National Register of Historic Places

Old County Road South Historic District

Francestown, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
Listed
May 14, 1980
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
80000413

About this property

The Old County Road South Historic District is a rural historic district encompassing a well-preserved collection of 18th and early 19th-century rural farm properties in Francestown, New Hampshire. It includes nine houses, whose construction dates from 1774 to 1806, and the only two extant 18th-century saltbox-style houses in the town. There is also a Cape-style house built using the relatively rare vertical-plank method of framing, and there are several surviving 19th-century barns. The district covers 500 acres (200 ha) along all or part of Old County Road South, Pratt (Clark) Road, and Birdsall Road. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Old County Road South was among the first areas to be settled in Francestown. It was home to Moses Bradford, the town's first Congregationalist pastor, and William Starrett, a leading force in both the church and the local government. The Bradford House (c. 1790) is a particularly fine example of Georgian architecture, while Starrett's house (1806) is one of the town's first brick houses, and is set on farmland with fine views. Three members of the Dodge family, including Simon, another of the town's early settlers, built houses in the district, and were prominent in the town economy, operating a local mill. The mill stood in the area, but now only foundational and archaeological evidence of it remain. Other archaeological remains in the district include a tannery site, operated by the Farnums, whose 1790 Georgian-style house was updated in the 1830s with Greek Revival features.

Location

Francestown, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
42.97523, -71.80667

Categories

INDUSTRYAGRICULTUREHISTORIC - NON-ABORIGINALEXPLORATION/SETTLEMENTARCHITECTURE
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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This page lists Old County Road South 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

Francestown Meetinghouse
Industrial
0.9 mi
Woodbury, Levi, Homestead
Industrial
0.9 mi
Greenfield Meeting House
Industrial
3.7 mi
Lyndeborough Center Historic District
Listed
5.1 mi
Whittaker, Caleb, Place
Industrial
5.9 mi

Questions about this property

When was Old County Road South Historic District listed on the National Register?

Old County Road South Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 14, 1980.

What type of historic resource is Old County Road South Historic District?

Old County Road South Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Old County Road South Historic District?

The period of significance for Old County Road South Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Old County Road South Historic District?

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