitalize and market the property. In late 2021, buildings had deteriorated to the point of creating a hazard to the adjacent road, which had to be closed to thru traffic. By early 2022, a large wooden wall had fallen onto the riverside and pieces were in the adjacent Contoocook River. The EPA Removal program had initiated response actions to address environmental hazards, but these new structural hazards elevated concerns. An EPA contractor deployed booms to capture debris in the river and steps were taken to secure a contractor to demolish the building before any further environmental or structural safety issues occurred. Given the presence of PCBs and asbestos in the building materials, demolition and disposal of associated debris from these buildings was beyond the resources of the Town of Boscawen.
Once the EPA Removal activities are complete at each of these sites, the NHDES Brownfields program and other project partners, including consultants, EPA and Central New Hampshire Planning Commission, will work with the towns to identify additional funding sources to further address issues precluding redevelopment. These tasks include environmental assessment work which may be necessary to identify remaining potential health risks and pursuing cleanup funding as necessary. Recent federal funding has created unprecedented opportunities for municipalities to revitalize legacy Brownfields sites in their communities, such as these former riverside mills. NHDES was recently awarded a $2 million assessment grant from EPA that can assist municipalities in assessing properties they are considering acquiring or have acquired, often involuntarily through abandonment or tax deeding. This and other funding opportunities will be the subject of an article in a future Newsletter.
While the history of these mills is rich and vivid, humans must find a way to evolve and ultimately they do. Over time, opportunities present themselves and communities can take advantage of them to build a better future. Given the mill’s reliance on rail to transport goods, many sites are located along existing or potential rail trails in former railroad corridors. The Woods Woolen mill site is located near the eastern terminus of a section of a railroad right-of-way (ROW) owned by the State of New Hampshire, which has a high potential for recreational use. The proposed future use of the site would provide a greenspace and recreational trail for town residents and attract visitors from other nearby communities to access the trail. This improved use of the site would bring in additional income to the town’s businesses since the site is located within proximity to the downtown that visitors will travel through to access the site. The site is also currently being evaluated for floodplain reconnection and improving resilience. The Town of Boscawen is currently evaluating potential uses for the Stratton Mill site. It is also within walking or biking distance to a rail trail that is actively being improved to ultimately connect to Concord. The Stratton Flour mill site reuse strategy will bring life back to this area and provide opportunities for the Town of Boscawen.
The redevelopment of riverside mills across New Hampshire leads to a host of positive outcomes including increased economic development, community engagement, cultural and recreational opportunities, and offsetting impacts due to climate change. Through these activities, it is possible to honor the rich and vivid history of New Hampshire’s mills while finding a way to evolve to meet the interest and need of today’s communities, and protect and preserve our ecological and historical resources.
“The river moves, but it follows a path. When it tires of one journey, it rubs through some rock to forge a new way. Hard work, but that’s its nature.” – Kekla Magoon