Affordable housing: two words that seem to be everywhere at the moment. “We need cheaper housing so our workers can live here” is the cry that comes from industry leaders. From those workers we hear, “We simply can’t afford to live there.”
There was a time, back in the day, when the words “affordable housing” meant something different or did they?
Let’s go back to 1843, a time in Somersworth when the Great Falls Manufacturing Company, which owned the textile mills and land bordering the Salmon Falls River was prospering. The mills required a remarkable number of workers, both skilled and unskilled, to function at full capacity. While finding unskilled workers would prove easier because of the influx of Irish immigrants to the area at the time, skilled workers like machinists were another matter entirely.
To help solve the problem, GFMC would commission seven tenement buildings to be built along Main Street, which was, a very fashionable part of town at the time. The contractors, Thomas Parks and Job Harris, were given land by the company in exchange for building those tenement houses. Each of the structures that was built was designed to attract and house mill workers of all skill levels by offering pleasant but affordable housing.
Today, only two of those structures remain on Main Street. One can be found at 168 Main St. and is locally known as the LeHoullier Building. The name was derived from Raymond LeHoullier, the last private owner before the structure was purchased by the Somersworth Housing Authority in 1978.
At one time, like many of the structures that bordered Main Street, the LeHoullier Building was a multiple-use building, housing both residents and stores. For example, the LeBonte General Store could be found on the basement floor from the early 1900s until the outbreak of World War II. Currently the building houses apartments for the elderly and is still under the care and direction of the SHA. In 1980, the building was accepted onto the National Registry of Historic Places and was given a complete face lift by SHA returning many of the building’s original features.
The other tenement house that remains standing can be found on the corner of Washington and Main streets. It is under private ownership.
The other tenement houses were sadly torn down in 1965 as part of the SHA’s Urban Renewal program and were the very definition of affordable housing. Owned by the GFMC, they housed many of the young ladies who would travel from Canada to work in the mills. Many of them would be given room and board for a sum, which was paid to, you guessed it, GFMC.
Affordable housing is not just a modern problem. Today, as always, we need creative solutions.
Halloween haunts
Is your house or apartment the talk of the neighborhood because of your Halloween decorations? Want to earn more bragging rights? If so, you might want to snap a picture and send it to the Somersworth Recreation Department as you could be in line for a first prize of a $100 Home Depot gift card as part of its Virtual Halloween Decorating Contest.
That’s not the only contest the department is running this October. The Halloween Youth Costume contest is open to all residents between the ages of 3 and 13 and there are plenty of categories in which to enter. You can find details of all the competitions the department is running this October, how to register and prizes at somersworth.com/parks-recreation/pages/halloween-contests-2020.
Good luck to all. I can’t wait to see the entries.
I also wanted to let you know that Hilltop Fun Center will be hosting a “Trunk and Treat” on Saturday Oct. 31 from 3-5 p.m. The center is looking for local businesses, groups and families who might want to decorate a car and be a part of the event. With over 8 acres available, the event can accommodate hundreds of cars, however they will cap it off at 120 to meet state and CDC social distancing guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic. For information, emaile Kailey Pouliot at kailey@hilltopfuncenter.com.
City news
Just a couple of reminders before I close this week. The Somersworth Water Department will be busy this week flushing hydrants and they appreciate your patience as they carry out this important maintenance. Also, in case you missed the Somersworth City Council Meeting this past Monday, the council voted to open city polling stations on Nov. 3 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the city, so please be sure to plan accordingly.
That’s it for this week but I will be back. In the meantime, stay safe and above all be kind to one other as we are all in this together.
This article was first published in Fosters Daily Democrat on October 13th 2020.