Avery dam

3: Avery Dam

In 1790, Daniel Avery came to Laconia (then Meredith Bridge) and opened a store in a small building near the Mill Street bridge. As his business increased, Avery did much to enlarge and build up the village. During the early 19th century, he bought significant portions of land that would later become much of downtown Laconia, including the Mill Street dam area. Various attempts at damming the river near the Mill Street Bridge had been attempted for many years. By 1791, Daniel Avery had completed a wooden dam to control the waterpower to the local mills. In 1949, the wooden dam was replaced by a concrete structure, and in 1976, the State Water Resources Board and Allen-Rogers Corporation funded six electronically controlled gates. On the other side of the river are the areas of the original Franco-American neighborhoods, at Avery Hill, east of Union Avenue; in the Winter Street area; and in Lakeport. For years, many people walked down the hill to work in the mills.

Laconia City Walk
  1. 1: Belknap Mill
  2. 2: Busiel Mill
  3. 3: Avery Dam
  4. 4: Guild-Northland Mills
  5. 5: Sunrise Towers
  6. 6: Stewart Park
  7. 7: Main Street and Urban Renewal
  8. 8: Allen-Rogers Buildings
  9. 9: Laconia Car Company
  10. 10: Pitman's Freight Room
  11. 11: Laconia Passenger Station
  12. 12: Bank Square
  13. 13: Rotary Park
  14. 14: McIntyre Building
  15. 15: Moulton Opera House
  16. 16: Pleasant Street Homes
  17. 17: Federal Building
  18. 18: Gale Memorial Library
  19. 19: Veterans Square
  20. 20: Evangelical Baptist Church
  21. 21: Congregational Church
  22. 22: Bank of New Hampshire
  23. 23: Woolworth Building
  24. 24: Cook Building
  25. 25: Pemaco Block
  26. 26: Colonial Theatre
  27. 27: Piscopo Block
  28. 28: Masonic Temple
  29. 29: Stafford House/Tavern
  30. 30: U.S. Post Office
  31. 31: John W Busiel House
  32. 32: St. Joseph Church
  33. 33: Perley Canal