Farmington New Hampshire (NH) Real Estate Tour
-- Tour Farmington, NH neighborhoods, condominium developments, subdivisions, schools, landmarks, recreational areas, and town offices.
Farmington, New Hampshire is located in the southeast corner of the scenic Lakes Region near the Maine border. Comprised of the lush forests, rugged hills, and cozy rural hamlets surrounding Lake Winnipesaukee, Winnisquam Lake and Squam Lake, New Hampshire's Lakes Region offers boundless opportunity for outdoor recreation, sightseeing, relaxation and leisure.
The Abenaki Indians once used the Cochecho River for transportation, and had a camping ground on Meetinghouse Hill, where they built birch bark canoes. Otherwise, the valley was wilderness, through which Indians from the north traveled after crossing Lake Winnipesaukee on their way to raid settlements in and around Dover. To stop the raids, in 1721 the Colonial Assembly in Portsmouth approved construction of a fort at the foot of the lake, with a soldiers' road built from Dover to supply it. In 1722, Bay Road -- old Route 11 -- was surveyed and completed. Along its course the town of Farmington would grow.
The settlement began as the Northwest Parish of Rochester, which was chartered in 1722. The last Indian attack in the general region occurred in 1748, but by 1749, Native Americans had disappeared from warfare and disease. Farmers cultivated the rocky soil, and gristmills used streams for water power to grind their grain. Sawmills cut the abundant timber, and the first frame house at the village was built in 1782. In 1790, Jonas March from Portsmouth established a store, behind which he instructed teamsters to unload on his dock the lumber he traded. The area became known as March's Dock, Farmington Dock, and finally just The Dock.
Inhabitants of the Northwest Parish were taxed to support both the meetinghouse and minister about 12 miles away on Rochester Hill, but the distance made attendance difficult. A movement began in the 1770s to establish a separate township, and in 1783 a petition for charter was submitted to the state legislature. It was denied, but another petition in 1798 was granted. Containing about 1,000 inhabitants, Farmington was incorporated. In 1800, a 40 by 50 foot, 2 story meetinghouse was erected on Meetinghouse Hill. The same year, John Wingate established a blacksmithy. He would also become proprietor of Wingate's Tavern.
Shoe Factory c. 1910In the 19th century, the community developed a prime shoe-making industry, and was one of the first places to use automated machines instead of handwork. In 1836, shoe-manufacturing began at a shop on Spring Street built by E.H. Badger, although it was soon abandoned to creditors. Martin Luther Hayes took over the business, and by 1840 was successful enough to enlarge the handsome Greek Revival building. The town would be connected by railroad to Dover in 1849, the line extended to Alton Bay in 1851. Shoes were shipped to Boston to be sold at semi-annual auctions for 50 cents a pair.
Following the Civil War, the shoe business boomed and numerous factories were built. Despite a fire in 1875 which destroyed much of the center of town, Farmington was known as The Shoe Capital of New Hampshire. Other factories produced knives, knit underwear, wooden boxes, wooden handles and carriages. Brushes were manufactured by the F.W. Browne Co., from which Booker T. Washington ordered 12 street brooms in 1915 for use at the Tuskegee Institute. The town had 5 blacksmith shops. But the Depression of 1893 closed all but 2 large shoe factories. The industry faded in the 20th century, when most of the town's factories were demolished. One shoe factory would find new use as an antique shop. Another antique store opened in the brush factory, itself the historic Badger-Hayes Shoe Shop. Today, the major industry in Farmington is Collins & Aikman, located on Route 11. For other town tours visit . For towns in NH visit . For NH relocation information go to .