Wilton, New Hampshire

Wilton is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,677 at the 2010 census.[1] Like many small New England towns it grew up around water-powered textile mills, but is now a rural bedroom community with some manufacturing and service employment. Wilton is home to the High Mowing School, a private preparatory school.

The compact town center, where 1,163 people resided at the 2010 census,[2] is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Wilton census-designated place and is located near the junction of New Hampshire Routes 31 and 101, at the confluence of Stony Brook with the Souhegan River.

The town was first part of a township chartered as "Salem-Canada" in 1735 by Colonial Governor Jonathan Belcher of Massachusetts, which then claimed this area. It was granted to soldiers from Salem, Massachusetts, who had served in 1690 under Sir William Phips in the war against Canada. "Salem-Canada" was one of the towns on the state's borders intended to provide protection against Indian attack.[3]

Winchester, New Hampshire

Winchester is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,341 at the 2010 census.[1] The primary settlement in the town, where 1,733 people resided at the 2010 census,[1] is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Winchester census-designated place (CDP). The town also includes the village of Ashuelot and part of Pisgah State Park.

Originally named "Arlington" in honor of Charles Fitzroy, Earl of Arlington, this town was one of those established in 1733 by Colonial Governor Jonathan Belcher as protection for the Massachusetts border at the Connecticut River. After becoming a part of New Hampshire province in 1741, the town was granted to Colonel Josiah Willard, commander of Fort Dummer. In 1753, it was incorporated by Governor Benning Wentworth as Winchester, for Charles Paulet, 3rd Duke of Bolton, 8th Marquess of Winchester, and constable of the Tower of London.[2]

Pioneers who came to the town as early as 1732 were attacked many times by Indians. Several settlers were taken captive, and the town was burned in 1745.[2] Its church, founded in 1736, is the oldest religious body in Cheshire County. The town has two covered bridges.

Windham, New Hampshire

The area was initially home to the Pawtucket Native Americans. Scottish immigrants began to settle in the area in 1719. The region was known as “Nutfield” and included what are now the neighboring towns of Derry and Londonderry.[4] By 1721 some of the original settlers petitioned to form a separate independent community. Governor Benning Wentworth granted this request in 1742.[4] One published theory holds that the community's name refers to Windham, Ireland, harkening back to the petitioners' homeland. However, it has been alternatively postulated that the town was named after Sir Charles Wyndham, 2nd Earl of Egremont, a member of Parliament from 1734 to 1750, Secretary of State for the Southern Department from 1761 to 1763, and a good friend of Governor Wentworth.[4] The town of Windham was originally a parish of Londonderry. Windham was the second town designated by Governor Benning Wentworth following the establishment of the New Hampshire-Massachusetts border. Windham was the birthplace of Samuel Dinsmoor, Governor of New Hampshire from 1831 to 1834. The first census ever taken in Windham totaled at 663 residents in the year 1790.[5]

Historic landmarks in Windham include the Searles School, Searles Castle, the town center, and the Armstrong Memorial Building.[4] Searles Castle is one of Windham’s most prominent landmarks. Edward F. Searles, an interior decorator and antique collector, built the castle.[6] The architect, Henry Vaughn, modeled the castle’s architecture after the style of the Stanton Harcourt Manor in Oxfordshire, England.[6] The building was completed in 1915 at a cost of over $1,250,000. The castle contains over 20 rooms and is available to the public to be rented out for functions and events.[6] In July 1909, Mr. Searles erected a commemorative plaque honoring governor Samuel Dinsmoor "a few rods" from his birthplace on Jenny's Hill,[7] which stands today as a designated historic landmark.[4][8]

Windham is situated in Rockingham County in southeastern New Hampshire, approximately 3 miles (5 km) north of the Massachusetts border. It is accessible from Exit 3 of Interstate 93.[9] Windham is considered a bedroom community because of its growing population (over 10,000), only about 160 commercial land parcels, and lack of public transportation.[9] The nearest airport to Windham is Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, about 20 miles (32 km) to the north. Boston, Massachusetts, is 37 miles (60 km) to the south along Interstate 93.[9] The landscape of Windham consists of suburban subdivisions, rural open spaces and large areas of undeveloped land.[10]

Winnisquam, New Hampshire

Winnisquam is an unincorporated community in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, United States. The village is centered on the U.S. Route 3 bridge over the narrows of Winnisquam Lake and covers portions of three towns: Belmont, Sanbornton, and Tilton.

Wolfeboro, New Hampshire

Wolfeboro is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,269 at the 2010 census.[1] A resort area situated beside Lake Winnipesaukee, Wolfeboro includes the village of Wolfeboro Falls.

The town was granted by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth in 1759 to four young men of Portsmouth, and named "Wolfeborough" in honor of English General James Wolfe, who had been victorious at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759 during the French and Indian War. In 1763, 2,300 acres (930 ha) were added to the 60 acres (24 ha) reserved for the governor. Colonial Governor John Wentworth, his nephew, established an estate on the site, known as Kingswood. Built in 1771 beside what is now called Lake Wentworth, this was the first summer country estate in northern New England. Settled in 1768, the town was incorporated in 1770.

Over the years Wolfeboro, whose town motto is "The Oldest Summer Resort in America", became a popular summer colony, particularly for families from Boston and southern New Hampshire.[citation needed]Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco, Kurt Vonnegut, Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon have spent time in Wolfeboro.[2] In August 2007, then French president Nicolas Sarkozy vacationed there.[3]

Wolfeboro, New Hampshire

Wolfeboro is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,269 at the 2010 census.[1] A resort area situated beside Lake Winnipesaukee, Wolfeboro includes the village of Wolfeboro Falls.

The town was granted by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth in 1759 to four young men of Portsmouth, and named "Wolfeborough" in honor of English General James Wolfe, who had been victorious at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759 during the French and Indian War. In 1763, 2,300 acres (930 ha) were added to the 60 acres (24 ha) reserved for the governor. Colonial Governor John Wentworth, his nephew, established an estate on the site, known as Kingswood. Built in 1771 beside what is now called Lake Wentworth, this was the first summer country estate in northern New England. Settled in 1768, the town was incorporated in 1770.

Over the years Wolfeboro, whose town motto is "The Oldest Summer Resort in America", became a popular summer colony, particularly for families from Boston and southern New Hampshire.[citation needed]Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco, Kurt Vonnegut, Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon have spent time in Wolfeboro.[2] In August 2007, then French president Nicolas Sarkozy vacationed there.[3]

Woodstock, New Hampshire

Woodstock is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,374 at the 2010 census.[1] Woodstock includes the village of North Woodstock, the commercial center. Its extensive land area is largely forested, and includes the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest. Parts of the White Mountain National Forest are in the east and west. The Appalachian Trail crosses the town's northwest corner. Russell Pond Campground is in the east. West of North Woodstock is the Lost River Reservation.

First granted in 1763, Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth named the town Peeling after an English town. Many of the first colonists were originally from Lebanon, Connecticut. In 1771, his nephew, Governor John Wentworth, gave it the name Fairfield, after Fairfield, Connecticut. The town was renamed Woodstock in 1840 for Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, England.[2]

Logging became a principal early industry, with sawmills established using water power from the Pemigewasset River. The entrance of the railroad in the 19th century opened the wilderness to development, carrying away wood products to market. It also brought tourists, many attracted by paintings of the White Mountains by White Mountain artists. Several inns and hotels were built to accommodate the wealthy, who sought relief from the summer heat, humidity and pollution of coal-age Boston, Hartford, New York and Philadelphia. They often relaxed by taking carriage rides through the White Mountains, or by hiking along the Lost River in Lost River Reservation. But with the advent of automobiles, patrons were no longer restricted by the limits of rail service. Consequently, many grand hotels established near depots declined and closed. Woodstock, however, remains a popular tourist destination.

Woodsville, New Hampshire

Woodsville is a census-designated place (CDP) and the largest village in the town of Haverhill in Grafton County, New Hampshire, U.S., along the Connecticut River at the mouth of the Ammonoosuc River. The population was 1,126 at the 2010 census.[1] Although North Haverhill is now the county seat of Grafton County,[2] the village of Woodsville has traditionally been considered the county seat, as the county courthouse was originally located there. The county buildings are now located halfway between Woodsville and the village of North Haverhill to the south.

Woodsville was named for John L. Woods, a figure in its early development. He arrived from Wells River, Vermont, a village across the Connecticut River narrows in Newbury, and in 1829 purchased a sawmill which had been operating on the Ammonoosuc River since 1811. He manufactured pine lumber, and opened a store in his house.[3] Spring snowmelt carried log drives down the Connecticut and Ammonoosuc rivers. A log boom was built across the Connecticut River to Wells River to hold the logs briefly for sorting. Logs not destined for Woods' mill were released gradually to avoid jams in the Ox Bow meadow downstream. Log drivers detailed to work at the boom enjoyed Woodsville's saloons and red-light district.[4]

The Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad opened at Woodsville in 1853 and built its division offices and a branch repair shop. It replaced the original 1805 bridge between the states with a two-level span, featuring a toll highway below and railroad tracks on the roof.[5] The village boomed into an important railway town and junction, endowed with fine examples of Victorian architecture. It also became a center for legal affairs. The log drives were stopped after 1915, when pleasure boat owners complained about the hazards to navigation.[6] In 1889, the Grafton County Court moved from Haverhill Corner to Woodsville, where it remained until moving halfway to North Haverhill in 1972.[7]

New Boston, New Hampshire

New Boston is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,321 at the 2010 census.[1] New Boston is home to the annual Hillsborough County Agricultural Fair and the Molly Stark Cannon.

The town was first granted in 1736 by colonial governor Jonathan Belcher of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. At the time, lands to the west of the Merrimack River, disputed between the two provinces, were treated by Belcher as part of Massachusetts, and he granted the town to several Boston families. It was to have been called Lanestown or Piscataquog Township, but by 1751 they called it New Boston after their hometown. Not all the grantees took up their claims, and the land was regranted 10 years later to settlers from Londonderry. When the town was incorporated in 1763, Governor Benning Wentworth formally recognized the long-used name of New Boston.[2]

In 1820, the town had 25 sawmills, six grain mills, two clothing mills, two carding mills, two tanneries and a bark mill. It also had 14 schoolhouses and a tavern. The Great Village Fire of 1887, which started when a spark from a cooper's shop set a barn on fire, destroyed nearly 40 buildings in the lower village. In 1893, the railroad came to New Boston, and farm produce was sent by rail to city markets.[3] The train line was abandoned in the mid-1970s, and the former rail bed is today a walking path.

North Woodstock, New Hampshire

It is located along the northern boundary of the town of Woodstock, adjacent to the town of Lincoln. The village is centered on the intersection of U.S. Route 3 (Main St.) and New Hampshire Route 112 (Lost River Rd./Kancamagus Highway). Interstate 93 passes through the east portion of the village, with access from Exit 32 (NH 112). I-93 leads south 21 miles (34 km) to Plymouth and north through Franconia Notch 23 miles (37 km) to Littleton. NH 112 leads east on the Kancamagus Highway 36 miles (58 km) to Conway and west through Kinsman Notch 24 miles (39 km) to Woodsville. US-3 is a local road that runs parallel to I-93.

The Pemigewasset River flows past the center of North Woodstock, joined by the East Branch of the Pemigewasset and Moosilauke Brook at the southern limits of the village. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the North Woodstock CDP has a total area of 0.87 square miles (2.26 km2), of which 0.84 square miles (2.17 km2) are land and 0.03 square miles (0.09 km2), or 3.92%, are water.[1]

As of the census of 2010, there were 528 people, 256 households, and 131 families residing in the CDP. There were 759 housing units, of which 503, or 66.3%, were vacant on Census Day (April 1). 480 of the vacant units were seasonal or vacation properties. The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.8% white, 0.2% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.0% some other race, and 1.7% from two or more races. 0.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[2]