Cheshire County
Winchester, NH
( 06/05/2006 5:54 PM )
Originally named Arlington, in honor of Charles Fitzroy, Earl of Arlington, this town was one of those established in 1733 as protection for the Massachusetts border at the Connecticut River. After becoming part of the New Hampshire province in 1741, the town was granted to Colonel Josiah Willard, commander of Fort Dummer. Following the wars, it was incorporated as Winchester, for Charles Paulet, Marquis of Winchester, third Duke of Bolton, and constable of the Tower of London.
Westmoreland, NH
( 06/05/2006 5:58 PM )
Once known as Great Meadows, this town was established in 1735 as Number 2 in the line of Connecticut River fort towns designed to protect the colonies from Indian attack. When New Hampshire became an independent province, it was granted to settlers as Westmoreland, named for John Fane, seventh Earl of Westmoreland. The meetinghouse in Westmoreland, built in 1762, has a Paul Revere bell.
Walpole, NH
( 06/05/2006 6:00 PM )
Settled as early as 1736 as Great Falls or Lunenburg, this town was not granted by New Hampshire until 1752, when it was named Bellowstown. Colonel Benjamin Bellows, for whom Bellows Falls, Vermont, was named, built a large fort at Walpole for defense against Indian attack. In 1761 the grant was renewed, and the town was renamed Walpole, in honor of Sir Robert Walpole, first Prime Minister of England.
Troy, NH
( 06/05/2006 6:01 PM )
Troy was separated from Marlborough in 1815, and included parts of Fitzwilliam, Swanzey, and Richmond. A prominent citizen and friend of Governor John Taylor Gilman, Captain Benjamin Mann of Mason, suggested the name Troy. His daughter Betsy was married to Samuel Wilson, famous as Uncle Sam, and at that time a resident of Troy, New York. At least seven members to Wilson's family were living in the town at the time, thus securing the name.
Swanzey, NH
( 06/05/2006 6:04 PM )
First granted in 1733 as Lower Ashuelot, this town was one of the fort towns established by Governor Belcher of Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1753, and named Swanzey at the suggestion of Governor Brenton of Rhode Island. The governor was a large land owner in Brenton's Farm, now Litchfield, and Swansea, Massachusetts, named for Swansea in Wales.
Surry, NH
( 06/05/2006 6:06 PM )
Chartered in 1769 from a part of Westmoreland, the town was named for Charles Howard, Earl of Surrey, Duke of Norfolk, and hereditary Earl Marshal of England. The county of Surrey in England was known for manufacture of pleasure carriages called surreys, introduced to America in 1872. Surry is an excellent geological area, containing quantities of quartz bearing veins of gold, silver, copper, and lead.
Sullivan, NH
( 06/05/2006 6:08 PM )
Carved out of portions of Gilsum, Stoddard, Nelson, and Keene, this town was named in honor of General John Sullivan, a Revolutionary War hero. General Sullivan served as a member of the Continental Congress, Adjutant General to Washington, and Major General of the Northern Army. He was elected President of New Hampshire in 1786, and the town of Sullivan was created the following year.
Stoddard, NH
( 06/05/2006 6:10 PM )
First granted in 1752, this town was originally known as Monadnock Number 7. It briefly held the name Limerick before being incorporated as Stoddard in 1774, in honor of Colonel Sampson Stoddard. Colonel Stoddard was appointed to survey southwestern New Hampshire by the colonial government, receiving several land grants for the service. Between 1840 and 1873, Stoddard was a center of glass manufacturing, home to four glass factories whose products are much prized today.
Roxbury, NH
( 06/05/2006 6:12 PM )
Roxbury was once a part of Monadnock Number 5, one of the settlements reserved for soldiers of the French wars. Monadnock Number 5 became Marlborough, and in 1812, a group of citizens successfully petitioned for incorporation as a separate town. It was named Roxbury after their old village, now part of Boston.
Rindge, NH
( 06/05/2006 6:14 PM )
Granted to soldiers from Rowley, Massachusetts, returning from the war in Canada, the town was known as Rowley-Canada. In 1749, the town was renamed Monadnock Number 1, or South Monadnock. It was incorporated as Rindge in 1768, in honor of Captain Daniel Rindge, one of the original grant holders. Rindge is the home of Franklin Pierce College, and the Cathedral of the Pines, a multi-denominational outdoor chapel.
Richmond, NH
( 06/05/2006 6:16 PM )
First granted to soldiers returning from the war in Canada, this town was named Sylvester Canada, in honor of Captain Joseph Sylvester. When New Hampshire because a separate province, Sylvester Canada was reincorporated as Richmond, in honor of the governor's English friend, Charles Lennox, Duke of Richmond, a staunch advocate of colonial independence.
Nelson, NH
( 06/05/2006 6:18 PM )
One of the original border towns, Nelson was first known as Monadnock Number 6. In 1767, it was renamed Packersfield after Thomas Packer, one of the grantees, who was high sheriff of Portsmouth. It kept that name until 1814, when it was renamed in honor of Lord Horatio Nelson, who died on board the British ship Victory in the war against Napoleon. Nelson includes the village of Munsonville.
Marlow, NH
( 06/05/2006 6:19 PM )
First named Addison, after Joseph Addison, Secretary of State for England, who signed the appointment papers making John Wentworth Lieutenant Governor of New Hampshire under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts in 1717. As a result of the French War, few original grantees settled there, and the town was regranted in 1761 as Marlow, in honor of Christopher Marlowe, the famed author and playwright.
Marlborough, NH
( 06/05/2006 6:21 PM )
Marlborough was first granted in 1752 as Monadnock Number 5, one of the fort towns first known only by number. The town was at one time called Oxford, then New Marlborough, but was incorporated as Marlborough. Many of the settlers were from Marlborough, Massachusetts, which had been named for John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, in the late 1600's.
Keene, NH
( 06/05/2006 6:24 PM )
First granted in 1735 as Upper Ashuelot to soldiers in the wars against Canada, and intended to be a fort town. Establishment of the Massachusetts-New Hampshire boundary in 1753 made it one of the largest towns in New England. Under regrant by the New Hampshire governor, the town was named Keene, in honor of Sir Benjamin Keene of England, an associate of Governor Wentworth in the Spanish West Indies trade. Keene was incorporated as a city in 1873, and is home to Keene State College.
Jaffrey, NH
( 06/05/2006 6:26 PM )
First granted in 1736 to soldiers from Rowley, Massachusetts, returning from the war in Canada, the town was known as Rowley-Canada. In 1749 the town was re-chartered as Monadnock Number 2, sometimes called Middle Monadnock or Middletown. It was one of the first towns established under the New Hampshire proprietors' purchase of undivided lands under the Masonian claim. The town was regranted in 1767, and incorporated in 1773 as Jaffrey, in honor of George Jaffrey, member of a prominent Portsmouth family. George Jaffrey's son was a life trustee of Dartmouth College, and designer of the official college seal.
Hinsdale, NH
( 06/05/2006 6:34 PM )
Tucked into the farthest southwestern corner of the state, Hinsdale was named for Colonel Ebenezer Hinsdale in 1753. Colonel Hinsdale was from a prominent family in Deerfield, and he was once chaplain of Fort Dummer, an important trading post on the Connecticut River. He later enlisted as an officer, and then established the trading post at Fort Hinsdale, reportedly at his own expense.
Harrisville, NH
( 06/05/2006 6:36 PM )
First settled in 1760, the town was once part of Hancock, Dublin, Roxbury, Nelson, and Marlborough. It became a mill center when the Harris family built of one of the first woolen mills in New England. The town was known as Twitchellville, after Abel Twitchell, whose daughter had married into the Harris family. When the business name was changed to Cheshire Mills, the town incorporated as Harrisville.
Gilsum, NH
( 06/05/2006 6:39 PM )
First granted in 1752, the town was named Boyle, after Richard Boyle, Earl of Burlington and famous architect. Burlington, Vermont, was also named after him. No claims were settled within the set time because of danger from Indian attacks. A new charter was issued in 1763 to members of the Gilbert and Sumner families, and the town was named Gilsum in their honor. Gilsum's Lower Village is the site of the much-photographed Stone Arch over the Ashuelot River.
Fitzwilliam, NH
( 06/05/2006 6:45 PM )
Originally settled as Monadnock Number 4, one in a line of eight towns settled by Scottish colonists. The town was named for William, fourth Earl of Fitzwilliam and cousin to Governor Wentworth. An early grantee in Fitzwilliam was Matthew Thornton, signer of the Declaration of Independence. Fitzwilliam claims one of the earliest granite quarries in New Hampshire, and is home to Rhododendron State Park.
Dublin, NH
( 06/05/2006 6:53 PM )
First granted in 1749 as Monadnock, and incorporated in 1771 as Dublin. The town was originally settled as North Monadnock, or Number 3, one of a group of eight towns in the region settled by Scots colonists. The name was taken from Dublin, Ireland. Dublin is home to Yankee Publishing, Inc., publishers of Yankee Magazine and the Old Farmer's Almanac.
Chesterfield, NH
( 06/05/2006 6:56 PM )
Established in 1735, this town was the site of Fort Number 1 in the line of forts bordering the Connecticut River, and was later known as Fort Dummer. The town was incorporated in 1752 as Chesterfield, after Philip Stanhope, fourth Earl of Chesterfield. Chesterfield includes the village of Spofford, and Spofford Lake.
Alstead, NH
( 06/05/2006 7:00 PM )
Alstead began in 1735 as one in a line of nine forts intended to protect southwestern New Hampshire from Indian attacks. The town was named for Johann Henrich Alsted, who compiled an early encyclopedia that was popular at Harvard College. Alstead is the location of New Hampshire's first paper mill, established in 1793.