The concrete and stone dam was constructed by the State of NH in 19xx and is maintained by the DES. This is by no means the first dam erected on the outlet. Since the earliest settlers arrived in the late 1700s, several dams have been built on this site to provide waterpower for local industries, including lumber milling and water bottling. For a while in the early 1800s the lake was known as “Tannery” Pond, reflecting the existence of a leather tanning operation at the outlet. Note some rotting boards and stone piles in a narrow constriction, upstream of the dam pool. That’s one of the old, crib-style industrial dams.

More to come...