The Forest Society completed the first phase of “Forest Society North” in September, a long-term plan to renovate and restore the landscape, facilities and program at The Rocks in Bethlehem, following the February 2019 fire which destroyed two historic buildings, the Tool Building and the Electric Plant.

These two buildings hosted all our indoor public program activity at The Rocks, our office space and our operations center for the Christmas Tree Farm.

Construction crews worked over the summer to restore the area where the lost buildings were located, creating a large open green space for public use (picnicking and gatherings), with exceptional views of the White Mountains.

Landscape architect Leigh Starer and her crew used the massive granite foundation stones that once supported the Tool Building to transform the landscape into a rustic hillside amphitheater centered on a panorama that stretches from the Kilkenny Range to the Presidentials.

The site of the red farm house and barns visible from Interstate 93 is being transformed to serve as the operations center for the Christmas Tree Farm.

The remodeled operations center will include a new heated garage for farm equipment repair and storage.  

The Rocks was donated to the Forest Society in 1978 by two grandchildren of John and Frances Glessner, who purchased the property and developed The Rocks as a working farm in the late 1800s.The 1978 gift stipulated that an agricultural crop be grown in the property’s 40 acres of fields. For the past three decades that crop has been Christmas trees, drawing thousands of visitors in November and December each year.

Architects are preparing construction plans for the renovation of the 1888 Carriage Barn into a public welcome center, with classrooms, exhibit space, restrooms, offices and additional parking. The second phase of the construction plans are due to begin in spring 2022.

Before & After