The Contoocook Valley was first explored by Europeans in the early 18th century. Although the
land was considered valuable, the possibilities of settlement were hampered by conflict with
local Indian tribes and a lack of roads and nearby fortified settlements. The first Euroamerican
attempt at settling Antrim came in 1744 when Scots-Irish immigrant Philip Riley built a home in
the northeast corner of town. He was joined shortly after by three or four neighbors. Anxieties
over cultural tensions proved warranted when a nearby Indian attack caused the settlers to flee in
1746. The conclusion of the French and Indian War, however, put most of danger to rest, and
Philip Riley returned to his overgrown cabin in 1761. By 1766, other settlers began building
farms in the area and the town started to grow gradually (Hurd 1885:253).
The first sawmill was built by John Warren on the North Branch River in 1776 (Hurd 1885:255.
Since there was no existing infrastructure, sawmills were an immediate need as they allowed for
the construction of framed houses, barns, outbuildings, tools, and other necessities without
forcing the settlers to travel to Hillsborough, Peterborough, or New Boston for their needs. The
first gristmill, built by James Moore, followed in 1777 to accommodate grain processing for the
newly established farms (Hurd 1885:255).
The town was incorporated in March 1777, and town meetings began in May of the same year.
The town was named for Antrim, Northern Ireland where many of the first settlers had ancestral
ties (Hurd 1885:254, 255).
As the town continued to grow, a number of saw, grist, and cloth mills were built to
accommodate the subsistence needs of the early settlers. By the early 19th century, however, the
mills were beginning to turn out products for commercial interests instead of subsistence needs.
In 1823, just two years before the Hatch Sawmill was built, the town had two taverns, two stores,
seven sawmills, six gristmills, two cloth mills, two carding mills for processing wool, a bark mill
to make chemicals for tanning, and three tanneries (Moore 1823:55).
Antrim was somewhat different than other New Hampshire towns because it was not a source for
the ubiquitous white pine found elsewhere in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The most
common tree types in Antrim at the time were sugar maple, black, white, and yellow birch, white
and swamp ash, red oak, hemlock, and spruce. Elms were available in large quantities in some
parts of town, but it was not a source for butternut, walnut, or chestnut. (Moore 1823:73). Access
to exotics and hardwoods gave local sawmills an advantage in producing finished goods like the
Hatch sawmill did at various points in time.
With a growing economy promising profit on the horizon, it is no surprise that David Low
decided to invest in mills when he did. New advances in technology along with available capital
led to larger, more complex mill sites in the mid-19th century. Although textile mills dominated
the economies of many southern New Hampshire towns, b Antrim and Hancock found success
with other types of mills. By 1875, they had an established manufacturing base. Over $25,000
worth of silk was produced per year in Antrim, along with 100,000 apple-parers, 500 hand seed
sowers, and 300 horse seed sowers valued at $100,000. Among the other items manufactured were cribs, cradles, bedsteads, window shades, paste board boxes, and leather goods. Sawmills
were still productive, producing 200,000 shingles and 600,000 board feet of lumber. The total
annual value of manufactured goods was $211,300 (Fogg, 1875:56).
![Forbes in our family kitchen with my friend Rebecca. How I wish we had recordings of his incredible humor... [hippy 70's]](https://photo.forevermissed.com/lst/f/o/forbes-leland/p/3972109_235x235_ff1b1c.jpg)
