Silver Lake District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Silver Lake District
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| Location | Roughly along Old Nelson, Eastside, and Westside Rds., Harrisville, New Hampshire |
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| Area | 66 acres (27 ha) |
| Built by | Law, Alexander; Et al. |
| Architectural style | Gothic, Stick style/Eastlake Movement, Queen Anne |
| MPS | Harrisville MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 86003100 |
| Added to NRHP | December 29, 1986 |
The Silver Lake District is a special area in Harrisville, New Hampshire. It's known for its old summer houses built near Silver Lake. These houses were built between 1880 and 1903. This was a time when Harrisville and nearby Keene were doing very well.
This area is unique because most of the people who owned these summer homes were from nearby towns. They weren't from far away places, like visitors to other summer spots in Nelson or Dublin. The district covers about 66 acres (27 hectares) and includes 76 important buildings. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
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What is the Silver Lake District?
The Silver Lake District is a "historic district." This means it's a special area with buildings that are important to history. These buildings are protected to keep their original look and feel. The district is located along the southern part of Silver Lake.
- It includes many summer cottages.
- These cottages were built for people to enjoy their vacations.
- The area shows how people lived and spent their summers long ago.
How did Silver Lake become a resort?
People first settled in the Silver Lake area in the mid-1700s. For a long time, it was mostly used for farming. But things changed when the railroad arrived at Chesham in 1880.
- Around 1886, two main landowners, Corban Farwell and Wellington Seaver, started selling land.
- They sold lots right by the lake.
- Vacationers then built simple summer houses on these lots.
- Out of 37 cottages built before 1903, 35 are still standing today.
What do the cottages look like?
The houses in the Silver Lake District have a special style. Most of them are called "vernacular" or "Stick style" architecture. This means they were built using local traditions and materials.
- Their outside walls often have vertical planks or a style called "board-and-batten."
- Some houses have decorative wooden shingles.
- Most cottages have porches that wrap around at least two sides.
- These porches offer great views of the lake or the mountains.
- Some houses also have fancy "Gothic-style" decorations.
Where are the cottages located?
Most of the houses in the district are found along East Side Road and West Side Road. These roads run close to the lake's shores from its southern end. They are dead-end roads, meaning they don't go all the way through.
- Some houses are on Old Nelson Road.
- These were built on some of the very first lots sold by Corban Farwell.
- Originally, these lots went all the way to the lake.
- Later, they were divided, so some houses are now set back from the water.
