John Dearborn, in his History of Salisbury, New Hampshire, dated 1890, dedicated pages 299-315 to describing this project in detail.
The Fourth NH Turnpike was built in the early 1800s and was privately owned by a Corporation of citizens. It was a toll road. The tolls reimbursed the members who held shares and provided funds for maintenance and profit, if that was the case.
It ran through Andover, Salisbury, and Boscawen and is now known as Route 4.
This road was an alternative for the Old College Road and a few others that existed for northern travel prior to a few decades and were likely quite rugged. The turnpike being a road with income was better maintained for travel including for carriage and teams of horses.
A Turnpike by definition refers to a set of spikes fixed to a bar or pole acting as a gate. There was a toll booth in each town the Turnpike passed through.
To understand the northerly location of the tool booth in our town it’s necessary to see the full scope of this road through the towns of Andover and Boscawen to uncover their thinking. Research is needed to see the where the tolls were in Andover and Boscawen. Locating an early map would be ideal.
In Salisbury’s north end was the Parker Gate as it was kept many years by Dea. Daniel Parker. Its location is described in 1890 as being “On the West side of the Road where the Road intersects the Old College Road, south of the present residence of H.F. Heath.”
On the map below (date unclear) we see the residence of BF Heath, of likely the same family.
