Boscawen Academy and Much-I-Do Hose House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Boscawen Academy and Much-I-Do Hose House
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Hose house on the left, academy on the right
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 Location in New Hampshire
Location in the United States
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| Location | King St., Boscawen, New Hampshire |
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| Area | 0.8 acres (0.32 ha) |
| Built | 1827 |
| Built by | Abbott, William |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 80000292 |
| Added to NRHP | December 8, 1980 |
The Boscawen Academy and Much-I-Do Hose House are two important old buildings in Boscawen, New Hampshire. These buildings are now owned by the Boscawen Historical Society. They were very important to the town's history for over 150 years. Both buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. This means they are recognized as special historical places.
Contents
Boscawen Academy: A Historic School Building
The Boscawen Academy was a private school. It was officially started by the state of New Hampshire in 1827. This was part of a plan to make secondary education better.
Building the Academy
This two-story brick building was constructed in 1827 and 1828. A local builder named William Abbot built it. He also built other important buildings in central New Hampshire. The building is made of brick laid in a common pattern. It has a low, sloped roof. The front of the roof has a triangular shape with a round window.
The front of the building has three sections. The main door is in the middle, with a fan-shaped window above it. The sides of the building have four sections. Some windows on the sides were bricked over later. This happened when changes were made to the stairs inside.
The Academy's Tower
Above the front door, there is a two-part tower. The bottom part is square. Above that is an open bell tower supported by four posts. It has a railing around it. The tower is topped with a four-sided dome and a weather vane.
Inside the Academy
The inside of the academy has not changed much since the 1800s. Each floor has one large classroom. Near the front door, there are two staircases. They go up on either side of the door. There is also a small room at the top of the stairs on the second floor. The building was updated in 1858. Some parts of the inside were changed again after 1872.
School's Journey Through Time
The academy worked as a private school until 1872. Then, it was sold to the Boscawen Public Schools for $2,000. It was used as a public school until 1966. After that, the building was sold to the Boscawen Historical Society.
Much-I-Do Hose House: A Fire Station's Story
The "Much-I-Do" Hose House is a simple, one-story wooden building. It is located just north of the academy building.
From Hoses to Fire Trucks
When it was built in 1893, the building was about half its current size. It was built to store the hoses for Boscawen's number 2 fire company. This fire company was named "Much-I-Do" in 1904. In 1922, the building was made twice as big. This was done so it could hold a fire truck. Large garage doors were added to the front later on.
New Roles for the Hose House
The building was used as a fire station until 1969. Then, it became the local police station from 1971 to 1973. After that, it was given to the Boscawen Historical Society. Today, the Historical Society rents half of the building for the local post office. The other half is used for storage.
See also
