Purgatory Brook

River in New Hampshire, United States

42°53′43″N 71°43′28″W / 42.89528°N 71.72444°W / 42.89528; -71.72444 • elevation765 ft (233 m) MouthSouhegan River

• location

Milford

• coordinates

42°50′48″N 71°40′56″W / 42.84667°N 71.68222°W / 42.84667; -71.68222

• elevation

246 ft (75 m)Length5.8 mi (9.3 km)Basin featuresTributaries • leftBlack Brook • rightCurtis Brook

Purgatory Brook is a 5.8-mile-long (9.3 km)^[1] tributary of the Souhegan River in southern New Hampshire. It rises in a marshy area on the border of Lyndeborough and Mont Vernon, and flows south over three small waterfalls, intersecting the Souhegan in Milford. For much of its length, it constitutes the border between Lyndeborough and Mont Vernon.

Mont Vernon town histories say it is unclear where the name "Purgatory" came from. At least one other brook with the same name exists in nearby Massachusetts.

The northernmost cascade, Upper Purgatory Falls, drew many visitors in the late 19th and early 20th century when Mont Vernon was home to a number of hotels that drew summer visitors from the heat of Boston. At one time the area had a dance hall and a bowling alley, as well as camping sites - none of which exist today. Evidence of railings around the upper falls are still visible. Town-wide celebrations drew hundreds of people up through the Great Depression, according to Mont Vernon town histories.^[2]

Today the upper falls can be reached on the Mont Vernon side by four-wheel drive vehicles, and on the Lyndeborough side by a short walk from a town-maintained road. The lowest waterfall can only be reached by a short hiking trail from a parking lot, which has been closed due to overcrowding spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. The middle waterfall can be reached by a hiking public trail that runs the length of the brook.

References

^ New Hampshire GRANIT state geographic information system
^ Mont Vernon Historical Society newsletter: "Mont Vernon Tourist Town"

Merrimack River watershed

Tributaries

Massachusetts	Artichoke River Assabet River Back River Beaver Brook Cochichewick River Concord River Little River Merrimack River Nashua River Nissitissit River North Nashua River Phillips Brook Powwow River Quinapoxet River Salmon Brook Shawsheen River South Branch Souhegan River South Nashua River Spicket River Squannacook River Stillwater River Stony Brook Sudbury River Trout Brook Vine Brook Whitman River
New Hampshire	Baboosic Brook Back River Baker River Bear Brook Beards Brook Beaver Brook Beebe River Big River Black Brook Blackwater River Cockermouth River Cohas Brook Contoocook River East Branch Baker River East Branch Pemigewasset River Fowler River Frazier Brook Gridley River Gunstock River Lane River Little River (Big River) Little River (Merrimack River) Little Massabesic Brook-Sucker Brook Little Suncook River Lost River Mad River Melvin River Merrimack River Merrymeeting River Middle Branch Piscataquog River Moosilauke Brook Nashua River Newfound River Nissitissit River North Branch Contoocook River North Fork East Branch Pemigewasset River Nubanusit Brook Pemigewasset River Pennichuck Brook Piscataquog River Powwow River Purgatory Brook Red Hill River Salmon Brook Shedd Brook Smith River Soucook River Souhegan River South Branch Baker River South Branch Piscataquog River South Branch Souhegan River Spicket River Squam River Stony Brook Suncook River Tioga River Turkey River Warner River West Branch Mad River West Branch Souhegan River West Branch Warner River Winnipesaukee River

Massachusetts

Artichoke River
Assabet River
Back River
Beaver Brook
Cochichewick River
Concord River
Little River
Merrimack River
Nashua River
Nissitissit River
North Nashua River
Phillips Brook
Powwow River
Quinapoxet River
Salmon Brook
Shawsheen River
South Branch Souhegan River
South Nashua River
Spicket River
Squannacook River
Stillwater River
Stony Brook
Sudbury River
Trout Brook
Vine Brook
Whitman River

New Hampshire

Baboosic Brook
Back River
Baker River
Bear Brook
Beards Brook
Beaver Brook
Beebe River
Big River
Black Brook
Blackwater River
Cockermouth River
Cohas Brook
Contoocook River
East Branch Baker River
East Branch Pemigewasset River
Fowler River
Frazier Brook
Gridley River
Gunstock River
Lane River
Little River (Big River)
Little River (Merrimack River)
Little Massabesic Brook-Sucker Brook
Little Suncook River
Lost River
Mad River
Melvin River
Merrimack River
Merrymeeting River
Middle Branch Piscataquog River
Moosilauke Brook
Nashua River
Newfound River
Nissitissit River
North Branch Contoocook River
North Fork East Branch Pemigewasset River
Nubanusit Brook
Pemigewasset River
Pennichuck Brook
Piscataquog River
Powwow River
Purgatory Brook
Red Hill River
Salmon Brook
Shedd Brook
Smith River
Soucook River
Souhegan River
South Branch Baker River
South Branch Piscataquog River
South Branch Souhegan River
Spicket River
Squam River
Stony Brook
Suncook River
Tioga River
Turkey River
Warner River
West Branch Mad River
West Branch Souhegan River
West Branch Warner River
Winnipesaukee River

Lakes

Massachusetts	Lake Attitash Lake Boon Lake Cochichewick Lake Cochituate Fairhaven Bay Haggetts Pond Lost Lake Lake Saltonstall Tuxbury Pond Wachusett Reservoir Walden Pond
New Hampshire	Arlington Mill Reservoir Ayers Island Reservoir Baboosic Lake Canobie Lake Cobbetts Pond Contoocook Lake Country Pond Crystal Lake (Gilmanton) Crystal Lake (Manchester) Deering Reservoir Franklin Pierce Lake Great Pond Halfmoon Lake Harrisville Pond Highland Lake Hopkins Pond (Adder Pond) Island Pond (Derry) Island Pond (Stoddard) Jenness Pond Lake Kanasatka Little Squam Lake Locke Lake Lonesome Lake Massabesic Lake Lake Massasecum Merrymeeting Lake Mirror Lake Newfound Lake Northwood Lake Nubanusit Lake Opechee Bay Paugus Bay Pemigewasset Lake Penacook Lake Pleasant Lake (Deerfield) Pleasant Lake (New London) Potanipo Pond Powder Mill Pond Powwow Pond Profile Lake Sebbins Pond Silver Lake (Hollis) Skatutakee Lake Lake Solitude Squam Lake Stinson Lake Suncook Lakes Sunset Lake Thorndike Pond Turkey Ponds Tuxbury Pond Lake Waukewan Weare Reservoir Webster Lake Lake Wentworth White Oak Pond Lake Wicwas Willard Pond Lake Winnipesaukee Lake Winnisquam

Massachusetts

New Hampshire

Towns

Massachusetts	Acton Amesbury Andover Ashland Bedford Billerica Burlington Chelmsford Clinton Concord Dracut Fitchburg Framingham Groton Groveland Haverhill Hopkinton Hudson Lawrence Leominster Lexington Lowell Lunenburg Marlborough Maynard Merrimac Methuen Newburyport North Andover Northborough Pepperell Salisbury Sudbury Tewksbury Tyngsborough West Newbury Westborough Westford
New Hampshire	Allenstown Amherst Ashland Atkinson Bedford Belmont Boscawen Bow Bridgewater Bristol Campton Canterbury Concord Derry Franklin Gilford Goffstown Hampstead Hill Hillsborough Holderness Hollis Hooksett Hopkinton Hudson Kingston Laconia Lincoln Litchfield Londonderry Manchester Meredith Merrimack Milford Nashua New Hampton Northfield Pelham Pembroke Penacook Peterborough Plaistow Plymouth Salem Sanbornton Suncook Thornton Tilton Weare Windham Wolfeboro Woodstock

Massachusetts

New Hampshire

Landmarks

Rivers of New Hampshire by drainage system

Gulf of Maine

Atlantic coastal tributaries	Blackwater River Browns River Drakes River Hampton River Hampton Falls River Little River Old River Taylor River
Merrimack River watershed	Baboosic Brook Back River Baker River Bear Brook Beards Brook Beaver Brook Beebe River Big River Black Brook Blackwater River Cockermouth River Cohas Brook Contoocook River East Branch Baker River East Branch Pemigewasset River Fowler River Frazier Brook Gridley River Gunstock River Lane River Little River (Big River) Little River (Merrimack River) Little Massabesic Brook-Sucker Brook Little Suncook River Lost River Mad River Melvin River Merrimack River Merrymeeting River Middle Branch Piscataquog River Moosilauke Brook Nashua River Newfound River Nissitissit River North Branch Contoocook River North Fork East Branch Pemigewasset River Nubanusit Brook Pemigewasset River Pennichuck Brook Piscataquog River Powwow River Purgatory Brook Red Hill River Salmon Brook Shedd Brook Smith River Soucook River Souhegan River South Branch Baker River South Branch Piscataquog River South Branch Souhegan River Spicket River Squam River Stony Brook Suncook River Tioga River Turkey River Warner River West Branch Mad River West Branch Souhegan River West Branch Warner River Winnipesaukee River
Merrymeeting Bay (Androscoggin River watershed)	Androscoggin River Chickwolnepy Stream Clear Stream Dead River Dead Diamond River East Branch Dead Diamond River Little Dead Diamond River Little Magalloway River Magalloway River Middle Branch Dead Diamond River Middle Branch Little Magalloway River Mollidgewock Brook Moose Brook Moose River Peabody River Rattle River South Branch Little Dead Diamond River Swift Diamond River West Branch Dead Diamond River West Branch Little Dead Diamond River West Branch Little Magalloway River West Branch Magalloway River West Branch Peabody River Wild River
Piscataqua River watershed	Bean River Bellamy River Berrys River Branch River Bunker Creek Cochecho River Ela River Exeter River Fresh River Isinglass River Jones Brook Lamprey River Little River (Brentwood) Little River (Exeter) Little River (Lamprey River) Mad River North River North Branch River Oyster River Pawtuckaway River Piscassic River Piscataqua River Rattlesnake River Salmon Falls River Squamscott River Winnicut River
Saco Bay (Saco River watershed)	Bearcamp River Beech River Chocorua River Cold River (Bearcamp River) Cold River Cutler River Dan Hole River Deer River Dry River East Branch Saco River East Branch Whiteface River East Fork East Branch Saco River Ellis River Little Cold River Lovell River Mad River Middle Branch Mad River Mill Brook New River Ossipee River Pequawket Brook Pine River Rocky Branch Saco River Sawyer River Shepards River South River South Branch Mad River Swift River (Bearcamp River) Swift River (Saco River) West Branch Whiteface River Wildcat Brook Wonalancet River