9 Towns In New Hampshire That Were Frozen In Time
A small state with big history, New Hampshire (NH) preserves marvels from across many millennia. Ancient formations, pre-Columbian artifacts, colonial homes, revolutionary forts, and modern art studios can be found throughout the Granite State, in and around its small towns. Since the scenery is the biggest draw of rural NH, such historic sites, especially those restored to their beautiful glory, bring tourists to the backwoods and turn them into time travelers. Join their pilgrimage to the past in these nine New Hampshire towns that were frozen in time.
Exeter
Be quick to enter Exeter but slow to exit. This southeastern town has many of the state's oldest buildings. Most were built or partly financed by the Gilmans, who were among the town's first industrialists. The Gilman Garrison House dates to 1709, while the Ladd-Gilman House joins the Folsom Tavern as 18th-century hosts of the present-day American Independence Museum. All are part of either the Front Street Historic District or Exeter Waterfront Commercial Historic District, both of which sit where the Exeter River becomes the Squamscott River. Follow the rivers to follow in the footsteps of the Pennacook Abenaki, who predate the Gilmans by thousands of years.
Franconia
Stop by Franconia on a snowy evening to see Robert Frost's former home sparkle. The Frost Place, as it's called today, sits off Ridge Road in the White Mountains town of Franconia. Frost lived there from 1915 to 1920 and, since 1977, various other poets have lived there as part of the Dartmouth Poet in Residence program. In addition to poetry programs, the place offers signed books and informational plaques as an indoor-outdoor museum.
After getting a lovely view of the woods from Frost's porch, get a wonderfully wide view from the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway, which transports riders to the 4,080-foot summit of Cannon Mountain. On a clear day, you can see multiple other states and even Canada, the same sights from when the tram opened in 1938.
Canterbury
Canterbury tales are full of Shakers, at least in New Hampshire. This small Merrimack County town housed a utopian sect of Christians called Shakers from the 18th to 20th centuries. Those 200 years of unique history are preserved, grandly, in the Canterbury Shaker Village. Located on its original site, the village spans 694 acres of greenery, four reconstructed buildings, and 25 original restored buildings. Chief among them is the Dwelling House, which contains 56 rooms and portions of its first framework, making it the only Shaker dwelling with its original 18th-century structure. Guests can experience day-to-day Shaker life and purchase Shaker-inspired crafts and food.
Moultonborough
Overlooking the already scenic town of Moultonborough is Castle in the Clouds, a historic 16-room mansion in the Ossipee Mountains. It was built from 1913 to 1914 by wealthy shoemaker Thomas Gustave Plant on 6,300 picturesque acres. Over a century later, the mansion and more than 5,200 of its acres are preserved as an event venue offering tours, exhibits, meals, weddings, parties, gifts, and hikes to natural wonders like the 40-foot Falls of Song, and a massive, errant boulder called The Pebble. After stepping into the last century at the Castle, step into prior centuries at The Old Country Store and Museum in Moultonborough proper. Said to trace its roots back to 1781, it is possibly America's oldest store.
Salem
It seems like every Salem has dark, cryptic history. New Hampshire's Salem hosts America's Stonehenge, a 30ish-acre formation of rocks that has been puzzling people for decades. Some believe it was created 4,000 years ago by ancient Americans. Others believe it's a modern-day hoax. Regardless, the rocks are old, and the formation is fascinating. Visitors to Salem can play a Druid at a disputed Stonehenge or play games at the undisputedly historic Canobie Lake Park. It opened in 1902 and retains attractions from its early years. Canobie's Antique Carousel dates to 1903.
Bath
New Hampshire boasts around 60 covered bridges. The Bath area claims several, including what is believed to be the oldest such bridge in the state. A foot equals nearly a year under the Haverhill-Bath Covered Bridge, which spans 256 feet and was erected in circa 1829. Other covered relics in this northern NH town are the Bath Covered Bridge (c. 1832), Jeremiah Hutchins Tavern (c. 1794), and Brick Store (c. 1804). The last of those was "America's Oldest General Store" before closing during COVID without a timeline for reopening. Still, its exterior remains a blast from the past.
Cornish
Cornish is another NH town covered in covered bridges, but its main draw is an open-air preserve. The Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park encompasses hundreds of acres of riverside gardens and studios owned by 19th-century sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Cornish and wider New Hampshire have long been a beacon for artists, as reclusive author J.D. Salinger also lived in the town's woods. If art is not your beacon, visit the American Precision Museum right across the Connecticut River in Vermont. Housed in an 1846-built armory, the museum exhibits a "world-class collection of historic machines."
Carroll
New Hampshire has a time machine—and it's steam-powered. Situated just east of Carroll in the White Mountains is the Mount Washington Cog Railway, which, having officially opened in 1869, is the world's first and thus oldest cog railway providing 100-million-year-old mountain vistas. Another way to peek at ancient peaks is in semi-stationary luxury at the nearby Omni Mount Washington Resort. Completed in 1902, the resort has everything from restaurants, bars, pools, and lawn games to an 18-hole golf course, a 25,000-square-foot spa, a 464-acre ski area, and even a three-hour zipline canopy tour.
Portsmouth
Though it's actually a city, Portsmouth counts as a historic town due to its dearth of residents and wealth of relics. Just around 22,000 people have 24/7 access (at least externally) to the Jackson House, which was constructed circa 1664 and is considered NH's oldest building; Albacore Park, which preserves a mid-20th-century submarine called the USS Albacore; and Strawbery Banke Museum, a neighborhood-sized sanctuary of NH relics from Indigenous artifacts to an entire 1940s corner store. Moreover, Portsmouth is a stone's throw from New Castle, whose stone preserves, Fort Stark and Fort Constitution, were important sites during the American Revolution.
Small-town historic sites are among the most popular places in New Hampshire. Long dead or defunct, they have been enlivened by resourceful historians and curious tourists. As such, a reclusive poet's shack is now a retreat for aspiring artists; Canterbury's forsaken Shaker Village is now a hub of restored original buildings; and Portsmouth's waterlogged neighborhood is now one of America's best-preserved museums. Such sites prove that time can be conquered in backwoods NH.
