Beebe River Railroad, New Hampshire – In January 1917, the Publishers Paper Company sold the Beebe River land tract (around 22,000 acres) to the Parker-Young Company. And in March 1917, the New Hampshire legislature approved the incorporation of the Beebe River Railroad. Also in the same year, the Woodstock Lumber Company, an affiliate of Parker-Young, built the Beebe River sawmill and mill village in Campton.

From 1917-1924, the Woodstock Lumber Company and Parker-Young operated the mill and railroad. Including sidings and spur lines, the railroad was roughly 25-miles long. It began off the Boston & Maine Railroad in Campton, followed the Beebe River drainage up into Sandwich, and ended near logging Camp 12 at the base of Mount Whiteface in Waterville. Some of the spruce harvested by this railroad was used in the manufacturing of airplanes during World War 1.

Like other logging railroads in the White Mountains, there were a number of rail-side logging camps along the Beebe River Railroad. For the most part, the locations of the twelve rail-side camps are easily identifiable, but the mountain camps (camps located off the mainline) are hidden on the mountainsides. To date, I know of fifteen logging camps associated with this railroad. And I am sure there are more to be found.

The Beebe River Railroad was known for its many trestles, and a hairpin corner, near logging Camp 9, called the ‘Horseshoe”. The above wetlands area along the Flat Mountain Pond Trail, which utilizes the old railroad, is the general area of where the hairpin corner was. The log trains pretty much had to come to a crawl when going around this hairpin corner.

During the railroad logging era, forest fires were a major concern, and the Beebe River Railroad dealt with a few. The logging slash left behind from poor logging practices fueled many fires. And during a stretch of dry weather in July 1923, an estimated 3,500 acres burned along the Beebe River Railroad: the Flat Mountain fire. The fire destroyed both logging Camps 11 and 12, which were located at the base of the mountain range above. Railroad operations likely caused the fire, and blame was placed on the Woodstock Lumber Company.

In 1924, the Draper Corporation purchased the Beebe River land tract, the Beebe mill and company buildings, and the railroad. Under the agreement, the Woodstock Lumber Company would harvest the remaining spruce and operate the mill until May 1925.

Once the property was transferred over to Draper Corporation, they converted the Beebe River mill over to a bobbin mill. However, they did not use the railroad for logging purposes until 1934. In 1934 a section of the railroad was repaired so hardwood logs could be hauled to the bobbin mill. But the railroad operated only for a few years, and the last timber hauled on the Beebe River Railroad was in 1935. By 1942 the railroad track was removed and donated to the war effort (World War 2). A few pieces of the railroad track was left behind though.

Shay locomotives were mainly used on the Beebe River Railroad during the Woodstock Lumber Company years, but in the early 1920s a Climax locomotive, now housed at Clark’s Trading Post, was added to the fleet. The Draper Corporation used smaller Plymouth locomotives on the railroad and in the yard. The Plymouth Diesel locomotive above, on display in Lincoln, was used at Draper's Beebe River mill.

During the 1940s and 1950s, truck logging was being used to haul timber out of the Beebe River drainage, and the old railroad bed of the Beebe River line was converted into a truck road. And even though the railroad was no more, the Beebe River Railroad continued to exist on paper until 1952 when it was dissolved.

An interesting feature along the Beebe River Railroad predates the railroad: Carter's Mill. The site of the mill was near where Sandwich Notch Road crosses the Beebe River. The railroad also crossed the Notch Road in this location. Possibly built by Joseph Flanders in 1823, this sawmill changed hands a number of times before burning down in 1891. It is named for Sylvester Carter who owned the sawmill in the 1870s and early 1880s.

If you enjoy river history, the Beebe River may be a good research project. It begins at Black Mountain Pond in Sandwich, travels through Sandwich Notch, passes the old Beebe River mill in Campton, and then drains into the Pemigewasset River. Its name origin is unclear, but there are a few intriguing tidbits of information.

In the 1970s, there was a name discrepancy with this river. The lower section of it, below Guinea Pond, was labeled on a few maps as Beebe River, while the top section, between Black Mountain Pond and Guinea Pond, was labeled with the variant Beebe Brook. And in 1975, paperwork was filed with the Board on Geographic Names to change the variant (Beebe Brook) to Beebe River. The name change was approved in May 1976.

Today, the Beebe River Road follows parts of the lower portion of the railroad. The Guinea Pond Trail and Flat Mountain Pond Trail utilize the abandoned railroad bed. And a good amount of the land that was logged is now part of the 35,800-acre Sandwich Range Wilderness. Designated a wilderness under the 1984 New Hampshire Wilderness Act and 2006 New England Wilderness Act, this wilderness is managed the same as the Pemigewasset Wilderness; under the Wilderness Act.

Much like the Pemigewasset Wilderness, home to the East Branch & Lincoln Railroad, the historical value of the Sandwich Range Wilderness goes far beyond hiking trails, mountains, and peak-bagging. Its wilderness designation not only protects the Sandwich Range Wilderness from development it preserves its history. And this wilderness is a living book that tells the incredible story of the Beebe River Railroad.

To license any of the above photos of the Beebe River Railroad for publications, click on the photo. And you can view the railroad in its current state here.

Happy image making..

Don’t Remove Artifacts | Historic Information Disclaimer | White Mountains History

Erin Paul Donovan

Owner of ScenicNH Photography LLC

Erin Paul is a professional photographer, writer, and author who specializes in environmental conservation and historic preservation photography mainly in the New Hampshire White Mountains. His work is published worldwide, and publication credits include: Appalachian Mountain Club, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Backpacker Magazine, and The Wilderness Society.