NoeFlandre/osm-polygon-wikidata-only huggingface dataset:
Ballard State Forest

Ballard State Forest is a state forest of New Hampshire located in Derry, Rockingham County, in the southeast part of the state. The area of the park is 71 acres (0.29 km2). It includes the Taylor Mill Historic Site, an old sawmill, and Ballard Pond, which provides water for the mill. The forest is located on Island Pond Road, east of the downtown of Derry. The pond drains via Taylor Brook and Island Pond into the Spicket River, a tributary of the Merrimack River. The name of the park is due to the former property owner, Ernest Ballard. In 1939, he bought the land. By that time, the original mill was scrapped, and Ballard bought a similar mill, and subsequently spent two years together with his wife restoring the mill and replacing missing parts. In 1953, he donated the mill and the land to the state of New Hampshire. References
Bath Covered Bridge

The Bath Covered Bridge is a historic covered bridge over the Ammonoosuc River off US 302 and NH 10 in Bath, New Hampshire. Built in 1832, it is one of the state's oldest surviving covered bridges. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, and underwent a major rehabilitation in the 2010s. Description and history The Bath Covered Bridge is located on the west side of the village center of Bath, carrying West Bath Road over the Ammonoosuc River. The bridge has a total length of over 390 feet (120 m) and a roadbed that is just over 22 feet (6.7 m) wide. The bridge consists of four spans supported by Burr trusses, resting on stone piers and abutments, and is finished with vertical board siding. When originally built, it had only three spans, but when the bridge was raised in the 1920s, a third pier was added, as were laminated arches to strengthen the bridge. The bridge is the fifth to stand on this site, where a bridge has stood since at least 1794. That bridge was washed away by flooding in 1806, as were subsequent bridges in 1820 and 1826. The fourth bridge was destroyed by fire in 1830. The bridge serves a primarily rural residential population, and sees relatively little traffic. The bridge was closed to traffic in October 2012 for safety, structural, and cosmetic reasons. After 21 months and $3 million in repairs, it re-opened in August 2014. See also List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in New Hampshire List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire List of covered bridges in New Hampshire National Register of Historic Places listings in Grafton County, New Hampshire References External links Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. NH-34, "Bath Bridge, Spanning Ammonoosuc River, Lisbon Road, Bath, Grafton County, NH", 15 photos, 2 color transparencies, 9 data pages, 2 photo caption pages Bath Covered Bridge on Flickr
Baxter Lake (New Hampshire)

Baxter Lake is a 302.1-acre (1.223 km2) water body located in Strafford County in eastern New Hampshire, United States, in the town of Farmington and the city of Rochester. It is part of the Cocheco River watershed, a tributary of the Piscataqua River. Lake access is from the state launching ramp off Four Rod Road. Once clear of the island, winds are very steady for small boat sailing. Much of the east shoreline is undeveloped. The lake is classified as a warmwater fishery, with observed species including smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, chain pickerel, and horned pout. See also List of lakes in New Hampshire References
Bay Meeting House and Vestry

The Bay Meeting House and Vestry, now the Second Baptist Church, is a historic church complex on Upper Bay and Steele Roads in Sanbornton, New Hampshire. Built in 1836 for a Free Will Baptist congregation headed by Moses Cheney, the church is a good example of transitional Federal and Gothic Revival architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Description and history The Bay Meeting House is located in a rural area in northeastern Sanbornton, at the junction of Upper Bay and Steele Roads. The property is on high land overlooking Lake Winnisquam to the east, which was historically known as Sanbornton Bay, the origin of the church's name. The church is a two-story wood-frame structure, with a gabled roof topped by a two-stage square tower. The first stage is plain, with a projecting cornice topped by a low railing and Gothic spires at the corners. The second stage is an open belfry (now lacking a bell), with paneled square posts joined by segmental arched moulding. It is also topped at the corners by a narrower set of Gothic spires. The main facade is symmetrical, with a pair of entrances flanking a central window, and windows above each of these elements. Windows on the sides are topped by Gothic fans. The vestry is a relatively modest rectangular structure, built in 1841 with enlargements in the early 20th century and again in the 1980s. The first Free Will Baptist meetinghouse was built on this site about 1808, for a congregation under the leadership of Rev. Moses Cheney. That organization was disbanded about 1816, when the Second Baptist Society was organized. A separate organization, the Second Baptist Church, was founded in 1822. The present church was built in 1836, and remained in ownership by the Society until it was transferred to the Church in 1955. Its exterior, a blend of Federal massing with Gothic features, has remained nearly unaltered since its construction. The vestry, built in 1841 and enlarged in the early 20th century, is a vernacular structure that is typical of its period. See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Belknap County, New Hampshire References
Bear Brook State Park

Bear Brook State Park is a 10,000-acre (4,000 ha) preserve in Allenstown, New Hampshire, and neighboring towns. It is one of New Hampshire's largest state parks. Description The park takes its name from Bear Brook, a stream which runs through the park. Its environment is that of the Northeastern coastal forests ecoregion. Amenities at Bear Brook include camp sites, a picnic area, over 40 miles (64 km) of hiking trails, swimming and fishing ponds, archery range, camp store, a ball field, playground, bathhouse, shelters, picnic tables, canoe and rowboat rentals, and a physical fitness course. The park is home to the New Hampshire Snowmobile Museum, Old Allenstown Meeting House, and the Richard Diehl Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Museum, which are in historic buildings built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. History The park opened to the public in 1943, with The Boston Globe describing it as New Hampshire's "newest public recreation area." With about 7,000 acres in 1962, it was cited as the state's largest state park, with an estimated 143,230 visitors the previous summer. On 1 July of that year, stables opened at the park for trail riding. In 1985 and 2000, the remains of a total of four female bodies, one adult and three children, were found in the park. In January 2017, a suspect in the case was identified as Terry Peder Rasmussen (also known by several aliases) who had died in prison in 2010. In June 2019, three of the bodies were identified. In September 2025, the identity of the fourth victim was confirmed. See also Allenstown Meeting House Bear Brook State Park Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp Historic District References External links Bear Brook State Park New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources New Hampshire Snowmobile Museum
Bear Island (Lake Winnipesaukee)

Bear Island is the second largest of the 264 islands in Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, United States. In the summer it is accessible only by boat because it is not connected to the mainland via a bridge. In the winter it can be reached by crossing the frozen lake, including by snowmobile. According to the Lake Winnipesaukee Historical Society, the island got its name when a few hunters along with a few members of the Pennacook tribe were sent to survey the island. However, they encountered a few bears, which they decided to hunt. Originally the island was named "Big Bear Island", which was later shortened to "Bear Island" when the island was annexed by the town of Meredith in 1799. Topography Bear island is located east of Meredith Neck in Lake Winnipesaukee. Its nearest point to the mainland is about 1,200 feet (370 m) off the southern end of Meredith Neck, while most of the island is 0.5 to 1.0 mile (0.8 to 1.6 km) out into the lake. The island is 3 miles (5 km) in length with about 8.5 miles (13.7 km) of shoreline. The island is divided roughly into two land regions by The Carry, a narrow section in the middle of the island, legendarily named for the practice of carrying one's canoe to reach the other side of the island. Each of the two halves of the island rises approximately 150 feet (46 m) above the surface of the surrounding lake. The island is approximately 780 acres. The whole island is generally forested. The shoreline is lined with seasonal cottages, with the exceptions of the summer camps described below. The majority of the interior land is placed into conservation. Walking trails abound. As the rocky soil was once farmed, a number of stone walls cross the island. Residences Bear Islands contains around 200 residences along the shorelines. St. John's A non-denominational church was established in 1927, built around a then 25-year-old observation tower. Services are summer Sundays at 10:00. Summer camps The island houses two YMCA summer camps, one for boys and one for girls. The boys' camp is called Camp Lawrence, and its sister camp is called Camp Nokomis. Both are sponsored by the Bear Island Camps Association under the direction of the Merrimack Valley YMCA. References Further reading Bear Island Reflections (nhhistory.org) The History of Bear Island (Amazon) The Bear Island Chapel (stjohnsonthelake.org) External links BearIsland.org
Advent Camp Meeting Grounds Historic District

The Advent Camp Meeting Ground Historic District encompasses the early surviving elements of a religious summer camp meeting ground in Hartford, Vermont. Founded in 1887, it is one of a small number of camp meetings surviving from the 19th century in the state, and the only surviving one run by the Advent Christian General Conference (not to be confused with the Seventh-day Adventist church, whose regional administrative conferences continue to hold annual camp meetings in over sixty locations in the United States alone). It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017. Description and history The Advent Camp Meeting Ground is located in the town of Hartford, Vermont, on 7.5 acres (3.0 ha) of land between Mount Olivet Cemetery, and the tracks formerly of the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) that parallel the Connecticut River. Prior to its acquisition by the Advent Camp Meeting in 1887, it was part of the large landholdings of Orren Taft. It was not the first Adventist camp to be established in Vermont; one in Bethel was founded in 1868. That same year, the Adventist Christian Conference was organized, and also held a camp meeting in White River Junction. In 1886 members of the Bethel camp meeting split from that group, seeking to establish a permanent meeting ground near White River Junction. They acquired the land from Orren Taft in August 1887, and had a tabernacle tent and residence cabins built. The site's proximity to the B&M railroad line brought significant numbers of attendees over the next several decades, aided by the construction of a siding platform. A major fire in 1895 destroyed most of the early structures on the grounds, and resulted in the present-day wider spacing of buildings on the wooded grounds. The camp meeting's attendance declined beginning in the 1920s, but it has remained in continuous operation, with events every summer. The buildings of the camp are organized around a central tabernacle, a single-story frame building with a shallow-pitch gabled roof. Its sides consist of removable wall sections covered with asphalt shingling, which are removed when the camp is in session to provide an open-air experience. Institutional buildings on the grounds include a kitchen/dining room, classroom buildings, and physical plant support. Residential buildings include two dormitories for group housing, and a large number of cabins. Some of the cabins are privately owned; all are of relatively modest proportions and styling. See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Windsor County, Vermont References
Bedell Covered Bridge

The Bedell Bridge was a Burr truss covered bridge that spanned the Connecticut River between Newbury, Vermont and Haverhill, New Hampshire. Until its most recent destruction in 1979, it was, with a total length of 382 feet (116 m), the second-longest covered bridge in the United States. The bridge was divided into two spans of roughly equal length, and rested on a central pier and shore abutments constructed from mortared rough stone. The eastern abutment has been shored up by the addition of a concrete footing. The bridge was 23 feet (7.0 m) wide, with a roadway width of 18.5 feet (5.6 m). Because the state line is the western low-water mark of the Connecticut River, most of the bridge was in New Hampshire; only the western abutment is in Vermont. The site is now part of the 74-acre (30 ha) Bedell Bridge State Park in Haverhill, New Hampshire. History There have been five bridges on this site. The first was built in 1805 and heavily damaged in 1823. Quickly rebuilt that year, it was washed away in 1841. A third bridge was carried away by a spring flood in 1862. The fourth bridge was destroyed in a storm on July 4, 1866, and replaced the same year. This fifth bridge was in service for 92 years, until it was closed to traffic in 1958. It was scheduled for demolition in 1973 due to heavy damage that year. A "Save the Bedell Bridge Committee" raised $250,000 to rebuild the bridge, which was completed by 1978, and included the establishment of the associated Bedell Bridge State Park in the area of the eastern abutment. The bridge was rededicated on July 22, 1979, only to be blown away again by a windstorm on September 14, 1979 according to the marker on site, see image below. The state park, as well as the abutments and a pier in the river, are all that remain. When first built, the bridge was in private ownership, and a toll was charged to cross it. In 1916, the towns of Newbury and Haverhill purchased the bridge and eliminated the toll. Ownership of the bridge was transferred to the state of New Hampshire in 1967. Image gallery See also List of crossings of the Connecticut River List of New Hampshire covered bridges List of Vermont covered bridges National Register of Historic Places listings in Grafton County, New Hampshire National Register of Historic Places listings in Orange County, Vermont List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont Notes References Delany, Edmund Thomas (1983). The Connecticut River: New England's Historic Waterway. The Globe Pequot Press. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-87106-980-1. External links Bedell Bridge State Park official site Archived August 25, 2019, at the Wayback Machine Haverhill, New Hampshire Bedell Bridge site Wildernet site
Bedford Presbyterian Church

The Bedford Presbyterian Church is a historic Presbyterian church building at 4 Church Road in Bedford, New Hampshire. The white clapboard structure was built in 1832 for a congregation organized in 1749 and was for many years the town's only church. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. It is the oldest Presbyterian church building in the state and in the Presbytery of Northern New England. Architecture and history Bedford Presbyterian Church is on the western edge of Bedford's dispersed village center, on the south side of Church Road just west of its junction with Bedford Center Road. It is set on a rise, from which it overlooks the rest of the center. It is a 1+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure with a gabled roof and clapboarded exterior. It has a three-stage tower: the first stage is square, with clock faces on each side, the second is an open belfry with arched openings, and the third is an octagonal drum with paneled pilasters, which is topped by a gilt cushion and weather vane. The main facade is fronted by a six-column Ionic portico, the columns supporting an entablature and pedimented gable with half-round window at the center. The interior of the church still has most of its original box pews, some having been removed in 1885 to make room for an organ and choir. A modern church hall wing joins the building to an 1880s vestry house. Bedford was settled in the 1730s, by predominantly Presbyterian Scottish and Irish immigrants. As a result, the Presbyterian Church became the town's established religion, unlike many New England communities, which were usually settled by Congregationalists. Although Bedford was not the first Presbyterian congregation in New England (Londonderry's is older by a few years), this church is the oldest Presbyterian church building in the region. The front portico was added in 1896. See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire References External links Media related to Bedford Presbyterian Church at Wikimedia Commons Church website
Bedrock Gardens

Bedrock Gardens is a 20-acre (8.1 ha) garden located on a 35-acre (14 ha) property in Lee, New Hampshire, notable for its landscape design, its horticulture and its sculpture. History Named for its ever-present ledge, Bedrock Gardens was bought by its present owners in 1980. The abandoned dairy farm came with a farm house, built circa 1740, a historic barn, a three-holer outhouse and 37-acre (15.0 ha) of scrub forest. Over the next 30 years, 20-acre (8.1 ha) were developed into a large ornamental garden. The wooded areas were lumbered, which created a trail system. A wildlife pond was built, and work was started on its multiple perennial and shrub beds. Hardscape in the form of walls, paths, water features, structures, and topographical improvements, have been added. Today it is noted for its concept of "the garden as a journey," with a starting point, "events" (or garden spaces) as places to go, and something to do along the way. It has been called "one of the most beautiful and intriguing private landscapes in New Hampshire". In 2019, a 98 space parking lot, a welcome kiosk and restrooms were added. In 2020, there were 12,000 visitors. Interest points Bedrock Garden's main attractions fall into three categories: landscape design, horticulture, and art. Landscape design Bedrock Gardens include "multiple garden beds full of unusual specimens of trees, shrubs and perennials: a diamond-patterned, 100-foot (30 m) fence on which 11 varieties of apple trees have been espaliered: a formal garden with pools, fountains, and water features; a 1-acre (0.4 ha) wildlife pond with a bridge, and 2 miles (3 km) of woodland trails." There are many structures including a tea house, pergolas, a torii, and water features. The smaller gardens include a more formal parterre, the spiritual "Spiral" garden, and the primitive "Dark Woods". Horticulture The Gardens contain over one thousand different plant species, many of which are in perennial beds, arranged with attention to texture, color, and size. There are other collections, such as the dwarf conifer collection, a 3⁄4-acre (0.3 ha) grass garden, and a rock garden. Art Scattered throughout the 20 developed acres (8.1 ha) are small and large pieces of sculpture by Jill Nooney, one of the co-founders. Nancy Grimes, the previous owner of New England Garden Ornaments in North Brookfield, called Nooney "the most imaginative and energetic force in modern American garden ornamentation." Many of her sculptures are from old agricultural tools. Friends of Bedrock Gardens In 2013, the Friends of Bedrock Gardens was formed and acquired nonprofit status. While Bedrock Gardens is currently privately owned, the ownership and management will be transferred to the Friends. Gallery See also List of botanical gardens in the United States References Additional resources External links Official website
Stratham Historical Society

The Stratham Historical Society is a local historical society serving the town of Stratham, New Hampshire. Its headquarters are at 158 Portsmouth Avenue, in the former Wiggin Memorial Library building. That building, constructed in 1912, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993, and the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places in 2012. Description and history The building is located at the southeast corner of Portsmouth Road and Winnicutt Road in the town center of Stratham. It is a single-story masonry structure, built out of rubblestone with granite and wooden trim. It is covered by a side gable roof, with chimneys rising from the end walls. The main facade consists of a pair of projecting gabled sections flanking a central entrance portico. The portico is supported by four large granite columns, which support a corniced entablature. The interior is organized with the librarian's desk at the center, and reading rooms in the flanking wings, with fireplaces at the end walls. Its dominant architectural features are the roof supports, which are formed out of massive curved timbers. Stratham had private libraries beginning in 1793, and financially began to support the last of these in 1896. In 1912, a dedicated library building was built at 158 Portsmouth Avenue, to a design by Charles Howard Walker. Its construction was funded by a bequest from Emma Blodgett Wiggin, and was named as a memorial to her and her husband, George Wiggin. It served as the town's public library until 1989, when the library moved to its current facilities, the contemporary Wiggin Memorial Library. The 1912 building now serves as a research library and meeting place for the Stratham Historical Society. See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Rockingham County, New Hampshire References