3. Edward Jarvis’s Concord, 1810-1820

The writings of Concord-born physician and social historian Edward Jarvis (1803-1884) provide a guided tour of early-nineteenth-century Concord just prior to the development of the Milldam area. In Houses and People in Concord, 1810 to 1820, Jarvis recorded his recollections of the town, supplementing them with a detailed, hand-drawn and -colored map. The map identifies the buildings that stood on the Milldam—Main Street and its environs—in 1826. Prior to the Mill Dam Company's development, the area was home to a grist mill, bark house, and tannery. Nearby were a currier's shop, slaughterhouse, and blacksmith. 

Though the Concord Mill Dam Company was a commercial venture intended to bring a profit to its incorporators and stockholders, it also improved the appearance and functioning of the town's center and reflected the changing economy. General stores, artisans, a bank, and an insurance company displaced the gritty operations of the tanner and currier and drove the slaughterhouse to the outskirts of town.