National Register of Historic Places

Lyme Common Historic District

Lyme, Grafton County, New Hampshire
Listed
August 31, 1988
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
88001435

About this property

The Lyme Common Historic District encompasses the original historic center of Lyme, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1781, it includes sixty historic buildings surrounding the town common and along surrounding roads, and is a well-preserved example of a 19th-century village center. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. The centerpiece of the 80-acre (32 ha) district is the oblong town common, a flat, grassy expanse extending east-west just south of a bend in Main Street (New Hampshire Route 10), whose visual anchor, the First Congregational Church, stands at the eastern end. The district extends along NH 10 north as far as High Street, and south a short distance beyond the common area. The common area only began to take shape in 1781, after a meeting house (now the Nichols Store) was built in 1781. The presence of the meeting house meant that the village (then known as "Lyme Plain") would be of greater civic importance than Lyme Center, located 2 miles (3 km) to the east, nearer the town's geographic center. Layout of the common was followed by the construction of a significant number of Federal and Greek Revival houses between 1790 and about 1820. The First Congregational Church was built c. 1810, at which time the horse sheds behind it were also built; these are believed to be the longest such surviving row in the state. The other major building boom in the area was in 1840-65, the years preceding the Civil War. There are some 20th century Colonial Revival structures, and later new construction (and replacement of old) has generally been sympathetic to the extant styles. National Register of Historic Places listings in Grafton County, New Hampshire

Location

Lyme, Grafton County, New Hampshire
43.81162, -72.15641

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Everything a full report reveals about Lyme Common Historic District

This page lists Lyme Common Historic District. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Lyme-East Thetford Bridge
Industrial
1.3 mi
Lyme Center Historic District
Listed
1.7 mi
Samuel Morey Memorial Bridge, The
Industrial
6.6 mi
Orford Street Historic District
Listed
6.7 mi
Hanover Town Library
Industrial
8.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Lyme Common Historic District listed on the National Register?

Lyme Common Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 31, 1988.

What type of historic resource is Lyme Common Historic District?

Lyme Common Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Lyme Common Historic District?

The period of significance for Lyme Common Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Lyme Common Historic District?

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