The New Hampshire Preservation Alliance announced its inaugural Seven to Save list of the most endangered Granite State properties Tuesday, October 17. The Seven to Save program highlights highly significant properties that are in great need. It also focuses on the broader preservation challenges that face New Hampshire, from state of religious properties and abandoned neighborhood schools, to the effects of unplanned growth.

The 2006 Seven to Save Listees are:

Epsom's Historic Meetinghouse (Epsom), The Stone Arched Bridge (Keene), Great Stone Dwelling (Enfield), Franco-American Centre Franco-americain (Manchester),  Philbrook Farm Inn and Croftie Farm (Shelburne),  New Hampshire's State Historic Sites, and The Hilltop Elementary School (Somersworth).  Peter Lambombarde, Chair of the selection committee, said "Can you imagine New Hampshire without places like these? Not only would we lose important links to the past, but loss of irreplaceable sites like these would be bad for our communities, bad for our economy, and bad for our souls."

The Preservation Alliance says it hopes that the listing of these places will not only show the need to save them for future generations, but highlight their historical, architectural and economic value to New Hampshire.

The program is generously sponsored, in part, by Littleton Millwork and TMS Architects.

The New Hampshire Preservation Alliance is the statewide membership organization dedicated to preserving historic buildings, communities and landscapes through education and advocacy. Current priorities include providing assistance to community leaders and promoting the use of easements, barn preservation and tax incentives.

New Hampshire's Seven to Save 2006

Epsom's Historic Meetinghouse, Epsom, built in 1861, sits alongside a heavily traveled section of U.S. Route 4, and is slated for imminent demolition by new owner, Cumberland Farms Corporation, unless it is relocated.

Contact for information: Richard Frambach, Friends of Epsom's Historic Meetinghouse, 736-9295.

The Great Stone Dwelling in Enfield, built 1837-1841, is a highly significant example of Shaker architecture and is believed to be the largest Shaker dwelling house ever built. Deferred or inadequate maintenance by a series of owners and tenants have resulted in damage to the building's exterior and interior fabric, and it needs weatherization, new mechanical systems, and access for the disabled to ensure proper stewardship of this six-story, 30,000-square-foot landmark.

Contact for information: Mary Ann Haagen, 603-632-4372

The Philbrook Farm Inn and Croftie Farm, Shelburne, have provided lodging to White Mountain tourists since 1861 and are defining elements of Shelburne's rural, scenic and historic character. The fourth and fifth generations of the Philbrook family lack heirs to continue their business, and are struggling to find economically viable solutions in a challenging marketplace with an increasingly limited budget.

Contact for information: Nancy Bell, The Conservation Fund, 802-492-3368.

New Hampshire's State Historic Sites, placed in the public trust, face enormous challenges due to the limitations of their current funding. State-owned historic sites include The Robert Frost Farm (1900) in Derry, Fort Stark (1746) in Newcastle, White Island Lighthouse (1853), and fifteen others. This summer's closing of the Daniel Webster Birthplace due structural instability of the adjacent Sawyer House signaled the depth of the crisis, and highlights the enormous challenges faced by the state-owned historic sites. The entire barn at the Frost Farm is threatened due to its crumbling stone foundation. At the Weeks Estate in Lancaster, the stucco is flaking off in large patches, and the wood trim on the building is being destroyed by rain and snow as well as hungry porcupines.

Contact for information: Amy Bassett, NH Division of Parks & Recreation, 603-271-3556

The Stone Arched Bridge, Keene, completed in 1847 for the Cheshire Railroad, is one of the largest stone bridges ever built in New Hampshire. Vegetation, water infiltration and ATV use threaten the integrity of the bridge.

Contact for information: Philip Faulkner, Jr., 603-357-2728

The Franco-American Centre Franco-americain, Manchester, resides in a 94-year old building erected as a clubhouse for the prominent Club Jolliet. The future of the headquarters is uncertain since the Centre lost its major tenant and struggles to maintain the building.

Contact for information: Adele Bouffard Baker, 603-669-4045

Hilltop Elementary School, Somersworth, built in 1927, offers a classic portrait of a neighborhood school, once the norm in N.H. towns and cities. Proposals to construct a new school, likely outside of the city's center, leave the future of the building uncertain.

Contact for information: Jerry Perkins 603-742-4455 x 7280