*to see complete history of Hanover’s water supply, please view image in the below gallery

 More In-Depth Trescott History 

In 1768, Peter Knapp built a farm for his wife’s family, the Masons. This farm was passed down to Charles Mason of the following generation and it stayed in the family for the subsequent nine generations. Nine other farms accompanied the Mason farm during the 1800s and thrived on the fertile soils and easy access to water. The creation of these farms led to local deforestation to provide grazing land for sheep. In 1903, Hanover Water Works Company bought the property for $4000, at which time the Mason farm and the other nine were dismantled. Today, what remains of the farm is the drylaid stone cellar hole.

In 1840, the Town of Hanover established another farm, the Poor Farm, as a home to widows, orphans, and other “unfortunates.” Specifically, in the 1840 Town Meeting, Hanover residents approved Article 9, which stated the following: “To see if the Town will take measures to purchase a farm and buildings for the support of the town paupers and also to be used as a house of correction.” The residents worked on the farm and profits contributed to the financial sustainability of the farm as well as the town of Hanover; from the 1844 town meeting, it was noted that the farm was such an economic success that “the income of the farm has supported the proper [sic] the past year and leaving a balance in favor of the farm of $61.76.” The town supplied the farm with basic farm supplies, animals, and a farm keeper who was paid $187.50 per year. The town was financially responsible for the keeper’s family and the residents’ basic needs including coffee, tea, tobacco, medical opium, firewood, and clothing and schooling needs. The town even paid for funeral expenses, including a coffin and grave-digging. The poor farm complex even included an immense ice operation, which involved an ice-house storage facility used by the college and nearby hospital.  Poor farms was a common practice for New England towns to solve the problem for caring for the poor.  The opening of the Grafton County Farm prompted many towns to close their poor farms and transfer its residents here to North Haverhill; however, Hanover waited much longer to close its own poor farm. The Hanover Water Works Company bought the poor farm along with the other farms in 1903 and were fully destroyed by 1912. During this time reforestation efforts, specifically the planting of pine trees on these former farms, occurred to combat the flash floods from the loss of tree cover.

There are currently three reservoirs feeding Hanover’s water supply: Fletcher Reservoir, Parker Reservoir, and Hanover Center Reservoir. Tiny Camp Brook was dammed for water use in 1893 in response to a recommendation from a professor at Dartmouth (Professor Pettee) that the town should implement a larger water source and subsequent two uncontrollable fires. The water was stored in Fletcher Reservoir, named after the engineer Robert Fletcher. By 1912, more of the watershed (including flow from the Mink Brook watershed) was channeled into the reservoir and sent to the faucets of the Hanover townspeople. However this diversion was also at a cost to the people living near the water supply. The residents of the Poor Farm were transferred to the aforementioned larger farm in North Haverhill, and the other buildings around the reservoirs were razed. In 1924, water from Camp Brook was further diverted to create Parker Reservoir, the second reservoir, built on the former Mason and Hall farms.

 

Other Notable History

The Wolfeboro Road which runs through the property was New Hampshire’s first cross-country highway. The road stretched 90 miles between Provincial Governor John Wentworth’s country estate and Dartmouth College and traveled over Moose Mountain. This was originally built so the governor could attend Dartmouth’s commencement exercises, and the road, while rugged at the time, was completed in time for the second commencement in 1772.

Part of the farming complex included a one-room schoolhouse district no.4 (back then called the “Town Farm” district) coined “the old red schoolhouse,” built roughly in 1807 down the road from the Mason farm. 1839 records showed that the annual costs of running the school, including the teacher’s salary and school supplies, amounted to $60. After the 1846 rebuilding of the schoolhouse for $200, the building dually served as a school and a community center. Like other buildings in the area, the Water Company purchased the land in 1903 and tore down the schoolhouse shortly after.

Ecological Threats

Currently, glossy buckthorn, an invasive species, is inundating the property, and the Trescott Company has considered ways of mitigation without tainting the water supply. Recently, burning techniques, such as experimental flaming, have been used to extinguish this invasive species alongside bulldozer efforts. In addition, hunters are important for controlling the deer population. Deer consume saplings, the native vegetation, (but not the glossy buckthorn) which compete with the buckthorn for real estate; with their consumption, the deer contribute to a positive feedback loop in reducing native vegetation and allowing the buckthorn to occupy the freshly eaten new territory. Thus, hunters are vital players in combating the glossy buckthorn, but the tense relations that develop between them and other stakeholders such as hikers and dog walkers can cause yet another obstacle in the way of sustainable management.

While glossy buckthorn is a pressing ecological issue today, it is not the first invasive species that has impacted the property. In the early 20th century, the white-pine blister rust, a destructive disease of the white pines, ravaged the countryside. In 1916, the United States Department of Agriculture issued pamphlets to the Hanover community to educate individuals of the devastating nature of this invasive species; this farmer’s bulletin included sections on parasite’s appearance, its dangers and life history, what people can do to help white pines, and efforts employed and needed to control it. Involving the community and making them aware of this ecological threat needs to continue today with the current ecological threat of glossy buckthorn. Learning from history and past outreach projects can help inform and promote better controlling efforts today.

Recent Events

In 2010 the town of Hanover voted to restructure the property’s holdings to allow for more flexible ownership and management. From the decision process, the Town of Hanover owns the water and its treatment infrastructure, as well as all the land (178 acres) within 250 feet of the reservoirs; this land and the reservoirs are restricted from public use to ensure water cleanliness and purity. At this time, the Trescott Company was formed, which includes Dartmouth College and the Town of Hanover, and these two parties, as equal partners, each own 50% of the surrounding 1,165 acres. Before 2010, the Town owned 47.2% of that acreage while Dartmouth College owned 52.8%. 

 Gallery of Historical Photos

Below is a gallery of pictures and images that document the building and furnishing of Trescott reservoirs and farm and school houses. By clicking on a particular picture of your choice, you will see a corresponding historical caption. 

*All images from Rauner Special Collections Library, Hanover Water Works records, DH-26, Box 9142

Works Cited:

Trescott Water Supply Lands, Recreation Management Plan [PDF]. (2016, April). Hanover: Upper Valley Trails Alliance, Hanover Conservancy.

Forest to Faucet  ~Hanover’s drinking water supply~ (sign on Trescott Lands). Trescott Property: Hanover Conservancy.

Mason’s Four Corners (sign on Trescott Lands). Trescott Property: Hanover Conservancy.

Town Poor Farm ~Home of Hanover’s Unfortunates~  (sign on Trescott Lands). Trescott Property: Hanover Conservancy.

“Trescott Water Supply Lands.” Hanover Conservancy. N.p., 2016. Web. 02 June 2017.

Hawkes, Gary. YouTube. YouTube, 27 Nov. 2013. Web. 02 June 2017.