In 1840 Carroll County was created from Strafford County by act of the state legislature. Belknap County was formed at the same time. Carroll achieved its full, modern-day size by virtue of another legislative act in 1853, which annexed Bartlett, Jackson (Adams), and Hart’s Location from Coos County to the north. This brought the total number of towns to eighteen. Approximately 600 square miles in area, Carroll County was named in honor of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence from Maryland. Bounded by the White Mountains to the west and north, the Lakes Region to the south, and the State of Maine to the east, the county is renowned for the unspoiled and diversified beauty of its scenery. Its character is almost exclusively rural, and its economy is based on agriculture, forestry, small business and industry, and tourism. Of these areas of economic activity, tourism has assumed increasing importance in recent years. Much of the life and culture of the county is influenced by the White Mountains and the major lakes (Winnipesaukee and Squam), among New England’s most significant natural assets.
Because of its historic emphasis on farming, Carroll County has never been particularly wealthy and is, therefore, a region of predominantly functional, vernacular buildings. Of the structures dating from 1790–1850, those in the more prosperous towns—Sandwich, Effingham, Wakefield, and Wolfeboro—have the greatest inherent merit. Here Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, and Italianate motifs transmitted from the south are evident in earlier residences, churches, and public and commercial buildings. It is the county’s popularity as a vacation region, however, which has produced the architecture of the greatest impact—hotels, single-season houses, condominiums, churches, railroad stations, and libraries, particularly in the communities adjacent to or in the White Mountains and Lakes Region. Carroll County’s building future rests with the tourist-recreational industry and its distinctive brand of highly functional, environmentally conscious and aesthetically pleasing contemporary architectural design.
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