historic preservation

Saturday, May 7, a crowd of more than 100 local officials, residents and friends gathered at the Gorham Town Hall to celebrate the grand opening of the Gorham Auditorium and mark the completion of a truly impressive renovation project.

“I have a scheme,” said New Hampshire Governor Frank Rollins in 1899 at the Sons of New Hampshire dinner in Boston. “It is this,” he continued. “To have a week in summer set apart to be called Old Home Week and to make it an annual affair.”

By Donna Green

An historic stone arch bridge which connects two New Hampshire towns has been given a new life thanks entirely to volunteer labor, donated materials and approximately $45,000 of private funds. In May, town residents will celebrate the official opening of the rebuilt Old Stage Road Bridge, and the end of a remarkable story of volunteerism and inter-municipal cooperation.

Editor’s Note

In 2002, Michael Behrendt, Rochester, New Hampshire’s city planner, undertook a series of articles for the Rochester Times on the city’s architecture that continued as a biweekly series of 28 articles, rather than the planned four or five. The book, The Architectural Jewels of Rochester New Hampshire: A History of the Built Environment, was published in October 2009, building on and adding to that original series.

Cities and towns throughout New Hampshire are becoming increasingly mindful of the importance of preserving their historic character. Inspiring stories abound, such as the remarkable rescue of the Colonel Paul Wentworth House, circa 1701. Originally built in what is now Rollinsford, in 1936 the house was moved to Dover, Massachusetts. When new owners wanted to demolish the house in 2001, they donated the house to the Town of Rollinsford. Local citizens raised funds and moved the house—board by board—back to Rollinsford, to within yards of its original location.