Back in the day before cars, people would either walk, ride a horse or take a carriage to town. In Lyme, New Hampshire, just past Hanover on Route 10, at the far end of the green lays a fine example of old carriage sheds that many churches used feature.
The historic horse sheds behind the Congregational Church have been preserved and remain one of the last example of this structure. The row of twenty-seven sheds standing today is the longest line of contiguous horse sheds in New England, and possibly in the United States.
Bill Ackerly of Lyme said the sheds were built by his great-great-great grandfather. He estimates his family settled in Lyme in the late 1700s.
The sheds sit on town property, but they are maintained by the Lyme Congregational Church. They rely on private sources of funding for maintenance.
The First Congregational Church was built c. 1810, at which time the horse sheds behind it were also built; these are believed to be the longest such surviving row in the state.
Subject Headings- wooden buildings- stables- building deterioration- religions- storage- travel- New Hampshire — Grafton County — LymeNotes- Significance: This structure built in 1812 at the same time as the church, is one of the few surviving example of a type of outbuilding that was typical of early meeting houses in this area.- Survey number: HABS NH-76- Building/structure dates: 1812 Initial Construction
About Lyme, New Hampshire
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals. There are many different types of stables in use today; the American-style barn, for instance, is a large barn with a door at each end and individual stalls inside or free-standing stables with top and bottom-opening doors. The term “stable” is also used to describe a group of animals kept by one owner, regardless of housing or location.