Adam's Mill - North Trail

Today I ventured behind Adam's Mill (now Elite Brewing) to hike the trail north of the river.

What's amazing.... there was once a huge pond here but very few folks know about the history!

You first hike along top of the dikes. 

I took a left turn to continue northeasterly along the river

The trail was a treat!

On the left it appeared to be a long spillway

Soon there was a dam

The old railroad bridge...

Man I wish I had a rail bike - this would be perfect!

Next time I will cross the bridge and head back on the other side...

Heading back...

Adams Mill Trail - Part 2

After a few days of rain, it was a welcome relief to see the sun again. While on errands up in Manchester, I decided to revisit the Adams Mill Trail and check out the powerhouse ruins on the north side of the river.

The old mill is now a brewery...

After walking across a footbridge over the remains of a watergate, the trail proceeds along the top of the old earthen dike... 

 

The dike looks like it might have been breached here (perhaps this is from the aftermath of the 1938 hurricane)

 

Once at the powerhouse ruins, there's a lot to see!

"The frame of the brick hydroelectric structure was built by the E.E.Hilliard Company around 1907. This dam burst during the great New England Hurricane of 1938."

Remains of the sandstone dam are scattered about...

-short video-

I'll be back to hike the whole trail (north/south and the rr bridge soon!) - its pretty nice...

Historic Details

In the 19th century, before back-hoes and Caterpillar tractors, numerous dikes and dams were built along the Hockanum River to harness water power for mill machinery. This hike shows remains of dams, ponds and sluiceways from long ago. Except for the Union Pond Dam, all of the dams along the Hockanum were destroyed in a devastating flood of 1869.

In 1863, Peter C. Adams had purchased a paper mill, outbuildings, 38 acres of land and Hockanum River water privileges. He purchased additional land, houses and barns between 1869 and 1876. The present Adams Mill Restaurant building was constructed in 1880 (see the marble inscription over the front door). The Adams Mill flourished until Peter Adams' death in 1896.

Financial decline and failure closed most mills by the 1880s and 1890s, leaving a few mill buildings and many ruins. The old Hilliard Mills and the Adams Mill are among the best preserved along the Hockanum River. Behind the Adams Mill Restaurant can be seen ruins of the extensive system of dikes and two dams which were destroyed in the 1938 hurricane. Source >

Adams Mill Trail

An abandoned mill, crazy eroded boardwalks along a cliff. a huge railroad bridge and a rusty 12 cylinder engine - not bad for a quick hike in the woods!

The first section was a little overgrown...

...but it became more navigable after a short while.

There are ruins of an old mill across the river. I will need to check that out from the trail across the river next time!

Scattered large brownstones indicates there probably was a sandstone dam here at one time...

Interesting -  fallen tree with mushrooms

The trail got pretty crazy - suspended on eroding boardwalks. This went on for quite a while!

Yikes!

But its was very rugged and scenic

A tight squeeze!

Finally no more catwalks along the cliff...

I came to a railroad bridge

There is a catwalk parallel to the tracks - so next time I will cross it (sadly it does look a bit old and rusty - the track is no longer being used)

Had a curious friend :-)

I took the water line trail out - it was nicely maintained

And what fun is a trek in the woods without finding some mysterious rusted relics. This looked like it was an old 12 cylinder diesel truck!

I'll be back!

Historical Info

There's very little information on the small mill next to the river. This is not the Adams Mill which is much bigger and is now the home of Ellicit Brewing (although it might have been an outbuilding of that complex at one point).

Interestingly, the sandstone dam once created a large pond that's illustrated on the 1892 map.

1849

1892

A much more famous mill nearby was the Hilliard Mills located southwest of the former pond. What I gathered from online info on Hilliard Mills stated that:

"Hilliard Mills also used hydro-electric power from a plant on the Hockanum River off Adams Street. The ruins of the power plant remain, although it was heavily damaged in the hurricane of 1938."

So I believe that the small ruins I saw were the former power plant mentioned above...