Woodsville, New Hampshire
| Woodsville, New Hampshire | |
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| Census-designated place | |
Bird's-eye view in 1908
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 Woodsville
Woodsville
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| Coordinates: 44°9′08″N 72°2′13″W / 44.15222°N 72.03694°WCoordinates: 44°9′08″N 72°2′13″W / 44.15222°N 72.03694°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Hampshire |
| County | Grafton |
| Town | Haverhill |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.90 sq mi (2.34 km2) |
| • Land | 0.88 sq mi (2.28 km2) |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2) |
| Elevation | 456 ft (139 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,126 |
| • Density | 1,277/sq mi (493.2/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 03785 |
| Area code(s) | 603 |
| FIPS code | 33-87140 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0870998 |
Woodsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Haverhill in Grafton County, New Hampshire, U.S., along the Connecticut River at the mouth of the Ammonoosuc River. The population was 1,126 at the 2010 census. Although North Haverhill is now the county seat of Grafton County, the village of Woodsville has traditionally been considered the county seat, as the county courthouse was originally located there. The county buildings are now located halfway between Woodsville and the village of North Haverhill to the south.
Woodsville was named for John L. Woods, a figure in its early development. He arrived from Wells River, Vermont, a village across the Connecticut River narrows in Newbury, and in 1829 purchased a sawmill which had been operating on the Ammonoosuc River since 1811. He manufactured pine lumber, and opened a store in his house. Spring snowmelt carried log drives down the Connecticut and Ammonoosuc rivers. A log boom was built across the Connecticut River to Wells River to hold the logs briefly for sorting. Logs not destined for Woods' mill were released gradually to avoid jams in the Ox Bow meadow downstream. Log drivers detailed to work at the boom enjoyed Woodsville's saloons and red-light district.
The Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad opened at Woodsville in 1853 and built its division offices and a branch repair shop. It replaced the original 1805 bridge between the states with a two-level span, featuring a toll highway below and railroad tracks on the roof. The village boomed into an important railway town and junction, endowed with fine examples of Victorian architecture. It also became a center for legal affairs. The log drives were stopped after 1915, when pleasure boat owners complained about the hazards to navigation. In 1889, the Grafton County Court moved from Haverhill Corner to Woodsville, where it remained until moving halfway to North Haverhill in 1972.
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