Submerged Town in NH?

Waterbaby · 06-09-2006, 09:14 PM

I'm looking for a little assistance from those familiar with NH history. I seem to remember a story my Mom told me, about a town in NH that was deliberately submerged under water probably about 40 or so years ago. I can't remember the details, other than there was a dam involved -- perhaps there was a very large dam being built and this town was in the way of where the dam was supposed to be placed, so the whole town ended up being underwater? (One small detail at a time is entering my head, though how accurate the details are remains to be seen, lol!) Any help would be appreciated, and please don't suggest I contact Fritz W. on Chronicle, lol - I thought of that and threw that idea right out of my head!

JK47 · 06-09-2006, 10:25 PM

The town is in MA, and it was submerged to build a reservoir. I believe the town is named Quabbin.

Drummer Boy · 06-10-2006, 06:28 AM

Perhaps you are refering to the history of the Quabbin Resevoir that is located in western MA. Four towns were bulldozed back in the 1920's to make way for a resevoir that would create a water supply for the City of Boston. The four towns were Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott. You can get the full story at www.westfordcomp.com/quabbin/

Lake Lady 6 · 06-10-2006, 07:01 AM

The town you may have heard about could be Hill, NH. I have heard it was moved at some point - believe it was after severe flooding and a new dam was built. Perhaps you could Google it or check with the town hall in Hill.

dlindberg · 06-10-2006, 07:02 AM

Also another single town in MA submerged in West Boylston. The town was called Oakdale and was an old mill town. The town was submerged to build the Wachusett Resevior, only an original church still standsright on the banks. This body of water is the second largest in the state next to quabbin res. it also feeds the h2o needs of Boston.

Lake Lady 6 · 06-10-2006, 07:04 AM

Found a site you may be interested in regarding the town of Hill, NH.

www.ghosttowns.com/states/nh/hill.html

Puck · 06-10-2006, 07:16 AM

The Army Corp flood control dam in Franklin floods a village area in the town of Hill. In the summer you can (usually, but I wouldn't try it this year) walk or mountian bike through the area. I thought it was a liitle surreal the last time I was there because the main road was still there with driveways and stone walls surrounding what were once front yards with an occasional apple tree or other large shade tree but there were no houses. In the spring when they close the dam it can be under 60 ft of water or more. There were paint marks identifying highwater lines and dates on tree trunks as you headed down into the old village area.

JasonG · 06-10-2006, 09:28 AM

It may be Arlington Mills Res in Salem NH ( Also known as Arlington Pond ) near Canobie Lake, although this was a farming valley flooded back in the 1910-1925 ish.

The dam was repaired about 20 years ago & the lake drained. I can recall walking the empy lake bed in the valley and seeing some old remains including bridges.

Hope this helps.

Jason

wildwoodfam · 06-11-2006, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JasonG

It may be Arlington Mills Res in Salem NH ( Also known as Arlington Pond ) near Canobie Lake, although this was a farming valley flooded back in the 1910-1925 ish.

The dam was repaired about 20 years ago & the lake drained. I can recall walking the empy lake bed in the valley and seeing some old remains including bridges.

Hope this helps.

Jason

There are a lot of old roads and bridges and stone walls - they flooded a section of Salem - but not an actual town. Speaking of the Queabbin - We lived up in Petersham, MA (on the shores of the Quabbin. There are ghost roads you can hike down and find remnants of the towns mentioned above. Old roads, Main Street in Dana is still identifiable - with old cellar holes, etc...lining the now weed covered roadway. If you want to see something extraordinary - find your way to the south of the Quabbin along route 9 just outside of WARE, MA - near the entrance to the Windsor Dam - across the road is the Quabbin Cemetary - thats right - they exhumed EVERY grave from the valley and many were moved to this cemetary - graves and headstones tell the tale!

SIKSUKR · 06-12-2006, 08:42 AM

I'm pretty sure the town of Weare NH was submerged when the Army Corps of Engineers built the flood control area which is known as Clough State Park.This was done after the great flood of 1938 along with more flood control upstream in Hopkington NH.Interestingly enough,my dad was around in the flood of 1938 which took out most of the bridges across the Merrimack in Manchester.Two days before my mill building flooded on May 14th this year for the first time since 1938,he commented to someone that we will never have a flood in the building again because of the flood control that was built.Never say never!!We did have 4 feet of water but that is nothing compared to 1938.The river was 12 feet higher!!!Wow!

wildwoodfam · 06-12-2006, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SIKSUKR

I'm pretty sure the town of Weare NH was submerged when the Army Corps of Engineers built the flood control area which is known as Clough State Park.This was done after the great flood of 1938 along with more flood control upstream in Hopkington NH.Interestingly enough,my dad was around in the flood of 1938 which took out most of the bridges across the Merrimack in Manchester.Two days before my mill building flooded on May 14th this year for the first time since 1938,he commented to someone that we will never have a flood in the building again because of the flood control that was built.Never say never!!We did have 4 feet of water but that is nothing compared to 1938.The river was 12 feet higher!!!Wow!

We have relatives who live in Weare NH!!

There is a flood control dam there -but there is also a town!

SIKSUKR · 06-13-2006, 08:00 AM

Yes there is a town there.I live 8 miles from Weare.I believed that the town center or parts of the town were moved when the flood control was built and created the lake at Clough State park.When I googled Weare's website,there was nothing mentioned under their history link about what I thought happened.Maybe I'm thinking of an adjacent town.I did find a site about Hill NH and that small town did relocate.It appears that it was not due to manmade flooding but natural floods.Heres the link.http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/nh/hill.html

Weirs guy · 06-13-2006, 10:59 AM

If my memory is correct Hill's relocation was due to the flood control dam being built to prevent the natural flooding issues they had. Either way the town needed to move up the hill, but I believe there was 1 natural flood that elliminated a lot of the town, then the decision was made to move what was left and build the dam. Those dam guys do know their dam business!

Waterbaby · 06-15-2006, 09:06 PM

I want to thank you all for your responses -- it was, indeed, Hill that Mom was talking about. After asking her my question I did as much research online as I could; of course, Mom wanted the sites I had visited so I had to research my research

....... Needless to say, I am fascinated by the story and appreciate all of your help. Perhaps one day there will be a calendar published titled "Submerged Town of New England", with research credits given to all!

Seriously, though, I find it amazing that there are so many towns just in this small area which were put below water for one reason or another; I have to wonder how many are across this country.

JohnNH · 06-16-2006, 02:48 PM

I live in South Weare. The village of East Weare is described in the following link. It's now a flood control area off East Road = dead or wet end.

http://www.newhampshire.com/pages/nh...rker-weare.cfm

SIKSUKR · 06-19-2006, 09:17 AM

Thanks John.As I posted earlier,thought I remembered Weare being submerged for the flood control.

JohnNH · 06-20-2006, 07:32 AM

SIKSUKR,

I have spoken to several elderly people in the Northwest Hillsboro county area (while fishing on lakes in the area) and they have some amazing stories about the horrific floods back in 38 (must have been dreadful).
What I find most impressive is the engineering that took place following those floods. If it wasn't for some amazing flood control designs that collect water and divert it through a water level management system, the recent floods would have caused far more damage. The East side of Weare, East Dunbarton and the Village of Goffstown are on the down hill (receiving) end of the heavy water flow. The people in Goffstown suffered greatly during the receent rains and one can only imagine what the outcome would have been if the Clough Flood Control was not in place.

I don't know if you ever watched the Fritz Weatherby story about the floods in Hillsboro County = it's a sad story and amazing that people not only survived, but stayed to rebuild their communities.

John/NH

Rock N. Robin · 11-05-2006, 11:14 AM

Another place to seek information, albeit a bit more humble: http://www.historicalsocietiesNH.org. On the Directory page find contact information (incluing many e-mail addresses) for all the historical societies in NH.

There is also a listserv which reaches the historical society community in NH. You could submit a question such as this without actually subscribing to the listserv. Write up your question in trebuchet, 12-point, and send it to AnnSprague@historicalsocietiesNH.org with a subject line of "Item for the e-ssociate." Include your (real) name and contact information via which you would like to receive responses.

06-09-2006, 09:14 PM	#1
Waterbaby Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Kensington, NH and Paugus Bay Marina Posts: 656 Thanks: 323 Thanked 17 Times in 13 Posts	Submerged Town in NH? I'm looking for a little assistance from those familiar with NH history. I seem to remember a story my Mom told me, about a town in NH that was deliberately submerged under water probably about 40 or so years ago. I can't remember the details, other than there was a dam involved -- perhaps there was a very large dam being built and this town was in the way of where the dam was supposed to be placed, so the whole town ended up being underwater? (One small detail at a time is entering my head, though how accurate the details are remains to be seen, lol!) Any help would be appreciated, and please don't suggest I contact Fritz W. on Chronicle, lol - I thought of that and threw that idea right out of my head!

06-10-2006, 06:28 AM	#3
Drummer Boy Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 40 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Submerged Towns in MA Perhaps you are refering to the history of the Quabbin Resevoir that is located in western MA. Four towns were bulldozed back in the 1920's to make way for a resevoir that would create a water supply for the City of Boston. The four towns were Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott. You can get the full story at www.westfordcomp.com/quabbin/

06-10-2006, 07:01 AM	#4
Lake Lady 6 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 102 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Submerged Town The town you may have heard about could be Hill, NH. I have heard it was moved at some point - believe it was after severe flooding and a new dam was built. Perhaps you could Google it or check with the town hall in Hill.

06-10-2006, 07:04 AM	#6
Lake Lady 6 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 102 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Waterbaby Found a site you may be interested in regarding the town of Hill, NH. www.ghosttowns.com/states/nh/hill.html

06-10-2006, 09:28 AM	#8
JasonG Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 310 Thanks: 48 Thanked 45 Times in 33 Posts	Arlington Mills Res in salem NH? It may be Arlington Mills Res in Salem NH ( Also known as Arlington Pond ) near Canobie Lake, although this was a farming valley flooded back in the 1910-1925 ish. The dam was repaired about 20 years ago & the lake drained. I can recall walking the empy lake bed in the valley and seeing some old remains including bridges. Hope this helps. Jason

06-09-2006, 10:25 PM	#2
JK47 Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 20 Thanks: 0 Thanked 23 Times in 1 Post	The town is in MA, and it was submerged to build a reservoir. I believe the town is named Quabbin.

06-10-2006, 07:02 AM	#5
dlindberg Junior Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Also another single town in MA submerged in West Boylston. The town was called Oakdale and was an old mill town. The town was submerged to build the Wachusett Resevior, only an original church still standsright on the banks. This body of water is the second largest in the state next to quabbin res. it also feeds the h2o needs of Boston.

06-10-2006, 07:16 AM	#7
Puck Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Central NH Posts: 89 Thanks: 0 Thanked 68 Times in 18 Posts	The Army Corp flood control dam in Franklin floods a village area in the town of Hill. In the summer you can (usually, but I wouldn't try it this year) walk or mountian bike through the area. I thought it was a liitle surreal the last time I was there because the main road was still there with driveways and stone walls surrounding what were once front yards with an occasional apple tree or other large shade tree but there were no houses. In the spring when they close the dam it can be under 60 ft of water or more. There were paint marks identifying highwater lines and dates on tree trunks as you headed down into the old village area.

06-12-2006, 08:42 AM	#10
SIKSUKR Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 5,075 Thanks: 215 Thanked 903 Times in 509 Posts	Weare NH I'm pretty sure the town of Weare NH was submerged when the Army Corps of Engineers built the flood control area which is known as Clough State Park.This was done after the great flood of 1938 along with more flood control upstream in Hopkington NH.Interestingly enough,my dad was around in the flood of 1938 which took out most of the bridges across the Merrimack in Manchester.Two days before my mill building flooded on May 14th this year for the first time since 1938,he commented to someone that we will never have a flood in the building again because of the flood control that was built.Never say never!!We did have 4 feet of water but that is nothing compared to 1938.The river was 12 feet higher!!!Wow! __________________ SIKSUKR

06-13-2006, 08:00 AM	#12
SIKSUKR Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 5,075 Thanks: 215 Thanked 903 Times in 509 Posts	Yes there is a town there.I live 8 miles from Weare.I believed that the town center or parts of the town were moved when the flood control was built and created the lake at Clough State park.When I googled Weare's website,there was nothing mentioned under their history link about what I thought happened.Maybe I'm thinking of an adjacent town.I did find a site about Hill NH and that small town did relocate.It appears that it was not due to manmade flooding but natural floods.Heres the link.http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/nh/hill.html __________________ SIKSUKR

06-13-2006, 10:59 AM	#13
Weirs guy Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Weirs Beach, NH Posts: 1,067 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	If my memory is correct Hill's relocation was due to the flood control dam being built to prevent the natural flooding issues they had. Either way the town needed to move up the hill, but I believe there was 1 natural flood that elliminated a lot of the town, then the decision was made to move what was left and build the dam. Those dam guys do know their dam business! __________________ Is it bikeweek yet? Now?

06-15-2006, 09:06 PM	#14
Waterbaby Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Kensington, NH and Paugus Bay Marina Posts: 656 Thanks: 323 Thanked 17 Times in 13 Posts	Thank You All! I want to thank you all for your responses -- it was, indeed, Hill that Mom was talking about. After asking her my question I did as much research online as I could; of course, Mom wanted the sites I had visited so I had to research my research ....... Needless to say, I am fascinated by the story and appreciate all of your help. Perhaps one day there will be a calendar published titled "Submerged Town of New England", with research credits given to all! Seriously, though, I find it amazing that there are so many towns just in this small area which were put below water for one reason or another; I have to wonder how many are across this country.

06-16-2006, 02:48 PM	#15
JohnNH Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Weare, NH Posts: 72 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	East Weare, NH gone forever I live in South Weare. The village of East Weare is described in the following link. It's now a flood control area off East Road = dead or wet end. http://www.newhampshire.com/pages/nh...rker-weare.cfm

06-19-2006, 09:17 AM	#16
SIKSUKR Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 5,075 Thanks: 215 Thanked 903 Times in 509 Posts	I knew it! Thanks John.As I posted earlier,thought I remembered Weare being submerged for the flood control. __________________ SIKSUKR

06-20-2006, 07:32 AM	#17
JohnNH Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Weare, NH Posts: 72 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Flood Control = worked SIKSUKR, I have spoken to several elderly people in the Northwest Hillsboro county area (while fishing on lakes in the area) and they have some amazing stories about the horrific floods back in 38 (must have been dreadful). What I find most impressive is the engineering that took place following those floods. If it wasn't for some amazing flood control designs that collect water and divert it through a water level management system, the recent floods would have caused far more damage. The East side of Weare, East Dunbarton and the Village of Goffstown are on the down hill (receiving) end of the heavy water flow. The people in Goffstown suffered greatly during the receent rains and one can only imagine what the outcome would have been if the Clough Flood Control was not in place. I don't know if you ever watched the Fritz Weatherby story about the floods in Hillsboro County = it's a sad story and amazing that people not only survived, but stayed to rebuild their communities. John/NH

11-05-2006, 11:14 AM	#18
Rock N. Robin Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Enjoying the discussion Another place to seek information, albeit a bit more humble: http://www.historicalsocietiesNH.org. On the Directory page find contact information (incluing many e-mail addresses) for all the historical societies in NH. There is also a listserv which reaches the historical society community in NH. You could submit a question such as this without actually subscribing to the listserv. Write up your question in trebuchet, 12-point, and send it to AnnSprague@historicalsocietiesNH.org with a subject line of "Item for the e-ssociate." Include your (real) name and contact information via which you would like to receive responses.