Lake Cottage Retreat on Harrisville Pond in the Monadnock region of NH

Looking to get away from busy city / suburban life? We’ve got a wonderful lakeside location on Harrisville Pond in Harrisville, NH, right in the heart of the Monadnock Region. Enjoy a quiet retreat in picturesque old New England in this brand-new cottage and share full access to our 125’ of private lake frontage with its own beach, shoreline sitting areas, watercraft (kayaks, canoes, sailboat) and dock. The pristine waters of Harrisville Pond are delightful all summer.

You’ll stay in a newly-built cottage that sits on our property, and share all of our outside facilities. Our house and cottage are one of five properties at the end of a quiet country road. It has a single master bedroom with queen-sized bed, and two double futon couches for friends and kids. There is a TV and internet service for casting and browsing, and includes Netflix access.

Our ideal guests include young families (children sleep in living room), seniors, active outdoors couples, and people with limited mobility. Friendly, well-behaved dogs are also welcome – our border collie mix, Sassy, is very friendly and sociable.

More About the Cottage…

This all new cottage was completed in June, 2019. It has a full kitchen, including spices for home cooking, although the region also features great restaurants and dining if you wish. We designed it for our own future use, so it is a few steps above a simple rental property. Our ideal guests include families (while it has one master bedroom, the living room can sleep up to four kids on two double bed-sized futons).

The cottage is fully furnished, with bed linens, bath and beach towels, kitchenware and beachware, Everything you need for your week retreat. It is universally accessible, including ramp access, full bathroom with slide seat for tub, kitchen stove with front knobs, wheel-up to sink in kitchen, etc.

July 2019 note: The cottage has just been completed, with a new driveway and yard. The new lawn was planted in June, and may be sparse in the immediate area around the cottage until August. Guests should anticipate using the common lakefront sitting areas rather than the private yard areas around the cottage until the lawn and gardens near the cottage have become established.

Guests have sole use of the cottage in its private setting, and shared use of our wonderful Harrisville Pond facilities... the sitting area on the lawn along the shoreline with comfy lawn furniture and a fire pit, the beach, a dock (great for dock-sitting at night and watching the stars), and all the water toys. Sailors may want to take our antique wooden sailboat out on a nice day.

Our home is on the property, and we anticipate socializing with guests down by the shore and around the yard. We're friendly folk. In fact, most of Harrisville's year-round population of 960 people are friendly - walk 20 minutes to the Harrisville General Store downtown, smile and say hello to people and you'll see what I mean. For 20 years we’ve been enjoying our good fortune living in what friends call our paradise... life in a very private spot on a lake. We invite you to share it with us. Of course, we wouldn't dream of being intrusive, just friendly.

About the Monadnock Region...

Mount Monadnock, visible from out on the pond, defines our area. Local towns nearby include the City of Keene, Peterborough, Jaffrey, Hancock, Dublin and Nelson. The region is rich in arts and crafts, music, theater and culture of all kinds.

Hiking, fishing and outdoor sports abound throughout the area. In fact, the Monadnock Region has more lakes than any other part of NH - a full third of the states lakes are in this area.

Neighboring Peterborough is home to the Peterborough Players, a summer equity actors theater where you can sit up close and personal. Apple Hill provides the same quality Chamber Music on their lawns on Tuesday nights as they play in Alice Tully Hall in the Big Apple, free for all. Monadnock Music holds free chamber music concerts four nights a week in town churches throughout the area. For more folksy music, the Nelson Hall Contra Dances on Monday nights are the longest-running continuous contra dances in the country, and other contra dances occur throughout the extended area. Local, regional and national musicians pass through the area regularly, playing at venues ranging from coffee houses and living room parties to The Colonial Theater in Keene. Whether you like jazz, classical, rock or other styles, we've got it all here to enjoy.

About Harrisville - a Historic Mill Village

As our town website describes it, "Harrisville is a small New Hampshire town centered around a uniquely preserved and historic 19th century industrial mill complex. Located in the heart of the Monadnock region it is comprised of 10 lakes and ponds, a rehabilitated brick and granite mill surrounded by a quaint village with a traditional New England general store and a summer farmers market. Our beautiful town, set just off Route 101 and nestled against a picturesque rural backdrop, boasts a vibrant community with active farms, people practicing traditional and digital-age trades, and a wealth of artists and artisans. It is a much-loved vacation destination for families escaping hot urban summers as well as a great place to live year-round, raise a family, or retire in peaceful quietude." The town site features a great flyover video of the town and surrounding areas - visit to see more.

Our entire downtown area is a National Historic Preservation Site. Thanks to Historic Harrisville ( the entire mill complex has been preserved and now stands as the most complete 1850's mill village in the country. The mills no longer create woolen fabrics although Harrisville Designs, run by the 5th generation of the original mill owners, offers weavers and spinners excellent materials to make their own - see http:\\ for examples. Today the mills are filled with artists and craftspeople of all kinds, as well as many small businesses, reflective of the regional culture as a whole.

While you won't find fast foods in Harrisville, the General Store has great breakfasts, lunches and take-home dinners for country cooking. It is the town social center in many ways - books have been written about life on the front porch. You'll have to go to Keene for fast foods, just 20 minutes away.

There are many laid-back hiking trails through the Harrisville woods. Converted rail-trails are flat for easy walking, while trail guides show many other opportunities for great mountain views and walks in the woods.

In other words, this is a rich area to explore, enjoy and visit. Come on up and we'll head you in the right direction.