Dublin Road transitioned seamlessly into Main Street after the long steady climb from Dublin Village. Dense forest surrounded the gentle curves as I descended into the village of Harrisville, New Hampshire. The first thing I spotted as the woodland changed to open field was a small gray structure set off to the left; a blue sign dangled from the middle of the building with the words HARRISVILLE POLICE. Seriously, the building is the size of a large shed!

A steep assent followed leading to my first glimpse of the mill complex that is the foundation of the village. The granite block and red brick mill is a massive structure. A head race, a stone-lined channel that funneled water from Harrisville Pond to power the textile operation in the days before electricity, is swallowed into the center of the mill. A church and mill housing, all of red brick construction, round out the nucleus of the village. In the middle of everything, the century old staple of the village, the Harrisville General Store

A quick right turn brought me to a paved parking area on the side of the church. A sign on an adjacent telephone pole read “Island Cemetery – No Outlet”. I couldn’t resist the temptation, I parked the Solstice and grabbed the camera.

Old cemeteries are fascinating places, especially when they are still properly maintained. What struck me about this cemetery in particular were the elevated plots along the perimeter of the graveyard. Granite slabs formed perfect rectangular terraces, raising the ground about a foot above the surrounding natural grade. These aren’t found in the midsection of the cemetery along the gentle slopes of the hill. After closer inspection, I discovered that each terrace represented a family plot, all dating to late 1800’s

I was disappointed to discover that Island Cemetery was not actually on an island, but instead an arrow-shaped peninsula that juts out into the middle of Harrisville Pond. Oh well, it was still worth the detour

Getting There

The morning of the road trip brought a heavy cloud cover and scattered showers. Not a day to travel top-down in the Solstice. Still, this was definitely the car I wanted to take for the drive. 

Finding a route that didn’t involve a highway wasn’t difficult. A couple of options were available for the ride to Keene, New Hampshire, the largest town in proximity to Harrisville. Hopeful for breaks in the cloud cover, I picked what looked to be a scenic route by way of Holden, Princeton and Ashburnham, Massachusetts, bisecting the state only following two-lane roads.

I was ready for a pit stop a little over an hour into the ride. Brilla Coffee was a stones throw from my travels on Route 31 in the town of Holden. I knew it had to be a local favorite as soon as I walked in the door. Every table was full and vibrant conversation filled the room on a Monday morning at 11:00 am. 

Brilla has three cafes in Massachusetts, all owned by a family with deep roots in Nicaragua. They boast that their beans are sourced from a single farm owned by the family for 3-generations. The iced coffee and raspberry croissant didn’t disappoint. I’ll definitely stop back on the return trip to pick up some freshly roasted coffee beans.

Driving always makes me hungry. It is usually easy to pack snacks and drinks for any long road trip, that is of course when you’re driving in a normal sized car. 

The Solstice is fun to drive but doesn’t afford much in the way of room to move around once you are strapped into the seat. It’s the perfect car for anyone who wants to make frequent stops for food, like me.

By the time I crossed the border into New Hampshire lunch beckoned. The choices along the roadside in the town of Rindge included Wendy’s, McDonald’s and the Hometown Diner. Guess which one I chose?

The Hometown Diner turned out to be the real deal. A place that the locals try to keep secret to avoid tourists taking up limited number of seats during breakfast and lunchtime. I walked in at 1:15 pm. The 6 booths were all full, but a couple of seats were available at the counter.

The one waitress had a warm smile and boasted a number of impressive tattoos. The first words out of her mouth to me were, “this is your first time here isn’t it?” 

The menu is basic diner food with breakfast served all day. I noticed the two young guys next to me at the counter were each thoroughly enjoying a large serving of eggs benedict with sides of bacon — ah, to be young and not worried about saturated fat and cholesterol. I opted for a grilled chicken sandwich (but splurged on sweet potato fries!). 

The weather finally cleared as I was leaving the diner, and the top came down on the Solstice. 

Not a lot to do in Harrisville

Harrisville, New Hampshire was designated as a National Historic Landmark by the U.S Department of the Interior in 1977. It’s considered to be the country’s only 19th-century mill community that has survived entirely in its original form. The village’s relative isolation in the Monadnock Highlands region of the state is credited with the lack of exploitation and expansion. 

Another reason for the preservation of the village is Historic Harrisville, Inc. This non-profit foundation was granted ownership of the mill complex in the early 1970’s after operations shut down. The purpose of Historic Harrisville is to preserve the character of the mill buildings while offering an engine of economic development for the village. 

There are 20 businesses that call the Harrisville mill complex home. They run the gamut from artists, counseling services, furniture makers, retail stores and even a custom motorcycle guru.

I had the opportunity to visit Harrisville Designs, one of the retail outlets, and was quite impressed with the variety of high quality products available in what is basically a yarn shop. Seriously, I bought my wife a summer shirt that she actually wears regularly.

There’s no question however that the heart of the village is the Harrisville General Store. This quintessential New England general store has been in continuous operation since 1838. Historic Harrisville purchased the building and the business in 2008 and runs it with eye towards community empowerment. Honestly, after looking around in the store, if this place doesn’t have it, you probably don’t really need it. 

Oh and I can attest that they have the best self-serve iced coffee practice I have ever experienced. Ubiquitous plastic iced coffee cups are pre-filled with ice and stored in the ice cream cooler. Grab one, pour from the glass carafe on the adjacent table and make it your way. Dunkin … take note!

The Harrisville Inn

The steep driveway comes up on you fast as you round the corner along Chesham Road. Like most New Hampshire roads — at least the paved ones — you need to drive at least 5 miles over the posted speed limit to avoid being rear ended by a Massachusetts tourist (ok, maybe that’s an unfair depiction of Mass drivers, or maybe not?). 

There is no question that this bed and breakfast is homey. The furniture, the rugs on the wood floors, the table lamps everywhere, all remind you of visiting a favorite relative of a certain age (I have to be careful what I write here because I am fast creeping up on that “certain age” myself). The host, Maria Coviello, greets you at the door, directs you to the dining room and immediately asks to run your credit card. 

Maria appears to be in her late 50’s and runs this place by herself. She doesn’t take any chances and makes sure the money is in-hand before guests get settled and comfortable in their rooms. As a retired small business owner, I can definitely relate to that practice. 

I always enjoy meeting people at breakfast when I stay at these small inns. 

A mother and her adult daughter came down to have breakfast as I was finishing my omelette. They were attempting to speak softly so as not to disturb me — obviously not noticing my hear aides. 

The daughter wore a Boston Fleet sweatshirt (the Fleet are a women’s professional hockey team).  I decided to break the ice and ask if she played hockey. Not only did the ice break, but the dam burst too! A great conversation ensued about hockey, coaching, and life experiences in general. They were at the Inn for some mother/daughter time away and obviously enjoying it.

By mid-morning, a blanket of white puffy clouds gave way to bright sunshine as I was getting ready to leave the Harrisville Inn and head home. The top came down on the Solstice and everything got packed into the passenger seat for the day’s drive. I dropped off the room key and said my good-byes to Maria. 

It was only then that she asked me the purpose of my visit to Harrisville. After she heard my story of growing up in Harrisville, Rhode Island and wanting to visit a sister village, she quickly added, “you know there’s a Harrisville in New York, oh and also a Harrisville, Michigan. Maybe you can add them to your list of road trips.” 

Well that’s a seed that may just germinate.