Center Harbor launches online historic resources map

CENTER HARBOR — The Center Harbor Heritage Commission has launched an online map of local historic sites and properties as part of its effort to teach about local history and to improve access to historical information.

The map is accessed through the GIS/Town Maps/Assessor Database link on the Town's website, http://www.centerharbornh.org.

The Center Harbor Heritage and Cultural Resources Inventory Map  is the result of research over the past two years. The Heritage Commission worked with preservation consultant Mae Williams to develop a model survey for New Hampshire towns to use to create an inventory on their historical resources in a cost-effective, volunteer-intensive manner. Williams' expertise was funded by a planning grant through the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources.

The survey started with a list of 22 historic structures from the 1983 Master Plan. Volunteers on the Heritage Commission identified and researched more than 120 historic sites and properties, recording the information on a Historic Resource Information Form that includes architectural characteristics, history, and photos. Many of the properties are found on maps dating from 1860 and 1892.

The Community Planning Survey contains a detailed history of Center Harbor, a list of sites, and the historical informational forms. It is available at the James E. Nichols Memorial Library and online at the town website, on the Heritage Commission's page.

One recommendation is to "...incorporate historic resources into Town geographical information system (GIS) mapping." Historic sites and properties are color-coded on the map according to decade built, whether located in Slab City, historic barns (many of which are part of the ongoing town-wide barn survey), and cemeteries/burying grounds. Sites that have been demolished are also shown.

The Historic Resource Information Form can be accessed by clicking on the "Heritage Document" tab for each property.

The list of local historic resources, information forms and the online map will be updated as needed. Additional historic sites and properties may be added. Anyone who would like to add information about a particular site, and owners of historic properties that would like their property included, should contact the Center Harbor Heritage Commission by mail at: PO Box 140, Center Harbor, NH 03226.