Berlin in Coos County, New Hampshire — The American Northeast (New England)
Boom Piers
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 19, 2006
1. Boom Piers Marker
The small man-made 'islands' in the river were used to secure a chain of boom logs which divided the Androscoggin River during the colorful and dramatic annual log drives, when the Brown Paper Company and the International Paper Company shared the river from the forests far upriver to the mills at Berlin. The logs were stamped on the ends with a marking hammer to identify their ownership, and they were sorted at a 'sorting gap' further upriver. The log drives ended in 1963. The old piers continue to serve as a reminder of North Country heritage.
Erected 1989 by New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. (Marker Number 159.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & Forestry • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the New Hampshire Historical Highway Markers series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1963.
Location. 44° 29.188′ N, 71° 10.006′ W. Marker is in Berlin, New Hampshire, in Coos County. It is on Main Street (New Hampshire Route 16), on the right when traveling north. The marker is located in a small roadside rest area, on the east side of highway 16, overlooking the Androscoggin River. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Berlin NH 03570, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. It is also in the American Northeast and in New England. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Great North Woods, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Berlin Mills Railway (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Power of the Androscoggin (approx. half
this page online
More about this marker. Beyond the marker you can see the remains of the boom piers in the middle of the river.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., July 29, 2025
2. Boom Piers Marker
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., July 29, 2025
3. Boom Piers Marker
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., July 29, 2025
4. Boom Piers in Androscoggin River
circa 1910
5. 100,000 Cords of Wood, Burgess Sulfite Fibre Company, Berlin, N.H.
The scale of the annual log drives is made evident by the images on this and the succeeding postcard - enormous mountains of logs.
circa 1927
6. A Mountain of Wood, Million Dollar Log Pile, Berlin, N.H.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., July 29, 2025
7. Boom Piers Detail
Credits. This page was last revised on March 10, 2026. It was originally submitted on December 11, 2013, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 2,261 times since then and 102 times this year. Last updated on June 19, 2014, by Kevin Craft of Bedford, Quebec. Photos: 1. submitted on December 11, 2013, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 5, 2025, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. 5, 6. submitted on September 19, 2015. 7. submitted on August 5, 2025, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
