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Photos (counterclockwise): The Russell-Colbath house in the 19th century; cellar holes, reminders of now-abandoned dwelling, can be found across the Forest; the Bricket Place on Evans Notch Road. |
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Historic Sites and Heritage Resources
The Heritage Resource Management Program on The White Mountain National Forest, like that of all National Forests, is dedicated to the protection and appropriate management of significant heritage resources. We strive to share the values of these resources with the public and Forest visitors, and to provide professional management approaches to Forest Service line officers. Our efforts will:
- Ensure that future generations will have the opportunity to discover the human stories etched on the landscapes of our National Forest;
- Make the past come alive as a vibrant part of our recreational experiences and community life;
- Connect people to the land in a way that will help us better understand the role of environmental history and its influence on Forest resources today and in the future.
When visiting our National Forests please remember:
The past belongs to all Americans
Leave what you find so others can
experience and learn from it
WMNF Cultural History
The White Mountains have a long history and a wide variety of cultural sites, including Native American villages, camps, quarries, hunting grounds, travelways, and spiritual places; and Euro-American farms, towns, industrial sites, buildings, structures, cultural landscapes, recreation sites, travelways, and Forest Service administrative sites. These sites and the artifacts associated with them are protected by federal laws, and managed as a non-renewable resource that can never be replaced. It is a federal offense to disturb, alter, remove, or damage archeological sites and objects. Help us protect your heritage.
Native Americans
Systematic archaeological testing has located 21 prehistoric Native American sites on the WMNF. A complex of Paleo-Indian sites on private land at the base of the northern slopes of the White Mountains indicates people were in the area 10,000 years ago. For more information on Native American settlement of New Hampshire, visit the New Hampshire Archeological Society.
Euro-American History
Exploration of the White Mountains by Europeans began in the mid-17th century. In the late 18th century, after the Revolutionary War, settlers cleared forests for mixed agriculture and grazing, establishing farming communities with schools, stores, and mills. Many of these farms, and sometimes entire communities, were abandoned in the mid to late 19th century, as farming technology changed and people moved west or to cities for better economic opportunities. Large logging companies bought up the abandoned farmland and woodlots, constructing logging railroads and camps and stripping much of the timber from the mountains. The unregulated practices of these logging companies caused massive forest fires, and damaged watersheds vital to the industrial towns downstream, such as Manchester, NH, and Lowell, MA, which depended on water power to run their mills. The public began to advocate protection for the forests of the White Mountains, culminating in the creation of the White Mountain National Forest in 1918. For a visual representation of this landscape history, which was similar in much of New England, see the Harvard Forest dioramas.
Recreation in the White Mountains has occurred since the early 19th century, and has included trail and shelter development, summer resorts and grand hotels, summer home tourism, and winter recreation, including some of the earliest alpine ski areas in the country.
USFS land management history includes administrative sites, recreation sites, Public Works Program sites such as CCC camps, and fire suppression history. Visiting WMNF Historic Sites
Visitors to the WMNF will undoubtedly notice the traces of the past that can be found across the Forest. The cellar holes and stone walls that criss-cross the Forest are evidence of the farm families who lived and worked here more than a hundred years ago, and the logging camps, railroad grades, and mill dams are remnants of past economic enterprise. The building remains and artifacts now reclaimed by forest are an important resource in understanding how people lived in the past, and how the forest we know today came into being. They are invaluable, non-renewable, and are protected by law. Please do not damage or remove any historic remains you come across on the National Forest, and report damage or looting to Forest Service personnel.
The WMNF manages several historic, 19th century buildings, some of which are open to the public:
- The Russell-Colbath House, on the Kancamagus Highway in Albany, NH, is a 19th century farmhouse with period furnishings which operates as a historic house museum, with an on-site historic interpreter. Visitors can learn about the history of the Passaconaway Valley, the families who lived in the house, domestic life in the 19th century, and view artifacts uncovered in recent archaeological excavations. The house, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is open to the public seasonally. Contact the Saco Ranger District for hours and more information.
- The Brickett Place, located on the Evans Notch Rd. (Rt 113) in Stow, Maine, is a 19th century historic brick farmhouse. Inside the house, visitors may view a timeline illustrating the history of the local area and the Brickett family, and obtain camping and hiking information. The house, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is open to the public seasonally, and serves as a portal to the Caribou-Speckled Wilderness. Contact the Saco Ranger District for hours and more information.
- The Smith House, also known as Mead Base, is located in Sandwich, NH, at the base of the Sandwich Notch Rd. This historic 19th century farmhouse is operated under special use permit by the Squam Lakes Association as the Mead Conservation Center. The grounds are open to the public, but there is no public access to the house.
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