History
Introducing the NEW Gasholder Comic Book
Learn about the Concord, NH Gasholder with this 8-page comic book produced by the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance. Through architectural drawings from the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), you can see how the Gasholder works, learn why it’s worth saving, and help envision a future for the two-acre gasworks site.
Use the buttons below to view it as a digital flipbook or print an eight-page full-sheet coloring book. Or click here to request a free print copy of the comic book from the N.H. Preservation Alliance.
Be sure to share this fun new resource with friends and family!
What is a Gasholder and how does it work?
Gasholders are designed to store gas for streetlamps, homes and factories. Inside the round brick building, a bottomless metal tank (like a straight-sided bell) rests in an underground tank. The water creates a seal to trap the gas. Pump gas in, and the metal tank floats up. Let gas out, and the city lights up!
Evidence of Unique Qualities
A Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) survey team surveyed the two-acre gasworks property in 1982. HAER is a long-range National Park Service program for documenting industrial sites in the U.S. The black and white photos and drawings throughout this site are from that effort.
The HAER drawings below were delineated by Brian C. Lombard, P.E. The black and white photos were taken by photographer Gary Samson.
The 1888 construction of the Gasholder is well documented thanks to the National Register of Historic Places nomination prepared by Public Archaeology Laboratory for the City of Concord and its Heritage Commission in 2017, and other invaluable archives. The nomination was funded by a Certified Local Government grant award from the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources.
A look at the historical record reveals that the Gasholder was constructed with a mix of local and regional materials and expertise. Learn more on our blog at 1888 Gasholder History Informs Emergency Stabilization Process.
The Gasholder in Concord, NH, the last-of-its kind in the country, is an icon of the city’s history of industry and innovation. People and organizations across the U.S., who understand the historical significance of this place and what its preservation could mean to the revitalization of the city’s downtown, want to see it saved.
The N.H. Preservation Alliance recorded a virtual session where the Gasholder’s historical significance was discussed. At that event, architectural historian James Garvin discussed how gas revolutionized the way people lived and industry grew. Historic preservation consultant Liz Durfee Hengen showcased the multitude of diverse industries that propelled Concord's growth in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and their dependency on manufactured gas; today virtually none of these factories survive. She noted that, in the 60th anniversary year of the loss of Concord’s railroad station, she and many others hope we will not see the same fate for the Gasholder.
The Concord, NH Gasholder is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the N.H. Preservation Alliance included the property on its 2020 Seven to Save list (for a second time) because of its national significance and imminent threat. This was the first time the organization has repeated a listing since the program began in 2006.
Recording of a recent program on its history and significance sponsored by the N.H. Preservation Alliance (It runs just over an hour)
Historic American Engineering Record Team
Deily & Fowler of Laurel Iron Works
Whyte, W C
Samson, Gary, photographer
Taylor, William L, historian
Vogel, Robert M , field team
DeLony, Eric N, field team
Blaine, Quentin, field team
Lombard, Brian C, field team
Kraft-Lund, Peer, field team
Whiteside, James C, field team
Institute for New Hampshire Studies, sponsor
New Hampshire State Preservation Office, sponsor
Society for Industrial Archeology, Northern New England Chapter, sponsor
Concord Natural Gas Corporation, sponsor
