The Rolfe Family Historic District, part of the former Nathaniel Rolfe Farm in Penacook and the first established settlement in this section of Penacook, has been named to the State Register of Historic Places.

The 1834 Greek Revival house will become the Penacook Historical Society's headquarters and is now being used for meeting space.

The historical society is also rehabilitating the double English barn.

The house behind the barn, built in 1774, is an unusual example of late 18th century building construction and will be used as a place where people can come to study the architecture of the time.

The fourth building in the historic district, a Queen Anne house, is still owned by a descendant of the Rolfe family.

The Rolfe family is among the oldest in Concord and settled the village of Penacook. Earliest generations of the Rolfes started in agriculture in the area where the Contoocook and Merrimack Rivers meet. Like others in Penacook, agricultural interests shifted to industry and manufacturing. The family ran the Rolfe Sash and Door shop on Merrimack Street where the Rivco factory stands near the Contoocook River and they also ran a saw mill on Washington Street.