Abandoned Mills, White Mountains – During the 1800s and early 1900s, cut-up mills, grist mills, sawmills, and various other types of mills were found throughout New Hampshire. And because of the abundance of water in the White Mountains, there was no shortage of water-powered mills in the region. This blog article showcases a handful of the abandoned mills in the White Mountains.

Because most of these abandoned mills are within the White Mountain National Forest, keep in mind the removal of historical artifacts from federal lands without a permit is a violation of federal law. And you can’t dig for artifacts at historical sites which means metal detecting anywhere in the National Forest is asking for trouble. Take only pictures and leave these unique places the way you found them.

Whitehouse Mills was on the Pemigewasset River in North Lincoln. Owned by Frank Whitehouse, this short-lived 1890s sawmill was considered an eyesore along the Notch Road (road between the old Flume House and Profile House). Even though this was a short-lived mill, the mill site is still identifiable along today’s Pemi Trail.

RiverWalk Resort at Loon Mountain in Lincoln occupies the site of the old mill complex that J.E Henry and Sons built in the late 1890s-early 1900s. Henry’s sons sold the East Branch & Lincoln Railroad, land, mill complex, and the town to the Parker-Young Company in 1917. Parker-Young ran the mill and the railroad until 1946 when they sold both to the Marcalus Manufacturing Company. Marcalus reorganized in 1950 as the Franconia Paper Corporation. In June 1960, the last log ran through the sawmill, and the paper mill shut down in June 1970. From 1970-1980, the mill changed hands a number of times, and attempts were made to operate it, but they all failed; the Lincoln’s mill final day of operation was June 11, 1980. In 2009 the remaining mill buildings were torn down.

In the area known as Passaconaway in Albany, along the Swift River, was William Allen’s Mill. Originally known as the Albany Intervale, the Passaconaway Settlement consisted of a small farming community. And there were at least three sawmill settlements in the area during the 1800s. Little remains of this settlement, but in the area of the old Allen Mill is this Eureka Lath Machine, Manufactured by C.S. Baker & Co – Manchester N.H. Pat'd Jan 18, 1870.

Cut-up mills were used on many of the logging operations in the White Mountains. The above artifact on Flume Brook in Waterville Valley is likely part of the International Paper Company's logging Camp 5 cut-up mill. The cut-up mill would cut the logs into four-foot lengths, and then during the spring months, they would be floated down the Mad River to Campton Pond. From 1891-1946, this area was logged; in the 1920s, the Woodstock Lumber Company and its parent company Parker Young Company would take over the Mad River operation. And up until 1933, log drives were done on the Mad River to move logs down to Campton Pond. After 1933 trucks became the preferred method to move logs out of the woods.

Thornton Gore, in the northern section of Thornton, is the site of an abandoned 19th-century hill farming settlement. Incorporated in 1781, the town of Thornton was named for Matthew Thornton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. And the first settlers of Thornton Gore arrived in the early 1800s. They built farms, a church, mills (one on Talford Brook), and a school. But by 1900, George James’ New Hampshire Land Company had bought up most of the land in Thornton Gore; logging took over the area, and this farming settlement was gone. Today, this is one of the more interesting historical sites in the White Mountains.

Along the old the Boston & Maine’s Pemigewasset Valley Railroad, at Livermore Falls on the Pemigewasset River, in Campton is the site of J.E. Henry and Sons’ abandoned pulp mill. The building of this mill took place in the late 1800s-early 1900s (likely around 1899-1901). The Parker Young Company acquired the mill in 1917 (Henry and Sons to Parker Young real estate sale). And in 1946, the Marcalus Manufacturing Company took control of it (Parker Young to Marcalus Manufacturing Company real estate sale). It would close in the 1950s.

Along the Sawyer River is the fascinating abandoned Village of Livermore. This was a logging village in operation during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the Sawyer River Railroad traveled through the village. Owned by the Saunders family, the town of Livermore was officially dissolved in 1951. The sawmill, first one built in the 1870s, would burn down a few times, and finally close in 1928. Remnants of the powerhouse, sawmill, store, and other dwellings remain today.

To license any of the photos in this blog article for publications, click on the photo. And you can view more photos of abandoned mills here.

Happy image making..

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

Bibliography:
Gove, Bill. Logging Railroads Along the Pemigewasset River. Littleton, NH: Bondcliff Books, 2006.

Donovan, Erin Paul. East Branch & Lincoln Railroad. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2018.

Donovan, Erin Paul. “Thornton Gore Hill Farming Settlement.” ScenicNH Photography LLC, 20 Mar 2017, https://www.scenicnh.com/blog/2017/03/thornton-gore-hill-farming-settlement/.

Donovan, Erin Paul. “Village of Livermore, New Hampshire.” ScenicNH Photography LLC, 16 Nov 2015, https://www.scenicnh.com/blog/2015/11/village-of-livermore-new-hampshire/.

Perry, A. Bernard. Albany’s Recollections. Albany, NH: 1976.

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.