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Clough State Park
Phone: 603-529-7112


PLEASE NOTE: As part of the Flood Control Area, CLOUGH STATE PARK has sustained significant damage from flooding and IS CLOSED FOR THE 2007 SUMMER SEASON.


Location: Off Route 114 & 13, Weare, NH

Activities: Swimming, picnicking, fishing, boating

Amenities: Bathhouse, picnic tables, playing fields, boat launch

Fee: $3 for adults; $1 for children ages 6-11; children ages 5 and under and NH residents age 65 and over are admitted free.

Operation Schedule: Weekends:Mid-May to Mid-June
Daily: Mid-June to Labor Day

Acreage: 50 acres

Waterfront: Everett Lake

Number of Campsites: None

More Information: Day-Use
Located about 5 miles east of the town of Weare, Clough State Park is located on the shore of Everett Lake, a 150-acre lake formed by a dam on the Piscataquog River. Facilities include a 900-foot sandy beach and two bathhouses, with flush toilets and changing areas for swimmers. You can bring your own small boat or canoe and launch it at the park's ramp. Motorized boats are not permitted. A large picnic grove and playground are available. The park is open weekends only from Memorial Day, and daily from late June through Labor Day. Although Clough State Park is situated on land owned by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, it is operated by the New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation.

History
The Piscataquag River, which flows 14 miles through the town of Weare was once one of the best sources of water power in the state. In the early 1900s 22 mill sites had been located along the banks of the river in the Weare area. On September 21, 1938, following several days of heavy rain, a hurricane moving up from the West Indies passed through the center of New England. The additional heavy rains from the hurricane caused the failure of the Deering Reservoir Dam, which resulted in a wall of raging water to rush down to the Weare Reservoir Dam. Although the dam held, the rushing water broke through the land at the side of the dam, releasing the millions of gallons of water in the reservoir. The raging river, completely out of control, washed away everything in its path, leaving parts of Weare devastated.

In response to the 1938 hurricane disaster and other seasonal floods, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the 2,000-foot long Everett Dam, as part of the Hopkinton-Everett Flood Control Project, which had been authorized by Congress to prevent a recurrence of the devastating floods. The overall project was completed in 1963 at a total cost of $21,400,000.

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