New Hampshire is thriving these days – but what you may not know is that beside some of our most vibrant towns you’ll find the spots where towns and villages you’ve never heard of once stood. From Revolutionary War-era towns to logging villages from the early 20th century, New Hampshire’s ghost towns hold all sorts of stories. Visiting them is an eerie experience – you may just suspect that some of the residents of these desolate spots never left.
Google Maps As you’ll see, most of the ghost towns are located in the White Mountains, so if you want a shorter trip you can skip Monson Center - but it’s the only ghost town on this list from the 1700s, so it’s quite fascinating. Click on this Google Map for interactive driving directions!
- Monson Center
Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests We’ll start our trip with the ghost town that dates back the farthest. This colonial village located in what is now Milford, existed from 1737-1770 and was originally part of Massachusetts. Since it’s been protected as a historic site, there is more to see here than in the locations of most New Hampshire ghost towns.
- Livermore
Yelp/Danny Navarro This abandoned logging village is located about 16 miles west of North Conway - but you’d never guess that there was so much hustle and bustle nearby. It was a thriving logging town in the late 1800s, but the last residents departed in 1946. You can still see the ruins of some of Livermore’s buildings beneath the layer of vines and plants that have grown up over them.
- Zealand
Flickr/Wesley Carr The village of Zealand (in what is now Carroll) sprang up in 1875 around the logging industry - but it was destroyed by fires that raged through the years 1886-1903 and finally abandoned.
- Gale River
Flickr/George Adams The Gale River settlement was located in Bethlehem, and at one point included a mill on the river, as well as an early logging railroad. It was all abandoned by the time the mill collapsed in 1906.
- Passaconaway
Flickr/Jasperdo Off the Kancamagus Highway, you’ll find the last building standing from the village of Passaconaway - the historic Russell Colbath house. The village was located in what is now Albany, and it once included a sawmill, post office, and several homes.
Are you fascinated by New Hampshire’s abandoned towns of yesteryear? Tell us in the comments!
Google Maps
As you’ll see, most of the ghost towns are located in the White Mountains, so if you want a shorter trip you can skip Monson Center - but it’s the only ghost town on this list from the 1700s, so it’s quite fascinating. Click on this Google Map for interactive driving directions!
Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
We’ll start our trip with the ghost town that dates back the farthest. This colonial village located in what is now Milford, existed from 1737-1770 and was originally part of Massachusetts. Since it’s been protected as a historic site, there is more to see here than in the locations of most New Hampshire ghost towns.
Yelp/Danny Navarro
This abandoned logging village is located about 16 miles west of North Conway - but you’d never guess that there was so much hustle and bustle nearby. It was a thriving logging town in the late 1800s, but the last residents departed in 1946. You can still see the ruins of some of Livermore’s buildings beneath the layer of vines and plants that have grown up over them.
Flickr/Wesley Carr
The village of Zealand (in what is now Carroll) sprang up in 1875 around the logging industry - but it was destroyed by fires that raged through the years 1886-1903 and finally abandoned.
Flickr/George Adams
The Gale River settlement was located in Bethlehem, and at one point included a mill on the river, as well as an early logging railroad. It was all abandoned by the time the mill collapsed in 1906.
Flickr/Jasperdo
Off the Kancamagus Highway, you’ll find the last building standing from the village of Passaconaway - the historic Russell Colbath house. The village was located in what is now Albany, and it once included a sawmill, post office, and several homes.
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