Lake Winnipesaukee and Lake Winnisquam are linked in Lakeport, New Hampshire, by a set of small falls. In the nineteenth century these falls were called Folsom's Falls. A bridge passes over a narrow neck of water just above the falls. Today a dam and turbines take advantage of the drop between the two lakes. Nineteenth century inhabitants of the area also took advantage of the falls by constructing a sluiceway to direct water from Winnipesaukee. The sluiceway was constructed from a cribwork of timbers and rough-hewn logs pinned together with iron spikes. The framework was filled with boulders, gravel, and cobble. Inside the sluiceway vertical planks form a solid wall, now mostly buried by sediment. The outside profile of the cribworks forms steps down to the lake bottom.

The bridge that now spans these waters and the cribworks is slated for demolition, and a new bridge will be constructed. It is likely that the footings for the new bridge will have to be placed on top of the 19th century cribwork. In 1997 a contract was extended by the state to Hartgen Archaeological Associates, Incorporated to conduct a survey of the feature before construction begins. The underwater portion of the work was subcontracted to a team of maritime archaeologists, including David C. Switzer (Plymouth State College), Brendan Foley, and Michael McCarthy. Direct survey measurements established the plan of the cribworks, and a photomosaic of the elevation was constructed from nearly 100 individual images.
 
 

     It is likely that construction of the cribwork that now exists at the site is the remains of works was ordered by the Boston Associates. This group of entrepreneurs was responsible for building textile mills at Lowell, Lawrence, and other sites along the Merrimack River. The Boston Associates' involvement in the Lakeport cribworks is detailed by Theodore Steinberg in his book, Nature Incorporated: Industrialization and the Waters of New England (Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1991). Steinberg traces the changing use of water in New England, particularly in the Merrimack Valley. In chapter four, "The Struggle Over Water," he discusses how the Boston Associates sought to gain greater control over the waters of the Merrimack River in the middle of the nineteenth century. As they increased the number of spindles in their mills along the river, and as the mills themselves deteriorated physically, more waterpower was needed to drive the machinery. So, the owners started buying mills and dams up river, all the way to the source of the Merrimack at the Pemigewasset River and Lake Winnipesaukee. The idea was to let more water flow from Winnipesaukee into Lake Winnisquam, through a series of locks and dams, and eventually into the river. On pages 109-110, Steinberg writes the following:

"The Lake Company next began to put together the necessary infrastructure for water control. As early as the fall of 1846, James Bell had workers deepening and widening the channel at the outlet of Lake Winnipesaukee. The channel here was lowered several times between 1846 and 1849, resulting in an added depth of four to six feet. This change allowed the Lake Company to more easily draw down the waters of the lake. In 1851, the company completed a new dam about 250 feet in length at Folsom's Falls to replace the old boulder and rubble dam built in 1829. Constructed of stone and almost exactly the height of the old dam (approximately ten feet), the new one was tighter, and flooded more nearby land. The dam served as the primary structure for controlling the water in Paugus Bay and Lake Winnipesaukee.
     A system of gates and sluices at the dam was used to regulate the flow of water from Lake Winnipesaukee into the bays below...."

To see a 1909 map of the region, click here