9 Comments

Where exactly are the three dam sites in Town and how are they used?

Expand full comment

There is a forth dam also, off Ashburnham Rd. In back of what once was Vera Pera's home

Expand full comment

The headwaters of the Souhegan River are in New Ipswich. The flood control dams hold back the water to be released in a more measured way. They all have sluiceways. My favorite is the Smithville reservoir which has a nice foot path.

Expand full comment

One is on Binney Hill Rd. Adjacent to the Smuthville Cemetery, another one is off Temple Rd. In back of the house that your folks owned for a while. The 3rd is off of Thayer Rd. Around where the Hadleys and the Standleys lived

Expand full comment

Had no idea about the headwaters of the Souhegan. Where exactly does it start?

Expand full comment

I believe New Ipswich Mountain may be considered the very start, but definitely the town of New Ipswich. https://www.des.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt341/files/documents/2020-01/20130830sr-wmp.pdf

Expand full comment

In the James Roger diary today, I think he meant C.F. Barr.

Expand full comment

I spent a lot of time in the 40s and 50s in the natural areas off Binney Hill Rd with my dad. These dam sites serve the same function as beaver dams. I'm happy to see the area protected. Nice to see a photo of Bill Currier. He was a real asset to the town of New Ipswich.

Expand full comment

We walked through the dam site on Binney Hill Road almost every morning when we lived in town. There was almost always something interesting to see there. We observed deer and turkeys quite often. Certain times of year you could see otters swimming in the pond. The past few years we spotted bald eagles on a regular basis. We enjoyed many impressive sunrises. We were quite lucky to have that resource so close by and accessible.

Expand full comment