Haverhill City Council Agrees to Seeking Placement of Powder House on National Register

A pre-1883 view of the powder house with front door missing and graffiti visible inside. Derived from a stereoscopic photograph, probably circa 1860s or 1870s. (Courtesy of the Trustees of the Haverhill Public Library, Special Collections Department.)

Andew Herlihy, community development division director.

The Haverhill City Council said yes on Tuesday to a request by the Haverhill Historic Commission asking for its support for placing the city’s 1845-era powder house on the National Register of Historic Places.

The structure, located at 91 Powder House Ave., is one of the few remaining buildings of that type in the region and, as such, was the subject of detailed research done by Boston University graduate student David Lewis, who was working as an intern at the Massachusetts Historical Commission.

Andrew K. Herlihy, the city’s historic preservation officer, explained why the request was being made.

“The Mass. Historic Commission wants the city to officially say that they are in support of this and, again, the reason to do this would make us eligible for state funding to preserve that structure which needs a lot of work,” he explained.

That work includes repairing structural issues as well as cleaning up graffiti. Lisa Mausolf, a preservation consultant said the building was already in a state of disrepair by the time of the Civil War.

Councilors threw their support behind the project by a unanimous 9-0 vote.

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