Ashland Gristmill and Dam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Ashland Gristmill and Dam
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 Location in New Hampshire
Location in the United States
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| Location | Main St., Ashland, New Hampshire |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1903 |
| NRHP reference No. | 79000317 |
| Added to NRHP | December 10, 1979 |
The Ashland Gristmill and Dam are a really old and important industrial place in the middle of Ashland, New Hampshire. A gristmill is a building where grain is ground into flour. This gristmill was built in 1903. It replaced an older mill that was there before.
This building is special because it was built using strong wooden frames. This was done even when other building materials were becoming more common. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Today, the old mill building is used for offices.
What is the Ashland Gristmill and Dam?
The old Ashland Gristmill is located in downtown Ashland. You can find it where Main Street (New Hampshire Route 132) crosses the Squam River. The mill building stands just north of the road. The dam stretches even further north across the river.
The Dam
The dam was first made of wood. Now, it is a strong concrete structure. It is about 180 feet (55 meters) long. It stands about 14 feet (4.3 meters) high. Part of the dam, called the spillway, is about 50 feet (15 meters) long. This spillway lets extra water flow over the dam safely.
The Mill Building
The mill building is quite large. It has three stories. It has a tall central tower section. On each side of the tower, there are two-story wings. The tower part of the building uses very big, heavy wooden timbers for its frame. The wings use a newer building method called balloon framing. This method uses lighter, longer pieces of wood.
Even though it's not used for grinding grain anymore, the basement still holds some old machinery. This includes the turbine and other controls. These parts are no longer working.
History of the Mill
The current mill was built in 1903. This happened after the previous gristmill on the same spot burned down. The main part of the mill originally held nine large hoppers. Hoppers are big containers used to hold grain. The side wings were used for storing things. They kept maintenance tools and the flour that had been milled.
The mill needed very strong wooden frames. This was important to handle the shaking and stress. The heavy machinery inside the mill caused a lot of vibrations when it was running. The strong timber framing helped the building stay stable.
