Mine Falls Park
Encyclopedia
Mine Falls Park is a 325 acres (131.5 ha) park in the city of Nashua, New Hampshire
. Located in the heart of the city, it was purchased in 1969 from the Nashua, New Hampshire Foundation with city and federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) money. It is bordered on the north by the Nashua River
and on the south by the millpond and canal
system.
Visitors to the park from around New Hampshire
and Massachusetts
enjoy numerous recreational opportunities, such as walking, boating, fishing, cross-country skiing, and biking. The park also includes several fields for organized sports. The trails provide the city's only bicycle and pedestrian crossing of the Nashua River west of Main Street.
The park was once the property of the Nashua Manufacturing Company and was later acquired by Textron
who sold it to the Nashua, New Hampshire Foundation (a group of local businessmen) in the 1940s.
The name "Mine Falls" dates from the 18th century, when low-quality lead was supposedly mined from the island below the falls. In the early 19th century, the potential of the Nashua River
to drive the wheels of industrial mills was recognized. Workers used shovels and mules to dig a 3 miles (5 km) canal, which provides a vertical drop of 36 feet (11 m) at the mills. The first gates were built in 1826, and the gatehouse
near the falls was built in 1886.
In 1987, the Nashua River Canal and the Nashua Manufacturing Company Historic District (the Millyard) were placed on the National Register of Historic Places
. In 1992, the park trails were designated part of the New Hampshire Heritage Trail system, which extends 130 miles (209.2 km) along the Merrimack River
from Massachusetts
to Canada
. Mine Falls (on the Nashua River
) is now the site of a small, city owned (managed by Algonquin Power) hydroelectric dam with a capacity of 3 megawatts
.
Starting in 2005, the park has been the site of the New Hampshire high school cross country
championships.
City officials had long tolerated an encampment of the homeless
, known as "Maple Island", near the millyard in the park. An attack on a homeless man in 2009 prompted renewed concern about it, and officials cleared the settlement. Some local homeless made a new camp on nearby private land.
Nashua, New Hampshire
-Climate:-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 86,494 people, 35,044 households, and 21,876 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,719.9 people per square mile . There were 37,168 housing units at an average density of 1,202.8 per square mile...
. Located in the heart of the city, it was purchased in 1969 from the Nashua, New Hampshire Foundation with city and federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) money. It is bordered on the north by the Nashua River
Nashua River
The Nashua River, long, is a tributary of the Merrimack River in Massachusetts and New Hampshire in the United States. It is formed in eastern Worcester County, Massachusetts, by junction of its north and south branches near Lancaster, and flows generally north-northeast past Groton to join the...
and on the south by the millpond and canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
system.
Visitors to the park from around New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
and Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
enjoy numerous recreational opportunities, such as walking, boating, fishing, cross-country skiing, and biking. The park also includes several fields for organized sports. The trails provide the city's only bicycle and pedestrian crossing of the Nashua River west of Main Street.
The park was once the property of the Nashua Manufacturing Company and was later acquired by Textron
Textron
Textron is a conglomerate that includes Bell Helicopter, E-Z-GO, Cessna Aircraft Company, and Greenlee, among others. It was founded by Royal Little in 1923 as the Special Yarns Company, and is headquartered at the Textron Tower in Providence, Rhode Island, United States.With total revenues of...
who sold it to the Nashua, New Hampshire Foundation (a group of local businessmen) in the 1940s.
The name "Mine Falls" dates from the 18th century, when low-quality lead was supposedly mined from the island below the falls. In the early 19th century, the potential of the Nashua River
Nashua River
The Nashua River, long, is a tributary of the Merrimack River in Massachusetts and New Hampshire in the United States. It is formed in eastern Worcester County, Massachusetts, by junction of its north and south branches near Lancaster, and flows generally north-northeast past Groton to join the...
to drive the wheels of industrial mills was recognized. Workers used shovels and mules to dig a 3 miles (5 km) canal, which provides a vertical drop of 36 feet (11 m) at the mills. The first gates were built in 1826, and the gatehouse
1886 Mine Falls Gatehouse
The Mine Falls Gatehouse is a dam gatehouse in Mine Falls Park in Nashua, New Hampshire. It was built in 1886 by the Nashua Manufacturing Company to regulate water flow from the mill yard. The company relied on waterflow to provide power to its mill...
near the falls was built in 1886.
In 1987, the Nashua River Canal and the Nashua Manufacturing Company Historic District (the Millyard) were placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. In 1992, the park trails were designated part of the New Hampshire Heritage Trail system, which extends 130 miles (209.2 km) along the Merrimack River
Merrimack River
The Merrimack River is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport...
from Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Mine Falls (on the Nashua River
Nashua River
The Nashua River, long, is a tributary of the Merrimack River in Massachusetts and New Hampshire in the United States. It is formed in eastern Worcester County, Massachusetts, by junction of its north and south branches near Lancaster, and flows generally north-northeast past Groton to join the...
) is now the site of a small, city owned (managed by Algonquin Power) hydroelectric dam with a capacity of 3 megawatts
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
.
Starting in 2005, the park has been the site of the New Hampshire high school cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
championships.
City officials had long tolerated an encampment of the homeless
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
, known as "Maple Island", near the millyard in the park. An attack on a homeless man in 2009 prompted renewed concern about it, and officials cleared the settlement. Some local homeless made a new camp on nearby private land.