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Western & Eastern Treasures

Ghost Town USA Column Index for New Hampshire

New Hampshire is one of the smallest states in America and has a rich heritage dating back into the earliest days of European colonial settlement.  As a result, this small state has a huge history filled with many hamlets, and tiny towns that were established, and eventually faded out.  Mill towns were founded along rivers, and later supplanted by agriculture or other industry as the need for the mills and their supporting communities decreased.

The logging industry also created many ephemeral logging camps and temporary logging centers that eventually faded from sight as the industry moved to other locations.   Finding the sites of these old camps is a challenge, and one that can reward a stubborn, or shall I say, persistent ghost towner with some interesting finds. 

Agricultural communities also add to the list of ghost towns that can be discovered in this state.  New Hampshire is “blessed” with some severe winter weather, and oft times towns would be located in areas that may be physically appealing, but agriculturally non-productive.  After a few seasons of blasting winters, they may have been relocated into more sheltered areas that would be more productive.

Like most other eastern states, the vast majority of ghost towns in New Hampshire are barren sites, marked only by foundation pits and outlines of buildings.  This makes research an absolute must.  Also unlike the western states, New Hampshire’s counties are divided up into towns (townships).  Each of these “towns” usually have several villages, many times all carrying the name of the town such as:  Town of Grafton (1990 population of 923) consists of the villages of Grafton (225), Grafton Center (125) and East Grafton (75).  These are all located in Grafton County!

My information on New Hampshire is spotty at best.  Having never visited the Granite State, any information listed below is strictly through research therefore some of the locations may not actually be ghosts.  Care has been made in the selection of sites to be included, but errors may have crept in.  If you know of any ghost towns in the Granite State that are not listed here, or know the current status of towns listed with little information, please contact us at GTUSA. 

AMOSKEAG

Hillsborough Co.

This old class A milling community was located on an island in the middle of the Merrimack River inside the city limits of Manchester.  Exact location not determined

BAILEY'S CAMP

Coos Co.

This old logging camp was located east of Whitefield, in the Israel River basin area near Meadows.  The exact location is not determined.

CAMP 1-24, 8B,

21A-24A, 24B

Grafton Co.

A cluster of 30 logging camps located in the White Mountains in area east of Lincoln in the following area…west of US 302, south of Twin Mountain, and north of SH 112.

CHERRY POND

Coos Co.

This was another old logging camp, and was located west of Meadows on the old logging railroad grade.  Exact location not determined.

DORCHESTER

Grafton Co.

In 1990, some 40 folks still lived in this tiny town located 17 AIR miles northeast of Lebanon, just west of SH 118, midway between Plymouth and Hanover.

FRANCONIA FURNACE

Grafton Co.

This old iron furnace community was probably located near Franconia, which is on I-93, nine miles southeast of Littleton.

Exact location not determined.

HILL

(Original site)

Merrimack Co.

Along the west bank of the Pemigewasset River near modern village of Hill (1990 population – 250), at the north end of the county.  The community was originally incorporated in 1753, and was relocated in 1941 when the Franklin Falls (flood control) Dam was built and the old town was located on the floodplain behind the dam.  Before relocation, Hill was considered a “…classically beautiful small town.”

KIDDERVILLE

Coos Co.

This rural community is located on SH 26, six miles east of Colebrook.

LIVERMORE 

(AKA - LIVERMORE MILLS)

Carroll Co.

Established around 1876, this former lumbering community was located in Crawford Notch, the tail extension of the county in heart of the White Mountains.  Midway between Plymouth and Blair, just off I-93.  It was once incorporated and had 200-300 people, but was ghosted by the early 1950s.

MELVIN MILLS

Merrimack Co.

This rural community is located in the northeast corner of Bradford Township, in the western end of the county, about 20 AIR miles west-northwest of Concord.

MONSON

Hillsborough Co.

This c1746-1770s era agricultural community is located in the Town of Milford, near Hollis.  Rubble and foundation pits are all that remain.

NOTCHLAND

Carroll Co.

Location not determined

PASSACONAWAY

Carroll Co.

Also known as Albany, Barton and Old Shag, this tiny town had a population of 10 in 1990.  It is probably in the Conway Township, as it received its mail from Conway in 1990.  Actual location is not determined.

PRISCILLA BROOK

Coos Co.

This was another logging camp located along the Whitefield-Meadows logging railroad grade. Exact location not determined.

QUINNTOWN

Grafton Co.

Established in the 1830s, this rural community is located on the Appalachian Trail where it crosses Jacobs Brook, two miles east of SH 25A at a point five miles from Orford.

ROXBURY CENTER

Cheshire Co.

This old milling community is located about four miles northeast of Keene.  It is south of SH 9 and north of SH 101.

SNACKITY

Strafford Co.

This old agricultural community is located near Blue Job Mountain, between Strafford and Rochester in west part of county.  It was founded in the late 1700s and abandoned by the early 1900s.

THORNTON'S FERRY

Hillsborough Co.

On west side of Merrimack River, one mile south of Merrimack.

WILSON TAVERN

Hillsborough Co.

Location not determined

ZEALAND

Grafton Co.

This was another 1880s-early1900s era transient logging camp located south of US 302, about six miles west of Bretton.

Historians estimate that there may be as many as 50,000 ghost towns scattered across the United States of America. Gary B. Speck Publications is currently in process of publishing unique state, regional, and county guides called

The Ghost Town Guru's Guide to the Ghost Towns of *** ™

These original guides are designed for anybody interested in ghost towns. Whether you are a casual tourist looking for a new and different place to visit, or a hard-core ghost town researcher, these guides will be just right for you. With over 30 years of research behind them, they will be a welcome addition to any ghost towner's library.

Thank you, and we'll see you out on the Ghost Town Trail!

For more information on the ghost towns of NEW HAMPSHIRE, contact us at Ghost Town USA.

E-mailers, PLEASE NOTE:

Due to the tremendous amount of viruses, worms and “spam,” out there, I no longer open or respond to any e-mails with unsolicited attachments, OR messages on the subject lines with “Hey”, “Hi”, “Need help”, “Help Please”, “???”, or blank subject lines, etc.  If you do send E-mail asking for information, or sharing information, PLEASE indicate the appropriate location AND state name, or other topic on the “subject” line. 

THANK YOU!  :o)

IMPORTANT

These listings and historical vignettes of ghost towns, near-ghost towns and other historical sites in NEW HAMPSHIRE above are for informational purposes only, and should NOT be construed to grant permission to trespass, metal detect, relic or treasure hunt at any of the listed sites.

If the reader of this guide is a metal detector user and plans to use this guide to locate sites for metal detecting or relic hunting, it is the READER'S responsibility to obtain written permission from the legal property owners. Please be advised, that any state or nationally owned sites will probably be off-limits to metal detector use. Also be aware of any federal, state or local laws restricting the same.

When you are exploring the ghost towns of NEW HAMPSHIRE, please abide by the

Ghost Towner's Code of Ethics.