National Register of Historic Places

Rocks Estate

Bethlehem, Grafton County, New Hampshire
Listed
September 6, 1984
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
84003197

About this property

The Rocks Estate, also known as the John Jacob Glessner Estate, is a historic summer estate in Bethlehem, New Hampshire. The large estate, covering more than 1,300 acres (530 ha), is located near the junction of U.S. Route 302 and Interstate 93, and includes some twenty buildings. The estate was assembled by John Jacob Glessner (whose Chicago residence is a National Historic Landmark designed by H. H. Richardson) in the 1880s, and is one of the largest and best-preserved surviving private estates in the state. Glessner created The Rocks as a private conservation initiative, to prevent destructive farming methods from destroying the land. The large Shingle-style house he had built in 1883 no longer stands, but a significant number of outbuildings survive, including a carriage house, horse barn, and a sawmill/pigpen building in a cluster of buildings located generally northward of the former house site. At least three of these buildings were designed by Chicago architect Hermann V. von Holst, and are of unusually high quality in their design and construction. There is a subsidiary area of the estate known as the Red Farm, centered on a c. 1840 farmhouse. The estate was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The property is now owned by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests and is open to the public. It is managed by that organization according to principles articulated by Glessner, preserving an important aspect of the property.

Location

Bethlehem, Grafton County, New Hampshire
44.27199, -71.73335

Categories

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTUREAGRICULTURECONSERVATIONARCHITECTURE
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 Rocks Estate

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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

Felsengarten
Industrial
1.8 mi
Burt-Cheney Farm
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1.9 mi
Lane, Edward H., House
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2.8 mi
Littleton Town Building
Industrial
3 mi
Greenleaf, Abbie, Library
Industrial
3.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Rocks Estate listed on the National Register?

Rocks Estate was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 6, 1984.

What type of historic resource is Rocks Estate?

Rocks Estate is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Rocks Estate?

The period of significance for Rocks Estate is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Rocks Estate?

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