Latest properties added to the NH State Register of Historic Places encompass key aspects of community life

The New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources has announced that the State Historical Resources Council has added four properties to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places. 

One of the first free-standing buildings in Alexandria Village when it was built in 1894, Haynes Library consists of a main reading room with a vestibule and office in its ell. Simple in its design and finishes, its brick exterior, fine cut granite window sills and headers, and interior varnished North Carolina pine woodwork made it the finest building in town at the time it was constructed. Named for one of its main benefactors, Dr. Timothy Hayes, the library has provided Alexandria with media and access to programming throughout its 125-year history. 

Once one of ten district schoolhouses in Danbury, North Road Schoolhouse / District No. 4 School was built in the winter of 1853-54 and operated through the 1942-43 school year. A clapboarded one-story, one-room wood-framed building with a rear woodshed / privy addition, its interior has horizontal board wainscot in the entrance and the classroom. The original blackboard was uncovered during a restoration project in the early 2000s. Today, it has an array of schoolhouse desks, a woodstove and various historic artifacts, and serves as the museum and headquarters for the Danbury Historical Society.

Built in 1834 by the First Baptist Society of Henniker and commonly called “the Brick Church,” the one-story Henniker Community Center is still one of the few brick structures in town. Its Gothic Revival features, including pointed arch fans above the windows, in the tower and above the recessed main entrance, were commonly incorporated in church designs during the mid-nineteenth century. The Henniker Masonic Association purchased the building in 1974; the Aurora Lodge of Masons used it for meetings and activities before selling it to the town of Henniker in 2002. 

Old New London Village was established in 1962 and is one of the state’s first open-air museums that consists mainly of rescued and repurposed buildings assembled to recreate a mid-nineteenth century rural New Hampshire village. Historic structures that have been on site for more than 50 years include a cape-style home (1835) with an ell (1850), schoolhouse (1821), privy/woodshed (1850), blacksmith shop (circa 1800), barn (1795), and sheds (circa 1830 and 1840). More recent historic building acquisitions are a country store (1826), barn (circa 1845) and former granary (circa 1840). 

Anyone wishing to nominate a property to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places must research the history of the nominated property and document it on an individual inventory form from the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. Having a property listed in the Register does not impose restrictions on property owners. For more information, visit nhdhr.dncr.nh.gov.

New Hampshire's Division of Historical Resources, the State Historic Preservation Office, was established in 1974 and is part of the NH Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. NHDHR’s mission is to preserve and celebrate New Hampshire’s irreplaceable historic resources through programs and services that provide education, stewardship, and protection. For more information, visit us online at nhdhr.dncr.nh.gov or by calling 603-271-3483.

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