This spot is not much more than a small park but there is a historical marker that points out some…read moreof the earliest history, predating the Colonial era. The marker reads, "The large mortar found here is in a boulder of glacial origin first hollowed out by water, then by many years of apparent use of Abnaki Indians, and later by the first settlers for grinding corn or maize which was made into cakes and baked over open fire. Also located in this historic lot is a boulder on which a shad is carved, perhaps by the red man to preserve a likeness of his favorite fish, which swam up the Winnipesaukee River when the shadbush blossomed. After the dams were built the fish disappeared." There is a second stone, "This lot contains the ancient stone mortar used by Abenaki Indians and pioneer settlers of Sanbornton. Presented to Franklin Woman's Club by descentandts of James Clark, Esquire." There is parking nearby and it's worth a stop. [Review 18537 overall - 89 in New Hampshire - 2059 of 2022.]

I enjoyed the Hancock Shaker Village more, but this one was not bad at all, especially when the…read moretrees display their magnificent colors. The idyllic hills and surrounding trees make this a lovely walk. The tour guide was informative and fairly friendly. The staff kinda led us a little stray from the tour when we arrived, but they figured things out. The museum itself seems a lot more low-key than Hancock Shaker, the latter being a more vast museum and includes more exhibits and things to see, such as farm animals. With this museum, you'll get a good sense of Shaker living and see some of their aspects of their lives. However, the tour guide will give you a richer sense of what they did and why. The Shakers are an intriguing and interesting people and definitely worth a look. The gift shop offers various Shaker crafts and books. Plus there's a video in the back on the village that you can watch for free. You can go into some of the individual buildings, but many of them were closed, which was a little discouraging and felt limiting. So while I do think this was a good visit and still worth it, Hancock Shaker is a better place to go to learn about the people. (I haven't been to Sabbathday Shaker in Maine yet)

This was one of our best stops in New Hampshire. The Canterbury Shaker village is the only Shaker…read moreCommunity that became a museum while residents stilled lived there. The Shakers were not like the Amish in that they embraced technology and were one of the first villages in New Hampshire to use electricity. (The Shakers and the Quakers were also totally different groups.) The buildings are original, as is most of the furnishings. I HIGHLY recommend you take advantage of the free guide, who will take you into many of the buildings and explain how and why the Shakers were so successful. As you may know, the Shakers were celibate and it seems inevitable that they would die out. However, many people joined the group because of their views about peace and harmony. Also, they willingly adopted orphaned children. These children grew up in the village and frequently stayed, so that the number of people actually increased for over 200 years. This village is well worth the stop and I very much highly recommend this excellent experience.

I was so excited to see this "abandoned" castle that I read about. I also read that they were doing…read morerenovations and making it into a hotel. On our way home from Lincoln, NH we were gonna stop here and see this magnificent place that was built in the late 1800's. The drive from Lincoln was beautiful and took us through a lake front town. Once we got to the street it was on a dead end, driving all the way down only to find there was a steep icy hill that looked like no one had driven on in a long time. Not wanting to chance it we decided to turn around. I was very disappointed but maybe in the spring or summer we would have better luck. FYI there were a ton of "No Trespassing" signs posted on the trees lining the steep hill/ driveway.

To the bridge i said with no idea what to expect - there is a small lot on one side and large lot…read moreon the other - both dirt so be careful what you drive. Large concrete steps to get down.. at first it's underwhelming, but the cold refreshing water and varying depths of water was awesome - swimming was wonderful and there is a rope swing! Get there early as the small sandy beaches will fill up! So much fun!

Although this is marked as a historic site, and many people come here to see the bridge, it also is…read morea popular swimming spot. There is a parking lot just past the bridge. There is a sandy beach below this great bridge with lots of sand bars to walk along up the river. There are shallow spots but also a section that is really deep. The highlight is the rope swing under the bridge. There's always a line of people waiting to swing off into the water.

I grew up in New Hampshire but never visited the Manse until a decade and a half after leaving. I…read moreemailed the Manse's Pierce Brigade (their volunteer group) to see if they could offer a tour for the day after Thanksgiving. They put it together and brought our group of four on a very in-depth tour. You will learn so much about NH's only president, about society at the time of Pierce's life and presidency, and what local homes were like in that era. Our volunteer was able to answer every question that we lobbed her way, even on things not directly related to the Pierces. Bonus: you can see the dress that Pierce wore as a child. My one quibble was that our tour guide seemed to dismiss our personal anecdotes that we offered that connected with what we were seeing, which was disappointing as I used to be a docent at a presidential library, and learned the most from people on my tours. She also was very short with me when she saw me taking some photos (non-flash!), but she hadn't told me that it was not allowed. Apparently there was a sign in the lobby but I hadn't seen it. Overall, totally worth spending an hour while you're in New Hampshire to learn some history!

What a great museum about probably one of the least well known presidents our country has ever had…read more Sadly remembered as one of the worst presidents (if he is remembered at all) - mostly because of the Kansas-Nebraska Act -President Pierce actually had some rather great accomplishments during his tenure. To be honest, I knew almost nothing about Franklin Pierce when we went here and expected to be in the museum an hour or so......it is after all just a house he used to live in so how much could there be to see? Well, it was less about the house and more about what our docent offered us. She was so knowledgeable (sorry I have forgotten her name but she had a lovely Bostonian accent) and very happy to entertain our questions. We must have been there several hours soaking up all her knowledge and the stories she had to share. The Pierce's had quite a tragic family life. Having already lost one child in infancy and another as a toddler, Franklin Pierce began his presidency grief stricken by a tragic accident that took his older son's life. But, he had to deal with a country in turmoil and actually managed to accomplish quite a few positive things during his term. I was glad to come away from our visit with a much better understanding (and much more positive views) of our 14th President. I highly recommend this museum!

This is one of several mysterious stone chambers in New England, whose provenance and purpose is…read moreunknown. Usually they are square or rectangular in shape, with stone slabbed roofs and soil floors. Archaeologists usually try to claim that they were built by early colonists as 'root cellars' yet they are ill-suited to that task as the floors are soil, which is hardly conducive to dry storage. There is also some documentary evidence from early colonists saying that the chambers were there when they arrived. Other chambers have had very old trees growing out of their walls, evidence that the chamber must be older than the tree. Another theory is that they were sweat lodges used by native Americans, but there is no evidence to show that any native groups built stone sweat lodges. So who did build these things? The closest equivalent in Britain is the souterrains of Scotland or fogous of Cornwall, but these tend to be larger and have curved layouts. The corbelled roof construction is similar to the beehive cells constructed by early monks like the Culdees, but there the similarity ends. Maybe it was early Viking explorers? An earlier megalithic culture that we don't know about? It's a fascinating enigma. Research by antiquarians and earth mystery researchers has shown that many chambers have precise geometric ratios in their construction, and that they are aligned to significant solar events like midwinter solstice, and this Beehive Hut seems no exception. The proportions are almost exactly 2:1 - it is just short of being twice as long as it is wide, and the width and height are the same. The entrance (by my estimation) seems to be aligned to midwinter sunrise (it's hard to be precise because of the tree cover), and is situated part-way up a hillside, which would allow the rising sun to enter the chamber. There are an interesting couple of white quartz stones, one in the back wall and one in the left-hand side wall, which may mark the extremes of the sunrise positions between equinox and winter solstice. But as I'm not resident here I am unable to do the long-term observations that this theory would require to confirm it. Interested locals should get in touch with the New England Antiquities Research Association (NEARA), who will know more about these things.

This is a very controversial memorial for reasons…read more In 1697, Hannah Duston was a puritan woman who was abducted by Abenaki during King Williams war. The abductors first killed many settlers, including children, as they raided Haverhill, MA. They burned down Hannah's home after taking her, her infant and the infants nurse captive. In the retelling of her tale, it is recorded that the Abenaki murdered her days old infant, in front of Hannah, during their two week march toward Canada. Brutal. She and the nurse were left with another native American family miles from their home, where this memorial stands. This family had adopted a 14 year old English boy who had their trust. With his help, Hannah was able to kill her captors, including six children and make her way down the Merrimack river along with the two other captives. They reached Boston where she presented the MA general assembly with ten scalps she had taken from those she killed and shared her story. Without a doubt, life in 1690's America (when this event happened) was very much a life of struggle. Disputes between English settlers, French Canadians and Native Indians resulted in years of war in this region. The previous King Philips war, which ended in 1657, decimated between 60 and 80 percent of the local, indigenous people. Some of the survivors were sold into slavery. Those who remained banded together with the Abenaki. In the late 1680's the Abenaki joined with the French Canadians during King Williams War to fight the continued expansion of English settlers. As part of raids conducted, they kidnapped English settlers who were then either sold back to their families, or adopted by the tribe to replace members who had been lost to the conflicts. Unfortunately for history, Hannah never wrote about her experience. Her story was retold three times between 1697 and 1702 by Cotton Mathers who believed all Natives were 'instruments of the devil' and savages. You may remember Cotton Mathers as the minister who persecuted residents of Salem, MA resulting in many of them being hanged for witchcraft. So yeah. History only has his version of her story. One hundred years after these events the U.S. is expanding westward and her story is published again as an example of how savage all native people were. The story was used to justify the acts being taken to remove indigenous people from lands settlers wanted. It was at this time that three monuments to Hannah Duston were created, two of which stand to this day. I have many thoughts about these memorials, the life Hannah lived and this experience she survived. I also have many thoughts about the way indigenous people assisted the English when they first arrived, teaching them how to survive. The indigenous peoples were trying to maintain their life and lands. The settlers were seeking a new life. A struggle between those who have what others want. A too common historical story. The hero's depend on which side you are on. We parked in the Boscawen Park 'n ride. The trail head is at one end of the lot and a roadside marker at the other end. Parking is also available at The Northern Rail Trailhead on Commercial Street. Both are about the same distance from the memorial.

Wow - what a crazy story! This is a monument honoring Hannah Duston and her escape from the Abenaki…read moretribe holding her hostage all the way back in 1697! She killed and scalped 10 people geez! It's believed that this is what started the "scalping" trend way back AND that she's the first American woman to be honored with a statue (according to wiki)! Kinda cool! There isn't much to this memorial and it's kinda hard to find...but I'm glad I came - was a fun little adventure! And a very interesting bit of history to learn about. I still can't get over that there are stories this old right here in America! If you're using the Apple Maps app, be aware it doesn't get you here - it takes you to some random field out in the middle of nowhere lol! But google maps got me here (and it used the address 60 Commercial St, Boscawen NH but apple didn't!!) - so be aware! It's right off a main road with plenty of paved parking. The entrance to the trail is well marked, but once you get down a little hill closer to the railroad tracks, it gets confusing. There's a dirt hiking path off to the left (DON'T take this one - it goes nowhere and is super sketchy!) and a paved one off to the right that looks like it dead ends into the railroad tracks - but that is actually the correct trail! And if you look off into the distance you'll actually see the tall statue so you'll know you're going the right way. You'll cross a bridge on a walking path next to the railroad tracks to get to the memorial statue overlooking the river. The area seemed a tad sketchy to me...I would've been a little scared except that there were lots of cyclists around and other hikers, as well as a tour group taking one of those pedaling tours on the railroad tracks (looked really fun)! There isn't much to it - just a statue with some cool info on it - unfortunately it was vandalized by some red paint but it kinda added to the aesthetic, given the nature of the story lol. A fun little side trip if you have time - I felt compelled to see it bc of how old the story is and the crazy nature of the story AND I just so happen to share her name lol!

On our second visit to the Zimmerman House, we were blessed with two docents (guides) from the…read moreCurrier Museum, both were very knowledgeable about Wright and the building. I learned a few new things on this visit, and we also got to walk to the Kalil house just down the street, which the museum has recently taken under its control. That could hardly be more different, yet still recognisably a Wright house.

Not what you might expect to find in Manchester, NH…read more Connected to the Currier Art Museum, they provide tours that are hosted by two volunteers. You can see this home and there is one two blocks away called the Kalili Home. If you appreciate Frank Lloyd Wright, this is a must of you're in Manchester.

It may take some effort to get to the top, but when you do, you are rewarded for that effort!…read more Stunning views of the Lake Winnipesaukee region!

Forget paying for Castle in the Clouds - come to the Abenaki Tower for free!…read more Easy parking. I can see it getting a bit muddy in some places. 0.1 miles from the lot to the tower. Then about (5) sets of stairs to the top. Yes, a damn shame there is so much graffiti on the tower. However, it's not in your face w/ bright colors. Ignore it and take in the immense view. This is a better vantage point of both lakes Winnipesauke and Wentworth. Higher up too. I came on a cloudy day and it was still breathtaking. Pair this with the Wright WW2 museum and you have a solid day.