SPECIAL PROTECTION FOR A SPECIAL PLACE

March 2, 1999

On March 9, 1999 the voters of Danville will have an opportunity to decide whether to designate a special historic area of town as an historic district. A number of the sites in this area were significant to the establishment of Hawke (Danville’s original name until 1836) as a daughter town of Kingston. Some of the highlights include the following:

· The Meeting House – Danville’s historic crown jewel. Construction commenced in 1755 by 27 private citizens, who donated it to the town in 1760 after the town gained its independence. The building is of historic importance to the state, as it is the oldest original construction meeting house. It has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1982.

· The Meeting House Cemetery – the town’s second oldest public cemetery, with burials dating back to 1825. Families of early settlers are buried here.

· Tuckertown Road – the first official road layout by the Hawke selectmen in 1766 and the site of the town’s plague in 1781-1782. The town’s first minister, the Rev. John Page, died of the plague in a cabin on this road. The road runs perpendicular from the Meeting House to the Sandown town line. The road has already been designated by the voters as closed, scenic (unpaved) and a Class A trail.

· Ye Olde Cemetery – Danville’s oldest public cemetery with burials of the earliest settlers and their families, as well as the town’s first minister, the Rev. John Page. Burials date back to 1740.

· The Parsonage Land – one of two community wood lots required by the British King for the support of the ministry. This land has been maintained and used by the town for more than two centuries. Wood from the lot was used to build and repair the meeting house, maintain fences around the cemeteries and support the ministry. Known for many years as the original “town forest”, researchers inform the town that it is the oldest town forest of its kind in America.

· More than 300 acres of original wood and pasture land of three early settlers who were involved with the construction of the Meeting House and the establishment of Hawke as an independent and self-sufficient community. Most of this land was held by descendants of these original settlers until early in this century. At least 140 acres of this land was designated as “town forest” by the voters of Danville in 1954. Accessible from Tuckertown Road and dotted with cellar holes and stone walls, this land today provides numerous recreational activities for residents and visitors.

· All of the proposed lands and sites are public properties presently owned by the Town of Danville.

Traces of heritage and history contribute to the fabric of every town and give us a sense of time and place, as well as pride. Changes to Danville, as it continues to grow, are inevitable and the challenges to protect the rural character of the town are great. The proposed historic district ordinance, drafted by the Danville Heritage Commission, provides a review process for activities or changes that would affect the visual historic integrity of this area. The proposed ordinance is designed to protect the historic character of this area and the existing remnants and remains of the town’s early society. Inclusion of Tuckertown Road in the district will enhance protections already in place by providing for the additional protection of the road’s historic ambiance and significance.