The 2017 sale fell through after the state archaeologist said there may be Native American remains or artifacts buried there.
The archaeologist, Richard Boisvert, says the land near Weirs Drive-In Theater in Laconia was once a Native American fishing camp. Al Mitchell, the planned buyer in 2017, backed out of the $2.5 million sale due to concerns about added costs if remains or artifacts were discovered during construction. It’s not clear how long that could have delayed development.
It is claimed that the camp had activity dating back as far as 10,000 years. Richard Boisvert carried out an excavation that uncovered archaeological materials adjacent to the drive-in in 1990.
About 15 years ago there was another planned project for an 80 room hotel on the Weirs Channel that fell through for the same reasons.
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