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Monday, October 24, 2011

Day Trip to Littleton

One of recent  day trips was to Littleton, NH, which was memorable not only for the foliage views along the highway  on a somewhat overcast day . . .foliage collage1020
But also for the views of the White Mountains . . .
white mountains collage1020
Littleton currently has a population of about 6,000. In 1764, it was known as Chiswick (Saxon for “cheese farm”).
Littleton collage1The town was part of Lisbon, NH until 1770, when it was renamed Apthorp in honor of George Apthorp, head of one of the wealthiest mercantile establishments in Boston, MA. Littleton collage2
It was again renamed in 1784 in honor of Colonel Moses Little, who held the post of Surveyor of the King's Woods.
Littleton mill collage1
The historic Littleton Grist Mill is along the banks of the Ammonoosuc River. In 1797, Littleton resident Solomon Mann purchased the mill privilege on the Ammonoosuc River, built a dam and erected a saw mill and grist mill considered state-of-the-art for its time when it opened in 1798.Littleton mill collage2
The grist mill was sold to millwright Asa Lewis who operated it until his death in 1815. Afterwards, it changed ownership often, and about 1890 was converted to the use of Hercules water turbines which powered a Robinson mill manufactured by Munson Brothers, Utica, NY. In the 1930's, it fell into a state of disrepair.

In 1997, the original grist mill  was restored to its original appearance. Two local families formed Renaissance Mills of Littleton LLC to restore the basic workings of the grist mill as a historically accurate replica of the original, which is now open as a working museum.Littleton diner collage
The Littleton Diner serves buckwheat and whole wheat pancakes made with mill-ground flours.
Littleton mill collage3Just a short walk from the grist mill is a covered bridge, completed in 2004 that serves as a walkway across the Ammonoosuc River.

6 comments:

(GBS) NewsFromTheHill said...

Oh I love those covered bridges in New England!

You two are on a marathon journey! You've been taking some great photos along the way.

Unknown said...

Fascinating tour! Thanks for taking us along. Love the photos and the history lesson, as well. Must have been confusing back then with all the name changes.

Montanagirl said...

What a fun trip! Love all your photos and collages.

possum said...

Wow... looks like our place in the Poconos! Makes me homesick for the mountains - until the first snow!
Then give me the flat land and camellias in bloom!

Elaine said...

Lovely set of collages! I like the grist mill. They always make for interesting subjects.

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Hi Grace, we haven't really seen very many covered bridges, aside from this 2004 one and one other one in Jackson. And yes we are fitting in a lot of stops at little towns and enjoying ourselves. Thanks for the comments.

Chip, the history lessons are teaching me a lot too as I look up info after we've visited these small towns. i never do it ahead of time as we don't know for sure where we will go! And it does seem that some towns have changed names many times.

Thanks, Mona glad you are enjoying the photo collages. It's a great way to show so much in a little space.

Hi Possum, we do like these mountains :-)

Agreed Elaine that grist mills and other old buildings make for fascinating and interesting stops. Best of all this one was "free."