Farmington

This week

in 1849, a new railroad began carrying passengers north from Dover to Farmington, opening another chapter in the city's transformation into a regional transportation center.

The Cochico Railroad had been chartered by the New Hampshire legislature two years earlier, and construction began in 1848.

The new line ran about 18 miles from Dover through Rochester to Farmington, following the Cochico River Valley and connecting inland communities with Dover and the growing rail network to the south.

For Dover, the railroad was another sign of how quickly transportation was changing.

Only a few years earlier, rail service had connected the city with Boston and communities along the coast.

Building the railroad also changed the landscape.

In Dover's Williamsville area, the old Upper Factory, one of the city's early textile mills, was demolished in 1849 to make room for the tracks.