The Benjamin Aldrich Homestead is a historic homestead east of the terminus of Aldrich Road, slightly east of Piper Hill in
Colebrook, New Hampshire
Colebrook is a town in Coös County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,084 at the time of the 2020 census, down from 2,301 at the 2010 census.United States Census BureauAmerican FactFinder 2010 Census figures. Retrieved March 23, ...
. Developed beginning in 1846, it is the oldest surviving farm property in the town. Its farmstead includes the original 1846 house and barns of the period. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 2003,
and the
New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places
The New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places (NHSRHP) is a register of historic places administered by the Government of New Hampshire, state of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. Buildings, districts, s ...
in 2002.
Description and history
The Benjamin Aldrich Homestead stands in a rural area of northwestern Colebrook, on a hillside of overlooking the
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...
to the west. The farmstead includes the main house, several barns, a chicken coop, and other storage buildings. The main block of the main house is a -story wood-frame structure, with a gabled roof, granite stone foundation, and Greek Revival decoration. Attached to it is an older -story Cape, now serving as an ell on the south side. The main barn, built about the same time as the ell, is a
bank barn
A bank barn or banked barn is a style of barn noted for its accessibility, at ground level, on two separate levels. Often built into the side of a hill, or bank, both the upper and the lower floors area could be accessed from ground level, one are ...
with a fieldstone foundation and hand-hewn timber frame.
The ell of the house and the barn were built in 1846 and 1847, respectively, not long after Benjamin Aldrich's purchase of the land in 1844. In 1861, the main block of the house was built, and the old house rotated and attached to its south side. The farm is the last intact 19th-century farmstead in the town of Colebrook. It remained in the hands of Aldrich's descendants until 1988, seeing agricultural use well into the 20th century. Originally a largely agrarian community, Colebrook has no active farm properties.
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See also
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aldrich, Benjamin, Homestead
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire
Houses in Coös County, New Hampshire
New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places
Houses completed in 1846
National Register of Historic Places in Coös County, New Hampshire
Colebrook, New Hampshire