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Railroad, Hillsborough County

If you find errors in the data please contact Bill Caswell.

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Inventory Number: NH/29-06-01#2x
State of New Hampshire Number: 60
County: Hillsborough County
Township: Hillsborough
Town/Village:
Bridge Name: Railroad
Crosses: Contoocook River
Truss type: Town
Spans: 2
Length: 219'
Roadway Width:
Built: 1903
Builder:
When Lost: 31 Oct 1985
Cause: Arson
Latitude: N43 06.783
Longitude: W071 53.699
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: 0.1 miles south of Main St. on Bridge St. at Hillsboro.

Railroad Bridge, Hillsborough, NH. Taken the day after the fire
Bill Caswell Photo, November 1, 1985

Hillsborough Railroad Bridge in Hillsborough, Hillsborough County, NH
Bill Caswell Photo, September 16, 1984

Hillsborough Railroad bridge in Hillsborough, NH.
Built in 1903 and lost to arson on Halloween 1985
Richard E. Roy Collection

Hillsborough Railroad Bridge in Hillsborough, Hillsborough County, NH, taken in 1904.
Richard E. Roy Collection

Hillsborough Railroad Bridge in Hillsborough, Hillsborough County, NH
Philippe Bonnet Photo, October 13, 1957, NSPCB Archives

Comments:
According to the National Register of Historic Places nomination form dated June 10, 1975, the Peterborough and Hillsborough Railroad Company built its track from Peterborough to Hillsborough in 1878. The bridge over the Contoocook River is shown on the 1884 panoramic map of Hillsborough Bridge. Later, the line came under the control of the Boston and Lowell Company and eventually to the Boston & Maine Railroad in 1897. In 1903, the Boston & Maine Railroad replaced the original bridge with a new structure. The second bridge included a covered walkway on one side so mill workers could safely travel between the village and mills on opposite sides of the river. A stone center pier was washed away during the 1938 flood. It was replaced with a "temporary" wooden support that remained in place until the bridge was lost in 1985. The later bridge was lost to arson late in the evening of October 30, 1985.

Sources:
National Register of Historic Places nomination form.
Knoblock, Glenn A.. New Hampshire Covered Bridges, 2002, page 109

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