Upper Dam

Proceed to Location 3 by ascending the steps in the parking area up to the Main Street sidewalk. Or you may follow the sidewalk to the bridge. Walk right about 100 yards until you get to Main Street. Take a right onto Main Street and walk until you reach the grassy island and turn right onto Ramsdell Road. The next stop will be approximately 150 yards on the right side of the road.

Location 3 was historically referred to as the Upper Dam. The dam located in the photo, far right, spanned the width of the Contoocook River and created a mill pond beyond the stone bridge. The water energy generated by this dam supplied a grist mill at the east end and a large mill at the west end known as the Henniker Crutch Company in 1936. The Grist Mill had been destroyed prior to 1930 but the Crutch Company was still operating in 1936.

During the flood of 1936, the water approached the buildings. This photo, looking back toward Main Street, shows the east end of the Upper Dam with rolling water at the bottom and water lapping at the edge of Ramsdell Road.

The dam was removed in the 1950s by the Army Corps of Engineers as part of the Flood Control Project. The far east portion was retained for erosion control and historic purposes.