Harrisville Historic District (Harrisville, New Hampshire)
{{short description|Historic district in New Hampshire, United States}}
{{about|the historic village in New Hampshire|the historic village in Rhode Island|Harrisville Historic District (Burrillville, Rhode Island)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Harrisville Historic District
| nrhp_type = nhld
| nocat = yes
| image = Cheshire Number One Mill, Main & Grove Streets, Harrisville (Cheshire County, New Hampshire).jpg
| caption = Cheshire Mills, 1969
| location = Harrisville, New Hampshire and vicinity
| coordinates = {{coord|42|56|42|N|72|5|37|W|display=inline, title}}
| locmapin = New Hampshire#USA
| area =
| architect = Multiple
| architecture =
| added = September 17, 1971{{NRISref|2007a}}
| mpsub = Harrisville MRA (AD)
| refnum = 71000072
}}
Harrisville Historic District is a well-preserved historic New England mill village located in the southwest part of New Hampshire. It consists of about {{convert|200|acre|km2}} and about 135 structures. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977.{{Cite journal|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Harrisville Historic District|url={{NHLS url|id=71000072}} |format=pdf|date=June 1977 |author=George R. Adams |publisher=National Park Service}}. {{NHLS url|id=71000072|title=Accompanying 48 photos, from 1969, 1977, and undated.|photos=y}} {{small|(25.8 MB)}}
The district is located about {{convert|10|mi|km}} east of Keene, New Hampshire, then {{convert|3|mi|km}} north on Harrisville-Dublin Road from New Hampshire Route 101.
History
The area of what is today the town of Harrisville, New Hampshire was originally part of the towns of Dublin and Nelson, in Cheshire County. The site of the village is located on hilly terrain on a ridge that forms the divide between the Connecticut and Merrimack rivers, approximately {{convert|1300|ft}} above sea level.
In 1774, Abel Twitchel built a combination grist and saw mill on a stream running through the village. Later, Jason Harris built a blacksmith shop in the village, which until 1830 was known as Twitchell's Mills. In 1799, Jonas Clark built a clothing mill for fulling and dressing cloth. His wife also spun linen thread in the same mill. The Clarks sold their mill to James Horsley in 1804 and moved to Canada. By this time Clark's grist mill had been fitted with a wool carding machine, installed by Bethuel Harris and Abel Twitchell. It is claimed that this was only the second such machine to be installed in the entire United States.
In 1822, Bethuel and Cyrus Harris constructed a brick mill on the stream for the manufacture of woolen cloths. The machinery for the mill was installed by Milan Harris. In 1833 Milan Harris and A.S. Hutchinson built a new mill, referred to as the "Upper Mill", on the site of the old grist and saw-mill.[http://www.nh.searchroots.com/documents/History_Harrisville_NH.txt History of Harrisville, J.W. Lewis & Co., 1886] The "Upper Mill", now known as the Harris Mill, is now owned Historic Harrisville, Inc. and occupied by [http://www.harrisville.com/ Harrisville Designs], which was established in 1971 to help preserve the history of the manufacture of wool yarn and cloth in the village.{{Cite web |url=http://www.harrisville.com/history_of_harrisville_designs.htm |title=History of Harrisville Designs |access-date=2009-04-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090425124807/http://www.harrisville.com/history_of_harrisville_designs.htm |archive-date=2009-04-25 |url-status=dead }}
Cheshire Mill No. 1, with its distinctive bell tower, was constructed in 1848 by Cyrus Harris from New Hampshire granite. It was one of the last remaining operational textile mills in New England, closing its doors in 1970.{{Cite web |url=http://www.historicharrisville.org/harrisville/history.cfm |title=History |access-date=2009-04-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090516203552/http://www.historicharrisville.org/harrisville/history.cfm |archive-date=2009-05-16 |url-status=dead }} The site also includes the abutting Cheshire Mill No. 2, a red brick structure built in 1859, as well as Cheshire Mill No. 3, 4 and 5, built in the early 20th century.[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/displayPhoto.pl?path=/pnp/habshaer/nh/nh0000/nh0003/sheet&topImages=00001a.gif&topLinks=00001r.tif,00001a.tif&title=&displayProfile=0 Historic American Buildings Survey]
The National Historic Landmark District also includes numerous historic homes and worker cottages, several churches, a storehouse, general store and a cemetery.
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|Harrisville Historic District}}
- {{HABS |survey=NH-171 |id=nh0004 |title=Harris Mill, Main & Prospect Streets, Harrisville, Cheshire County, NH}}
- {{HABS |survey=NH-172 |id=nh0005 |title=Harris Mill Storehouse, Main & Prospect Streets, Harrisville, Cheshire County, NH |link=no}}
- {{HABS |survey=NH-173 |id=nh0003 |title=Cheshire Number One Mill, Main & Grove Streets, Harrisville, Cheshire County, NH |link=no}}
- {{HABS |survey=NH-174 |id=nh0002 |title=Cheshire Mills Company Boarding House, Main Street, Harrisville, Cheshire County, NH |link=no}}
{{NRHP in Cheshire County, New Hampshire}}
Category:National Historic Landmarks in New Hampshire
Category:Historic districts in Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Category:Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire
Category:Historic American Buildings Survey in New Hampshire
Category:National Register of Historic Places in Cheshire County, New Hampshire