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PIERMONT, NH

Situated on the Connecticut River just west of the White Mountain National Forest, this town's name is taken from Piedmont in the Italian Alps, a re-spelling of the Italian Piemonte. The town is home to Lake Tarleton, which once was on the property of Colonel William Tarleton. The Colonel kept a tavern in Piermont, fought in the Revolution, was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1791, and a member of the presidential Electoral College in 1804.

The ROUND BARN [21], which is actually 16-sided, was built in 1906 and is one of the last remaining round barns in New Hampshire.

Piermont Round Barn

Stay on Rte 10 south and continue to the crossroad in the middle of the village of Piermont (approximately 3 miles). Just beyond the village crossroads on the right, is THE PARSONAGE [22], begun in 1882 thanks to a gift of $1000 from Deacon A.P. Gould.

Next door to the parsonage stands the OLD CHURCH [23]. Now a town meeting place, the structure was originally built in 1807 as a Congregational church, but the building was sold to the Methodists in 1856. In 1908, the church was modernized to include electricity and eight beautiful memorial windows were installed.

Piermont Old Church

Just across the street is the PIERMONT FIRE DEPARTMENT [24] , although it is not the building that is of interest but the department's history. It was founded in the 1930s when blacksmith Bert French converted an old Cadillac truck into the first Piermont fire engine.

The PIERMONT PUBLIC LIBRARY [25] building, erected in the 1830's, now houses not only the library but the Selectmen's and Town Clerk's offices and the Piermont Historical Society as well.

You should now turn back and go north on Rte 10, to the crossroads, and turn left on to Rte 25. Across the road on the right, the building with the mansard roof is now known as the EVANS HOUSE [26] , but this 1790 building was originally owned by the Greely family. It was purchased by tin shop and grocery store owners Robert A. and Mary Evans in 1832. The mansard roof on the house was added at a later date. Records show that at one time the Evans owned a slave, Tom Waterman, whom they later freed.

Just beyond the Evans house is the former PIERMONT TOWN HALL [27]. Though now a private residence, the building was used for town meetings until as late as 1993. The structure was built in 1863 in the Greek Revival style.

A short distance further, at the corner of Rte 25 and Church Street , is the PIERMONT INN [28] . T he exact date of the inn's construction is not known, but in 1790 the town selectmen gave Doctor Ross Coon of Haverhill Corner permission to operate the building as a tavern (the Dodge Tavern).

Across the road is the PIERMONT POST OFFICE [29] . Built in 1814, the building has been, variously, a general store and a post office.

If you wish to see the Congregational Church, continue up Church Street where, on the left, is the church built in 1836 and, to its left, the parsonage built in 1865. Afterward return to Rte 25. Continue west on Rte 25 to its junction, on the right, with River Road (approximately 1.3 miles).

On the left, opposite River Road , stands the SAWYER/MEDLICOTT HOUSE [30] . All the woodwork in this brick house is beautifully fluted and there is wonderful wainscoting but, perhaps, its most striking interior feature is its circular stairway rising from a spacious hall. Also of special interest is the fact that the bricks to build the house were manufactured on site.

Sawyer/Mendicott House

Continue west on Rte 25 to the New Hampshire/Vermont border and the Connecticut River.