Historic bridge is the subject of meeting Oct. 16

CAMPTON —  Members of the Northern New England Chapter of the Industrial Archaeology Society of America will hold their annual meeting on Saturday, Oct. 16, here around the remains of the1886 wrought iron "Pumpkinseed" bridge spanning the Pemigewasset River into Holderness. Efforts are underway to save the structure, possibly the only one of its kind left in this part of the country which the Society endorses.

Once they have inspected and photographed the bridge, Society members will move on to nearby Blair Covered Bridge and Campton's Dole Mills, then the former mill village at Beebe River, all of Campton.

Now a state park, Livermore Falls at the site of the bridge and down river, is being developed into a family friendly recreational area with sand beach, boat launch, picnic tables, parking and other amenities.

But to save the historic iron span, built by Holderness, Campton and Plymouth 135 years ago and closed to traffic in the 1950s, will involve making sure it is structurally secure and whether suited for conversion into a visitor viewing platform.

There have been some archaeological digs at Livermore Falls resulting in uncovering the remains of a workers mill village on the east side of the Pemi, and Native American artifacts. Livermore is also the site of the state's first fish hatchery once alongside a river that once teemed with salmon.