Skip to main content

Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests

christmas tree inside a circle rocks logo

Get our e-news!

Sign up

small nav

  • About Us
    • Staff
    • Board of Trustees
    • Our History
    • Contact Us
    • COVID-19 Updates
    • Partners
    • Business Members
    • Annual Reports
    • Bylaws
    • Policies
    • Conservation Center
    • Employment
  • log in
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Main menu

  • What we do
    • Land Conservation
    • Education & Events
    • Advocacy
    • Forestry & Recreation
    • News & Features
    • Forest Notes & More Publications
  • Current Projects
    • Mount Major Stewardship Fund
    • Forest Society North at The Rocks Campaign
    • Clay Brook Forest, Hampton Falls
    • Stillhouse Forest Addition, Northfield
    • Moose Mountains Expansion
    • Merrimack: River at Risk
    • Morrill Dairy Farm, Boscawen
    • Weeks Woods - Rene and Elizabeth Gilbert Tract, Gilford
  • Visit & Explore
    • The Rocks
    • Conservation Center
    • Forest Reservation Guide
  • Get Involved
    • Upcoming Events
    • Membership/Renewal
    • Support Our Work
    • Take Action
    • Volunteer
    • Subscribe to E-news
  • Search

Search form

Donate
Menu
Red leaves frame a view of rows of growing Christmas trees.

THE ROCKS

About the Rocks

Christmas Tree Farm

Tours & Vacations

Education & Adventure

Events

Trails​

Contact Us

 

Online Gift Shop

NH Maple Experience

Connect

FacebookYoutubePinterest

News

  • Sugar Season Arrives At Last

    Anna Berry
    March 16, 2021

    Due to COVID, The Rocks' traditional maple tours are going virtual for this year's sugaring season. Join Forest Society North Country Property ...

  • Forest Society Highlights Complete Vision For Rocks Estate

    January 20, 2021

    By Robert Blechl, Caledonian Record

    BETHLEHEM — The Bethlehem Planning Board has approved the site plan for the major renovation advancing at The Rocks Estate.

    On Jan. 13, town planners gave the green light to the plan to transform the stone barn known as the ...

    Read more
  • Plan for Forest Society North at The Rocks meets another milestone

    Anne Truslow
    January 20, 2021

    The building renovation is the central element of a multi-phased plan to re-envision The Rocks.

Yankee Awards 2015 best of new england award logoTree Farm Logo

About the Rocks

The heritage of The Rocks reaches from the pastoral beauty of the 1800s through the property's modern day role as a conservation and education center for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.

The rambling stone walls and carefully restored historic buildings at The Rocks evoke the pastoral beauty of the turn of the 20th Century in New Hampshire. Now home to the 1,400-acre North Country Conservation & Education Center for the Forest Society, The Rocks was for many years the summer home of Chicago businessman and International Harvester cofounder John Jacob Glessner and his family.

In 1978, two of John and Frances Glessner's grandchildren donated the 1,400-acre Rocks, including 22 buildings, to the Forest Society, with the requirement that there always be a crop in the field. For more than three decades, that crop has been Christmas trees, and people come to The Rocks from near and far each year to find their perfect tree.

The Forest Society offers a host of other activities at The Rocks throughout the year, from the popular springtime Maple Tours and school programs to various natural history talks and customized experiential tours for small groups. The trail system at The Rocks is open daily to visitors.

Restoration Project

After a devestating 2019 fire, the Forest Society has emarked on a renovation and restoration project that is ongoing at The Rocks.

LEARN MORE ABOUT RESTORING THE ROCKS

Wildlife

The Rocks is home to several species of native animals, from bear and moose to wild turkey, spotted salamanders, and countless bird species. Many of these animals, their habits, and their habitats are featured in our Natural History Programs, offered at The Rocks and other venues throughout the year.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WILDLIFE

Volunteers

As part of a nonprofit organization, The Rocks relies on the service of volunteers to meet its mission.

LEARN MORE ABOUT VOLUNTEERS

Professional Affiliations

The Rocks has a number of professional affiliations and distinctions.

LEARN MORE ABOUT PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Beautiful beds of flowers surround a gazebo.
Original owner Frances Glessner took pride in her gardens during the early 20th century, which are still maintained today.

History of The Rocks

John Glessner drives a horse-drawn carriage.
John & Francis Glessner.

John Glessner, his wife Frances, and their children George and Fanny began visiting New Hampshire's North Country in 1878, seeking refuge in the clean mountain air for George's hay fever during the summer months. In 1882 Glessner purchased a 100-acre farm from Oren Streeter for $2,300. He had the Big House, the family's summer residence, constructed in the Queen Anne Style of architecture in 1883. Designed by Isaac Elwood Scott, the 19-room mansion was situated high on a hill, with spectacular views of the White Mountains. Over the years, the Glessners constructed various buildings, built elaborate gardens (including a formal garden designed by Frederick Law Olmsted's company), and added land to their Rocks.

The family would travel each summer via train from Chicago, with several servants preceding them to prepare the property for the Glessners' arrival. The Rocks boasted a windmill, green house, bee house, observatory, and many other structures. Although the Big House and other residences at The Rocks were removed in the late 1940s, many of the property's original buildings have been restored and are in use today. The Rocks is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

A small house next to a large boulder.
The Big Rock Summer House.

 

 

 

 

In the News

  • Martha Stewart Magazine: Find your dream Christmas tree at one of these scenic everygreen farms
  • WMUR: Trees for troops picked up at The Rocks Christmas Tree Farm
  • The Rocks Video Postcard
  • WMUR: Trees for Troops 2014
  • Boston Globe: "If the Tree Fits, Click It," 2010
  • New York Times: "Little Towns of Bethlehem,"2005 
  • New York Times: "The Perfect Tree Awaits in the Field, or in the Computer," 2006
  • Boston Globe: "Trimming the Trimmings," 2008
  • Salmon Press: Budweiser Clydesdales at The Rocks, 2010
The Rocks

Footer menu

  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests54 Portsmouth St.Concord, NH 03301
Phone: 603.224.9945Fax: 603.228.0423info@forestsociety.org
Land Trust Alliance accreditation logo