Program to outline more than 2 centuries of Meredith mill history

MEREDITH — Nothing was as important to the establishment of an early New Hampshire village as its mills. As the next offering in its popular speaker series, the local historical society will dig into the origins and evolution of the Meredith Village mill yard.  

Meredith Historical Society President John Hopper will share material from his recently released book, "A History of the Meredith Village Mill Yard 1786-2025" during the program on Tuesday, Aug. 4, at the Meredith Community Center.

Now the site of the Mill Falls Inn and Marketplace, the village mill yard has been home to a variety of manufacturing concerns, including cotton and woolen mills, a bustling hosiery firm, the famed Meredith Linen Mills, lumbering concerns, a piano factory and even a patented plow manufactory. For three decades from the 1950s to ’80s, it was the site of an initially welcomed and later dreaded asbestos mill.

Names of many local leaders over the decades who have a deep association with these concerns will also be featured, including Ebenezer Smith, John Bond Swasey, J.W. Lang, “Allie” Hall, and more recently, Edward “Rusty” McLear.

“Rusty had a vision of how to develop the site in complete harmony with the natural setting of the village,” said Hopper, “changing both the physical and visual charm of the entire town.”

In addition to his new book on village mill history, John Hopper is the author of two other books on local history. His "History of Bear Island" and "The Bear Island Chapel" have shown him to be the recognized local expert on those specific topics as well as Lake Winnipesaukee history in general.

His numerous contributions to the historical society’s annual Morsels of Meredith History have included profiles of piano manufacturer Jaziel Robinson, village doctor Frederick Hawkins and the legendary “Aunt Dolly” Nichols, as well as a study of “The Black Heritage Trail in Early Meredith.” He is currently working on a history of the various parcels that make up the Page Pond Community Forest for the next volume of Morsels.

This program will be held Tuesday, Aug. 4, at the Meredith Community Center. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for light refreshments. The program begins at 7 p.m. All programs of the society are free, and all are welcome.

For a complete schedule of the Society’s 2026 Speaker Series, visit meredithhistoricalsocietynh.org.