Enfield Village Historic District


The Enfield Village Historic District encompasses the historic 19th century village center of Enfield, New Hampshire. The district extends from Oak Grove Street in the west to the junction of Baltic Street and United States Route 4 in the east, and includes properties on both sides of the Mascoma River, from Route 4 to the junction of Pillsbury Street and Shaker Hill Road. The village had modest rural beginnings, but began to grow economically with the arrival of the railroad in the mid-19th century, and through the economic activity of the local Shaker community, located on the south side of Lake Mascoma. This resulted in a significant number of Greek Revival and Italianate style houses in the village. The economic power of the Shakers was significant in the village; despite its location outside the village, the Shakers owned or controlled the mills that were the early economic centerpiece of the village. Although a number of mills were built, the major economic activity was eventually consolidate in the Baltic Mills complex, the only major mill complex to survive. These privately owned enterprises resulted in the town's largest period of economic growth, around the turn of the 20th century, when much of the town's commercial center was developed. The village is also home to the town's major civic structures, including c. 1901 Whitney Hall, which houses the town offices and library, the 1852 Unitarian church, and a c. 1907 school, now Enfield Elementary School.
The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.