 Old Hill Village may be a short drive away, but it's another world. It provides a step back to a time when life was a lot more simple. (NH Dept. of Resouces & Economic Development photos) |
In the first of an ongoing series of travels stories of places to go in and around New Hampshire, we’ll head to Gilsum for the town’s annual rock swamp, Bath to go panning for gold and the old village of Hill to look for treasure old and new.
On our way
First stop: The town that used to be known as New Chester.
The name of the small central New Hampshire outpost was changed from New Chester to Hill in 1837. By 1942, you could call it a ghost town. The construction of the Franklin Falls dam project the year before forced the town’s residents to pull up stakes from its spot along the Pemigewasset River to higher ground less than a mile away.
The state maintains the area, which is still busy in the winter with snowmobiles, and bikes and walkers in the warmer months. Geo cache clubs bury treasure there for their members try to track down using GPS systems.
Walk around the abandoned streets and sidewalks that remain and you may come across a cellar hole, maybe even the rusted out body of a vintage automobile. Look even harder and you may find an arrowhead. It’s long been speculated that Native Americans used to hunt and fish the area.
But remember: It’s illegal to take anything away.
The gates blocking the 6-mile road through the old village are opened to cars for two days on the weekend after Labor Day. Shaun Bresnahan of the New Hampshire Forest and Lands said old-timers who used to live there before moving to the new Hill village come through that weekend to see their old house sites.
If you’re walking, you can get into the old village through Profile Falls or by the Pleasant Hill cemetery near the new village.
Gold in them hills
Ready to move on? Well, pack your bathing suit, bring your mining pan and let’s find some gold.
That’s right, there’s gold right here in New Hampshire.
 The remnant of a foundation is evident in this photo taken in Old Hill Village, a must-see stop of any New Hampshire journey. |
“But it’s a lot of fun,” Orchard said. “It’s worth the drive.”
If you want a good destination, find a spot on the Wild Amonoosuc River in Bath. Check out the Twin River Campground’s store for all the supplies you want. Twin River owner Sandy Solinsky said the more serious prospectors start heading up to her campground, which has frontage on the river and plenty of campsites and cottages, once the ice starts melting off the river.
“But nobody’s quitting their day job,” Solinsky said. “It’s just like fishing or any other sport that you do to get outside.”
While the more serious prospectors use dredges to look for their nuggets, families can head out with a simple tin pan. Sandy’s husband Dennis may even give the kids a lesson on how to work the stream.
Rocky day
If you don’t feel like getting wet to find your precious stones, try the 44th annual Gilsum Rock Swap.
The event is June 28-29 at the Gilsum Elementary School and Community Center, and organizers are expecting over 5,000 people, including gem collectors, sellers and traders from as far away as Virginia and Ohio.
There were over two dozen mines operating in the area during the 1800s, mostly for mica and feldspar, and those are hot spots today for collectors now looking for minerals like beryl or quartz.
Jim Tovey, a design engineer, started collecting gems and minerals as a kid. Now he owns the mineral rights to three mines in the area. He said his hobby turned into a passion and that passion has now turned into a part-time business.
If you’re looking to get into collecting, Tovey and others suggest joining a mineral club. But don’t call them treasure hunters.
“We’re rock hounds,” Tovey said.
He said many of the 70 vendors that attend the Gilsum Rock Swap bring more jewels and specimens than they plan on selling or trading just to show off. Rob Mitchell, one of the organizers of the swap, said one of the highlights of the event is watching the kids scurry around the field looking for gems and stones vendors might have left behind.
And, whether it’s searching for minerals in the mountains or panning for gold in the river, remember most of the land is privately owned, so ask permission to use it.
After that, it’s happy hunting.
E-mail New Hampshire Union Leader staff writer Jim Fennell at jfennell@unionleader.com.
