Our Saturday, June 27 Hike of the Month will be a tour of the US Army Corps of Engineers flood control project that makes up a large portion of the north-western edge of Dunbarton. (Please note that his hike will be on the 4th Saturday of the month and not the 3rd Saturday.)
Prompted by a series of devastating floods, including the Hurricane of 1938, the U.S. government, through an act of Congress and using the power of eminent domain, purchased the 10,000 acres that make up the impoundment areas behind the dams . As a result, in the late 1950s, the homes and businesses in the village of East Weare, NH were dismantled or burned and 60 families were displaced to make way for the Everett Dam. At one time, the village featured a train depot, several large water powered factories, a post office, churches, stores and a large sawmill.
Construction of Everett Dam (near Clough State Park) began in 1959 and was completed in 1962. The dam itself is 2,000 feet long and 115 feet high. It controls 64 square miles of watershed. It and the Hopkinton Dam together hold up to 51 billion gallons of water at peak capacity.
During our walk, using a guide and markers placed in the flood control area by the Weare Historical Society, we'll identify the locations of many of the the homes, churches and cemeteries that made up the village.
We will meet at the OHRV parking lot off of Ray Road at 10:00 am. (see directions to parking area on this map) and then car pool from there to the Old River Road. Bring insect repellant. Our leisurely walk itself will total about 2 miles on flat ground.
Questions? Contact trip leader Brett St. Clair at 774-3594 or conservation@dunbartonnh.org.