Sawyer River Railroad, New Hampshire – On July 2, 1875, the State Legislature approved an act to Incorporate the Sawyer River Railroad. Operated by the Daniel Saunders Family, the Sawyer River Railroad was a ten-mile long logging railroad in the New Hampshire White Mountains town of Livermore. It was in operation from 1877-1928 and was one of the last logging railroads to operate in New Hampshire.

The railroad began along the Portland & Ogdensburg Railroad (leased to the Maine Central Railroad in 1888) at Sawyer River Station, near Forth Iron Bridge, in Hart's Location. And it traveled up into the Sawyer River valley and into the upper end of the Swift River drainage in Livermore.

One of the more interesting features of the Sawyer River Railroad is the abandoned village of Livermore. Incorporated by the state of New Hampshire in 1876, Livermore was a logging town in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. And the village of Livermore was located along the Sawyer River Railroad, on the Sawyer River. Both the railroad and town were owned by the Saunders family.

The village had a post office, a powerhouse, school, store, and a sawmill. The Saunders family also had a mansion along Livermore’s Main Street. At its peak, the population of Livermore was around 150-200 people, but as time progressed more and more people left the town. The town of Livermore was officially dissolved in 1951.

The Sawyer River Trail follows much of the old railroad bed of the railroad. And Mount Carrigain can be seen from spots along the trail. Located a short ways off the trail is the above scenic view of Mount Carrigain. Mount Carrigain is named for Phillip Carrigain, New Hampshire's Secretary of State from 1805-1810.

There were at least seven known logging camps along the railroad, and today many interesting artifacts can still be found along the old railroad bed. The metal bracket in the above image is likely part of a “Reach”. A “Reach” was a spruce beam used to connect loaded log trucks, and the above metal bracket was bolted to each end of the "Reach".

Each logging railroad I document has at least one artifact along it that makes me dig deeper into the history of the railroad. Over the years, I have come across many barrel rings along the railroads and at logging camps, but I have never found a wooden barrel still intact (above). Though very rotten this is a great find, but do I question if it is from the railroad era. More research will be required to possibly find out.

To license any of the above images for usage in publications, click on the image. And you can view more scenes of this railroad here.

Happy image making..

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Bibliography:
Gove, Bill. Logging Railroads of the Saco River Valley. Littleton, NH: Bondcliff Books, 2001.

Fellows, J.W. “New Hampshire Railroads.” The Granite Monthly, Vol. VL, No. 1, Oct, 1882, pp. 14-20.

New Hampshire Legislature. Laws of the State of New Hampshire, Passed June Session, 1876: An Act to incorporate a town by the name of Livermore, Chapter V. Concord, NH: Josiah B. Sanborn, 1876, pp. 559-560.

Town and city atlas of the state of New Hampshire: Livermore [map]. Boston, MA. D.H. Hurd & Co., 1892.

Erin Paul Donovan

Owner of ScenicNH Photography LLC

Erin Paul is a professional photographer, writer, and author who specializes in environmental conservation and historic preservation photography mainly in the New Hampshire White Mountains. His work is published worldwide, and publication credits include: Appalachian Mountain Club, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Backpacker Magazine, and The Wilderness Society.