Industrial innovation the subject of a NH Historical Highway Marker

The N.H. Division of Historical Resources is pleased to announce that a New Hampshire Historical Highway Marker commemorating the invention and distribution of ground-breaking chain link fencing technology has been installed near the intersection of N.H. Routes 27 and 156 in Raymond.

The marker reads: 

“CHAIN LINK FENCE INNOVATION”

“In 1930, while living in Raymond, Frank J. Mafera patented a method of forming wire fence fabric that was appealing for residential use as it was safer and more attractive, yet still strong. Prior to this innovation, chain link fencing was woven in a way that left ‘ragged or unsightly’ twists or barbs. Mafera’s technique produced a closed, rounded configuration that is still used in the manufacturing of some chain link fencing. This fence style was first sold at Mafera’s Barnyard Fence Company in Raymond, which later became the New Hampshire Fence Company.”

It is the 273rd marker in New Hampshire’s Historical Highway Marker program. 

Any municipality, agency, organization or individual wishing to propose a historical highway marker to commemorate significant New Hampshire places, persons or events must submit a petition of support signed by at least 20 New Hampshire residents. They must also draft the text of the marker and provide footnotes and copies of supporting documentation, as well as a suggested location for marker placement.

New Hampshire’s historical highway markers illustrate the depth and complexity of our history and the people who made it, from the last Revolutionary War soldier to contemporary sports figures to poets and painters who used New Hampshire for inspiration; from 18th-century meeting houses to stone arch bridges to long-lost villages; from factories and cemeteries to sites where international history was made. 

An interactive map of all of the state’s historical highway markers is available at the N.H. Division of Historical Resources’ website, nhdhr.dncr.nh.gov. 

The New Hampshire Historical Highway Marker program is jointly managed by the N.H. Division of Historical Resources and N.H. Department of Transportation.

###