Our Projects
We’ve supported roughly a dozen projects through the years, including four flagship initiatives: the Engine House Restoration, the annual Heritage Festival, the Lamprey Arts and Cultural Alliance—now the MillSpace, and the Historic Plaque Project.
Scroll through the projects below to see what we’ve been up to—and what’s ahead! We hope you’ll join us!
Looking Ahead
From benches and swings to pocket parks and pedestrian crossings, the NMSC is considering a host of potential collaborative projects designed to enhance Newmarket’s downtown and promote a sense of community. Watch this space for updates as new projects get underway!
Current Projects
Launched in 2012, our historic plaque project aims to capture some of the people and places that have helped shape Newmarket’s character. Through the years, our volunteers have designed and installed 19 plaques, with more to come—each one a carefully researched glimpse of the past, cast in bronze. Read more here
Newmarket has a big birthday coming up in 2027—300 years! This town-wide celebration will include a year of events and activities, and the NMSC is proud to be part of the festivities! We’ll be sponsoring at least one event honoring Newmarket’s heritage, and planning is getting underway. Watch this space for more details! And get in touch if you’d like to help!
The iconic Timberland boot, launched in 1973, was cut and stitched right here in the Newmarket mills—where Timberland announced its commitment to building the finest outdoor footwear in the world. Today, the NMSC is partnering with the company to install a sculpture memorializing this final chapter in the history of Newmarket's industrial era.
The NMSC is contributing 50 percent of the funding for a downtown State Historic Roadside Marker to commemorate Newmarket’s historic industrial mills and village district. Marker language has been submitted to the state Division of Historic Resources and is waiting for approval.
Past Projects
The NMSC supported the founding of the Lamprey Arts & Cultural Alliance (LACA), a nonprofit dedicated to creating a vibrant community civic center in the mills and now operating as the Newmarket MillSpace. A center for art, history, and culture, the MillSpace functions as a sort of “community living room—a place for people to gather, share ideas and enjoy each other’s company.”
Newmarket’s first fire engine, Tiger No. 1 (1853), was a hand-pumped engine that fought fires in town for more than 40 years before being retired in 1896. Today, Tiger No.1 is the only hand tub in the country housed in its original engine house (1852)—which is still standing, thanks in part to the NMSC. The restoration project began in 2002. Read more here
The NMSC provided financial support for the “We Dig Newmarket” concert series designed to promote activity in support of local businesses during the multi-year downtown revitalization and Route 108 corridor redesign (a project that included undergrounding water and sewer lines, burying utilities, widening sidewalks, and adding new lampposts, benches, and trees. The aim was to enhance the streetscape and promote a more user-friendly downtown village area).
Much of the design for Newmarket’s renovated, walkable downtown streetscape was shaped by extensive community input during a series of comprehensive planning workshops (also known as "charrettes") and a professional study initiated and sponsored in part by the NMSC. We were proud to be part of this multi-year collaborative process, a model for participatory citizen involvement that helped set the tone for future planning efforts.
The NMSC contributed to and supported the installation of the Veteran’s Memorial flagpole at the corner of Main Street and Bay Road.
The NMSC provided funding for a centrally located downtown information kiosk, which has yet to be constructed.
Our Mission
The Newmarket Main Street Corporation is dedicated to celebrating Newmarket’s story.
We aim to strengthen the historic and cultural characteristics of our community, preserving the legacy of Newmarket for future generations.
We strive to educate and inspire, collaborating with other town organizations to encourage the participation and community spirit that make Newmarket a vibrant place to live and visit.
The NMSC is a 501(c)(3) organization, and all contributions may be tax deductible
(Tax ID #02-0497634)
Celebrating history, culture, diversity—and community spirit.