SALMON FALLS VILLAGE WALK

Get off the beaten path. Leave the tourists behind. Slap on your Rockford shoes and explore one of New Hampshire’s old mill towns. Bring your kayak too and explore the neighborhood. Don't miss the miraculously restored 1701 historic house. See artist studios. Click for TWENTY pix with a bonus tour inside Salmon Falls artist studios.

Name: Downtown Rollinsford, NH or Salmon Falls Village
Location: Off Route 4 from Dover to South Berwick, or up Route 236 and through South Berwick ME
Rules: No rules, just be nice.
Dogs: On leash, rural to urban walking conditions
Web Site: The town of Rollinsford

READ: The Mills of Salmon Falls
BONUS: Go inside the artist studios 

Think of it as an outdoor museum. The old mill town of Rollinsford, NH hangs over the Salmon Falls River just across from South Berwick, Maine. The phrase "sleepy" is often used to describe the little town center with its half dozen shops just across from the massive mill buildings that dominate the downtown. The stately home of the mill owner still lords above the brick homes and tenements where shoe factory workers once lived.

But look carefully. Rollinsford is quietly coming alive again. Inside the factory building a hundred artists studios have blossomed in recent years. The passenger rail train once again zips across the train trestle just above the great dam that once powered the great mill. Small boat owners now launch kayaks and canoes just above the falls. Many of the old factory buildings are now converted to apartments and condominiums for those who prefer the quiet life in this often-missed New England town.

And just up the hill, past the restored town hall, a miracle has happened. The oldest house in town, a saltbox built in 1701, has come home. The previous owner took it apart, post by beam, and trucked it off to Massachusetts in 1936. Rollinsford preservationists got it back in 2004 and have rebuilt it just a few yards from its original location. The Paul Wentworth House, the original mill owner’s mansion, once again looks our over Salmon Falls village.

This walkable village is a great afternoon hike for anyone who enjoys the feel of an old New England mill town. -- JDR

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Pictures (c) 2005 by SeacoastNH.com. All rights reserved.

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CONTINUE WALKING AROUND ROLLINSFORD, NH