The west bank of the impoundment of the Pemigawasset River created by Franklin Falls Dam in Franklin, NH has many caches. There are also many caches in the area near the dam itself and an area of trails for hiking and mountain biking. This area is managed by the Army Corps of Engineers since the construction of the dam was completed in 1943. But there are no caches on the east side of the river in an area directly across from the west bank where many have been placed. This cache is an effort to balance this.
This cache is located in an old foundation. There was a huge flood in 1936 and the government recognized that it was unsafe for people to continue to live and work in close proximity to the river in what was called the town of Hill. This was also a time when the goverment was doing all it could to come out of the Great Depression by funding such projects and giving the unemployed badly needed jobs. It was decided to move all residents to a new town. The residents were deeply involved in planning their new community also called the town of Hill, previously called New Chester, was founded in 1753. In 1837 the name was changed to Hill to honor the governor at that time. The move to the new town was completed in 1941. Locals call this area Old Hill Village.
So the name of this cache recalls this history. The owner of the building (probably a barn) was probably happy to move away from the floods. He crossed the river and went over to the new town of Hill. It also happend many years ago and so all involved are over the hill,
Access to this area is controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers by means of three gates.. There are several possible parking places and the distance to the cache varies with the weather and season of the year. The first gate is at the end of Shaw Hill Road in Sanbornton, NH. There is a small parking lot here. This gate is closed in winter and other times during periods of high water in the reservoir. The gate is open at other times and allows access to a boat ramp. A little way beyond the boat ramp is a second gate which is usually closed. There is parking at the boat ramp and also limited parking at the second gate (please don't block the loop as boaters often turn around here). The second gate is open occasionally and always during pheasant season as birds are released in fields further down the road. The last gate is near the remains of the old Sanbornton bridge and is rarely open. It's about 2.5 miles from the first gate. If the second gate is open, you can drive to the cache area. But it is more common to park near the boat ramp and hike or bike to the cache site which is about a half mile. The foundation is visible from the road and is a short walk off the road. Distance to the cache from the first gate is about 1.2 miles. Often it is possible to hike or bike to the area of the cache even when the first gate is closed. The Corps likes the boat ramp to be completely out of water before opening the gate, but the road may be passable before that happens. The cache is hidden high up in the rocks of the foundation to protect it from occasional high water. Congratulations to JSLisLost for FTF.