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N.H. hills
In the footsteps of Uncle Sam
By Tom Lepisto
Getting there:
Take Route 2 west to Concord rotary, then Route 119 west for 25 miles through Acton, Littleton, and Townsend. Two miles past the Route 13 intersection in Townsend, turn right onto Canal Street (opposite ''The Old Brick Store''), then right onto Mason Road in 1.4 miles. Mason Center (blink and you miss it) is 4 miles further. Follow signs 4 more miles to Pickity Place. From Pickity Place, head for Route 31 north in Greenville, take it 5 miles to Route 101 west, take a quick right onto Isaac Frye Highway in 1/4 mile, bear left at the first fork, and follow signs 8 miles to Frye's Measure Mill. To continue to the Beaver Brook Reservation, backtrack to Route 101 east. Take the first exit after it becomes a limited-access highway onto Route 13 south, then take Route 130 east to Route 122 south in Hollis. Take a right onto Ridge Road and watch for right turns to the Brown Barn and Maple Hill Farm trailheads. To head home from Hollis, it is 6 miles on Route 130 east to Route 3 south in Nashua.
Resources:
Monadnock Travel Council in Keene, 603-355-8155. For a free travel brochure, 800-432-7864. On web, http://www.visitnh.gov.
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 ander back in time on a journey through southern New Hampshire hill towns where the countryside retains the charms of its past.
The route through Mason, Wilton, and Hollis features historic sites, gourmet dining, unusual shopping, and natural beauty. Farm stands dot the wayside, from Gary's in Acton and Hartwell's in Groton to Brookdale's and Lull Farm in Hollis, N.H., and there are intriguing antique shops at Canal Street in Townsend and the Route 31-101 junction in Wilton.
As you cross the state line into Mason, you meander on country lanes that wind through wooded hills. Valley Road features the boyhood home of ''Uncle Sam'' Wilson, the Mason native who became a national symbol thanks to the ''U.S.'' brand on barrels of beef he sold to the Army during the War of 1812. Just up the road, the quiet village center evokes the feeling of an earlier era (the town was incorporated in 1768). North of the center, in a hilltop pasture on Greenville Road, you'll find the Mason Outlook. On a clear day, the impressive v Measure Mill (12 Frye Mill Road, 603-654-6581). Here, the sound of water rushing over the adjacent mill dam fills the grand old building, which dates from 1858. The ''measures'' made here are elegant oval boxes of the kind used in the second half of the 19th century, when staples like flour were sold by the quart rather than by the pound. Today, the measures are collectors' items. The mill's customers include the Smithsonian, Colonial Williamsburg, and Shaker communities. Measures of all sizes are on sale, ranging in price from $10 to $70. Other crafts with a folk art emphasis are also on sale, including candles, antiques, and pewter. Tours of the mill's five buildings, which include a blacksmith shop, are Saturdays at 2 p.m. from June through October and last 90 minutes. On two Saturdays, May 9 and May 16, master craftsman Harlan Savage will be giving special demonstrations of historic manufacturing techniques.
If you like natures walks, a 17-mile drive east from Frye's will bring you to the sylvan paths of Hollis's Beaver Brook Reservation (117 Ridge Road, 603-465-7787). Trails here wander through miles of pine and oak forest to the shores of ponds inhabited by herons and beavers. Contact the Beaver Brook Association for a trail map if you want to thoroughly explore the extensive paths of this beautiful nature preserve.
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