The Town of Haverhill purchased the Railroad Park property from Guilford Transportation (The Railroad) in 2005 with funding provided by a federal Scenic By-ways grant obtained by the town manager. The property was basically a contaminated railroad yard which had been vacant for many years and had deteriorated into a general dump site and an eyesore. Not long after the Town bought the property the State Department of Environmental Services mandated a cleanup based on a site assessment that was done on site. With the help of the NHDOT an old railroad shed was removed and the cleanup was underway. Tires, batteries, railroad ties, white goods and general trash were cleaned out and two feet of clean fill was applied to the property to cover contaminated soil. Top soil was added and the ground was seeded. Work was done by the Town Conservation Commission and other volunteers to elevate trees and remove brush to open up beautiful views of the rivers and the Haverhill-Bath Covered Bridge. A bandstand was added to the site which was donated by Mr. Elliott, owner of Coventry Log Homes. The Town Heritage Commission had a Kiosk built and installed. The Kiosk displays the original layout of the former railroad yard and lists upcoming events at the Park. The Scenic By-ways grant and the Town Parks and Recreation Capital Reserve also provided the funding for the construction of a split rail fence with gates, a walking path, a parking area, picnic tables and park benches. The Recreation Commission purchased and installed swings and a slide. A vintage caboose was procured by the Heritage Commission and relocated to the site using grant funds. It was an exciting day when a huge crane lowered the caboose onto the remaining tracks. The caboose restoration has been beautifully done and is consistent with the original look of the caboose. It is almost complete. The Park was named by students of Ms. Smith’s Kindergarten class and was formally dedicated in May of 2007 by the Haverhill Selectboard and the Woodsville Fire District Commissioners. Activities at the Park are managed by the Town of Haverhill Recreation Department which holds summer band concerts and sponsors other events during the spring, summer and fall. Railroad Park is used for other community events such as Railroad Day which was held in the summer of 2013 as part of the Town’s 250th anniversary celebration. The grass is regularly mowed by the Woodsville Highway Department and all other maintenance is handled by the Town of Haverhill under the general direction of the town manager.
Special thanks to the Heritage Commission, Conservation Commission, Recreation Commission and the Woodsville Fire District for working together to make this dream a reality. We hope Railroad Park will continue to be a valued community asset well into the future.
