By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org

FRANCONIA – In a 1919 letter written by poet Robert Frost, he worried that the cellar to his 1850s home here was so flooded with water that it might destroy the recently purchased furnace.

While that did not happen, it is not likely to do so in the future.

That house – now a seasonal museum in Franconia – will get a $130,000 matching grant and is among 31 grants throughout the state announced Wednesday by the New Hampshire Land & Community Heritage Investment Program.

Grants totaling more than $3.5 million for land conservation and historic preservation projects across the state were announced by the program, which has been making a difference in preservation since 2001.

Stacy Holmes, executive director with the Frost Place in Franconia, said “we’re excited to share the good news that Robert Frost’s former home in the White Mountains is being protected with the help of LCHIP.”

Other projects include restoring the 1810 East House at Canterbury Shaker Village and land conservation projects in Barrington, Durham, Kingston, Mason, Nottingham, Springfield and Nelson.

Historic conservation projects also got the go-ahead in Canterbury, Croydon and Plainfield.

In all, the grants will support the rehabilitation of twenty-one historic buildings and the permanent conservation of nearly 3,000 acres of working forest, wetlands, and ecologically significant land in all corners of the state.

Grants are funded by a $25 fee assessed when deeds, mortgages, and plans are recorded at the state’s 10 registries of deeds.

“Every LCHIP project represents a partnership between local citizens, organizations, and the state,” said Paula Bellemore, Executive Director of LCHIP. “These grants demonstrate how strategic public investment in land and heritage yields lasting benefits in community vitality, environmental health, and economic resilience.”

“It seems there has always been a struggle against the constant influx of water in the crude dirt cellar, which has undermined the entire structure. We know from Frost’s 1919 letter that the cellar was so flooded with water, the family feared it would destroy the new furnace. One section of the basement’s stone wall collapsed recently. We plan to raise the home off the existing foundation, remove that foundation, and then install drainage and a waterproofed, poured concrete crawl space. It’s not a glamorous project, but the house will once and for all be protected from the harmful effects of wetness and an unstable foundation,” said Don Metz, a retired architect, board president, and manager of the project.

“We are so grateful for LCHIP’s support to protect Robert Frost’s former farmhouse,” said Holmes. “This award will allow us to protect this important literary landmark for generations to come. We are celebrating our 50th anniversary next year, and we can’t think of a  better way to help mark this occasion.”

LCHIP grant recipients must match each dollar contributed by LCHIP with at least one added dollar and complete the funded projects, according to the program’s standards.

The $3.5 million awarded in 2025 will leverage more than $13 million from other public and private sources, infusing $17 million into the state’s economy through direct project activity.
 
LCHIP is an independent state authority providing matching grants to New Hampshire’s municipalities and non-profits, helping to preserve the state’s most important natural, cultural, and historic resources and ensure their contribution to the economy, environment, and quality of life in New Hampshire.

Highlights from the 2025 Grant Round

·         Ayers Pond Forest, Barrington  (Southeast Land Trust of NH, $225,000):
Protects 410 acres of forest and wetlands, including 4,980 feet of shoreline on Ayers Pond and 58 acres along the Isinglass River, ensuring critical habitat and water quality protection.

·         Canterbury Shaker Village East House ($250,000):
Restores one of the community’s most historically significant structures, built in 1810, to prevent deterioration and maintain its role as a cornerstone of New Hampshire’s heritage tourism.

·         Croydon Village School (Croydon School District, $128,500):
Preserves the “Little Red” schoolhouse for continued educational use and community pride.

·         Crommet & Lubberland Creek Conservation, Durham (The Nature Conservancy, $125,000):
Conserves 29 acres within a coastal watershed priority area, protecting habitat for endangered species and improving water quality in the Great Bay.

·         Franconia – Frost Place (Friends of the Frost Place, $129,958):
Replaces the foundation of Robert Frost’s historic home to preserve the structure that inspired generations of readers and writers.

·         Kingston – Magnusson Family Preserve (the Town of Kingston, with SELT, $300,000):
Conserves 101 acres of grassland and wetlands, protecting rare turtle habitat and providing public recreation opportunities.

·         Mason – Anderson Forest (Piscataquog Land Conservancy, $285,000):
Protects 163 acres of forest and wetlands abutting Massachusetts’ Townsend State Forest, providing essential wildlife habitat, expanding recreation, and preventing fragmentation.

·         Nottingham – Arkelyan Forest (Southeast Land Trust of NH, $375,000):
Adding 205 acres of mixed forest to Pawtuckaway State Park’s conservation area, expanding biodiversity corridors and recreational access.

·         Plainfield – Town Hall ($124,727):
Preserves the historic 1798 Plainfield Town Hall, featuring a Maxfield Parrish-designed stage backdrop, through major structural and environmental rehabilitation.

·         Springfield & Nelson – Pillsbury Ridge and Nelson Highlands Forests (Forest Society, $400,000):
Conserves over 1,600 acres of working forestland as part of the multi-state Quabbin-to-Cardigan Conservation Initiative, securing critical habitat and sustainable forestry resources.

Since 2001, LCHIP has awarded 646 grants, totaling over $68 million to nearly 350 communities and nonprofits across 210 NH communities. As of July 2025, the Program’s investment has helped to conserve more than 247,000 acres of land and rehabilitate 192 historic structures. Learn more about how LCHIP is helping to preserve and protect New Hampshire’s heritage at LCHIP.org, by following LCHIP_NH on Instagram, or LCHIPNH on Facebook.
“Since 2001, LCHIP has consistently delivered measurable, lasting benefits across New Hampshire,” said Richard Lewis, LCHIP Board Chair, “making LCHIP one of the most effective examples of how modest state investment can produce lasting, visible results in every corner of the state.”