HISTORIC PROPERTIES IN KENSINGTON, NEW HAMPSHIRE Kensington Townwide Area Form (Area K) Surveyed 1997 Preservation Company Sunny Knoll 5 Hobbs Road Kensington, NH 03833 HISTORIC PROPERTIES IN KENSINGTON, NEW HAMPSHIRE Kensington Townwide Area Form (Area K) Surveyed 1997 Preservation Company Sunny Knoll 5 Hobbs Road Kensington, NH 03833 Introduction The following document is called the “Kensington Townwide Area Form.” It was prepared in accordance with the guidelines of the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources (NHDHR, a.k.a. the New Hampshire State Historic Preservation Office). The concept of a townwide Area Form was formulated by the NHDHR to provide a basis for understanding and evaluating the historical resources within a given community. The significant themes and historic contexts in the town’s development are identified by compiling a historical overview; and building types, architectural styles and characteristics of the built environment are also documented. The Kensington Townwide Area Form was prepared for the Town of Kensington by Preservation Company, Kensington, New Hampshire, as a contribution to the documentation of the historic resources that are critical to defining the character of this community. It is our hope that this information will prove valuable for town planning purposes and will aid the NHDHR in its goal of documenting and identifying historical resources throughout the state of New Hampshire. In addition Kensington residents may learn more about the history of their town and understand how their own homes relate to its history and development. There are many strategies available for protecting these valuable resources, but none more powerful that an informed citizen base. – i – Guide For Using This Book This book is complex and therefore will take some time and effort on the part of the reader, but taking the time to gain familiarity will enhance the experience. The first thing to know is that there is a map folded in the back pocket which has every historic property numbered (your house, for instance). You can find its location and number on the map. Then look it up by number in the index which begins on page iv of this introduction. Page numbers within the form can be confusing. They are in the upper right corner of each page and are described as “Sheet 1 of 96”; photograph pages are described as “Sheet P1 or P182”. The Table of Contents on page iii of this introduction will guide you to the various sections of the form. An NHDHR Townwide Area Form consists of several sections. “Geographical Context” physically describes the town, and identifies geographical elements that played a role in the town’s development. “Architectural Significance” (pages 5-19) discusses the buildings in chronological order and relates them to popular architectural styles. (To identify the style and house type of a specific building, consult the photograph pages which are arranged by style and period.) “Historical Background” (pages 19-46) is an in-depth chronological overview of the town’s history, compiled from a variety of sources. Kensington’s history is broken down into periods of development and within each period, a variety of themes and topics are addressed. The “National Register Statement of Significance” and “Statement of Integrity” sections (pages 46-48) are a very preliminary evaluation of the historical contexts and architectural styles under which properties in Kensington might be considered eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (the criteria by which the NHDHR evaluates the state’s resources). The “Bibliography and References” (pages 48- 52) includes all primary and secondary sources used, enabling future researchers to access additional information. “Historic Contexts” (page 53) is a list of the relevant contexts developed by NHDHR. The Kensington Townwide Area Form includes copies of all historical maps (pages 54-66) for Kensington (sources of the originals are listed in the Bibliography), providing a complete pictorial view of the town’s development. Pages 67-72 area a copy of the Key to Houses in Sawyer’s history. On pages 73-96 are panoramic photographs showing many of Kensington’s most significant historic landscapes and vistas. Photographs continue from page P0 to P182. A table of contents on P0 shows how the photos are grouped according to property type (i.e. public buildings, houses, barns and outbuildings). Throughout this document, properties are identified by the numbers used in Sawyer’s history. Consult the base map for the number of a specific property, then consult the photo index. Whenever possible, matching modern and historic views are shown. The bulk of historic photographs are from the Kensington Public Library. An attempt was made to copy all historic views, but some may not have been included if their quality was too poor. – ii – Table of Contents Pages Introduction.........................................................................i Guide For Using This Book .................................................ii Table of Contents ................................................................iii Kensington Index.................................................................iv-x Townwide Area Form Methodology.......................................................................1-2 Geographical Context ..........................................................2-5 Architectural Significance ....................................................5-19 Historical Background .........................................................19-46 National Register Statement of Significance.........................46-48 Statement of Integrity..........................................................48 Bibliography and/or References............................................48-52 Historic Contexts.................................................................53 Historic Maps .....................................................................54-66 Key to Houses in History of Kensington ............................67-72 Panoramic photographs .......................................................73-96 Photographs ........................................................................P0-P182 Base Map ............................................................................back pocket – iii – Kensington Index House Number Road Name Photograph Page* S1 South Road P103, P170a, S3 South P104-1 S4 South P47-2, P154a, P173a-1 S6 South Road P161a-2 S8 Amesbury Road P121 S9 Old Amesbury Road P114 S12 Amesbury P127 S15 Amesbury P115 S16 Amesbury P129, P160a-2 S18 Amesbury P133 S19 Amesbury P87 S21 Amesbury P100 S23 Cottage Road P143, P144 S25 Cottage Road P24 S26 Cottage Road P25-1 S29 Cottage Road P135-2 S33 Cottage Road P22-1, P173a-2 S43 Highland Road P104-2 S44 Highland Road P43 S47 South Road P33, P155a S48 South Road P67-2 S49 South Road P139 S50 South Road P38, P151a-1 S52 South Road P83, P151a-2 S53 South Road P116, P165a S56 South Road P169a-1 S57 Bartlett Road P39, P172a-1 S58 Hickory Lane P31, P156a S67 South Road P69-1 S69 South Road P107 S72 South Road P140 S76 West School Road P85, P86 S83 Muddy Pond Road P109 S85 Beaver Damm P126 *“a” after a page number denotes an outbuilding. – iv – House Number Road Name Photograph Page* M1 Dow Lane P79-2, P159a-2 M4 Lamprey Road P51 M5 Lamprey P105, P160a-1 M11 Wild Pasture P44 M14 Amesbury P118 M16 Amesbury Road P84 M17 Amesbury P77, P149a M20 Cottage Road P119, P157a-2 M21 Amesbury P52, P53, P153a-2 M26 Amesbury P106 M27 Amesbury P45 M29 Amesbury P95 M30 Amesbury P111, P112 M31 Amesbury P81, P82 M32 Amesbury P110 M36 Amesbury P117 M42 Trundlebed P63, P64 M43 Stumpfield P75 M48 Stumpfield P88, P89 M50 Stumpfield P76, P123, P153a-1 M59 Stumpfield P80, P159a-1 M63 Stumpfield P152a-2 M64 Stumpfield P65, P157a-1 M66 Stumpfield P47-1 M67 Stumpfield P98, P99 M68 Stumpfield P102 M70 Stumpfield P20, P21 * “a” after a page number denotes an outbuilding. – v – House Number Road Name Photograph Page* N3 Wild Pasture P54, P146a-1 N6 Drinkwater P79-1 N11 Drinkwater P94, P163a-1 N12 Drinkwater P62-2 N14 Drinkwater P35 N17 Drinkwater P161a-1 N18 Drinkwater P27, P28 N19 Drinkwater P37 N21 Drinkwater P130-2 N23 Drinkwater P66 N24 Drinkwater P120-2 N25 Drinkwater P72, P73 N27 Drinkwater P49 N28 Drinkwater P130-1 N35 North Road P120-1, P150a N36 North Road P71 N39 North P58, P59 N44 North P101-2 N47 North P56, P57, P158a-2 N48 North P90, P91, P158a-1, P167a, P168a N52 Moulton Ridge P36 N53 Moulton Ridge P166a N56 Moulton Ridge P23 N57 Moulton Ridge P62-1, P171a N59 Moulton Ridge P26 N60 Moulton Ridge P68-2 N67 Moulton Ridge P67-1 N69 Moulton Ridge P46, P164a-2, P172a-2 N70 Moulton Ridge P174 N71 Hilliard Road P34 N72 Hilliard Road P30 N73 Shaws Hill Road P25-2 N74 Shaws Hill Road P50 N76 Shaws Hill Road P41, P42, P147a, P163a-2 N77 Shaws Hill P122 N78 Shaws Hill P128 N79 Shaws Hill P131-2 N80 Hobbs Road P92 N83 Hobbs Road P124 N84 Hobbs Road P32, P148-1a N85 Haverhill Road P108 N86 Kimball Road P48, P162a * “a” after a page number denotes an outbuilding – vi – House Number Road Name Photograph Page* N87 Kimball Road P93 N88 Haverhill Road P55, P146a-2 N89 Haverhill P101-1, P146a-2 N92 Haverhill P74 N93 Osgood Road P70 N96 Amesbury Road P136 N97 Amesbury Road P131-1 N98 Amesbury Road P137 N100 Brewer Road P68-1, P148a-2 N101 Amesbury Road P29 N102 Amesbury Road P141 N103 Amesbury Road P134 N104 Amesbury Road P135-1 N106 Haverhill Road P138 N109 Haverhill Road P142 N110 Haverhill Road P132 * “a” after a page number denotes an outbuilding