Strafford County (South Side of Lake Winnipesaukee)
Strafford, NH
( 06/16/2006 11:59 AM )
First settled prior to the Revolution, this town takes its name from the county in which it is located. Earl of Strafford was a title of the Wentworth family in England. The name was also adopted by a state militia company in Dover, the Strafford Guards, who later became part of the New Hampshire National Guard. Strafford includes the village of Bow Lake.
Somersworth, NH
( 06/16/2006 12:02 PM )
Somersworth began as a parish of Dover, named Sligo after the Irish county which was home to an early colonial governor. Later, it was called Summersworth, which was contracted to Somersworth when it was incorporated in 1754. It was incorporated as a city in 1893. Situated on the Salmon River, Somersworth has been home to many gristmills, sawmills, and cotton and woolen making establishments.
Rollinsford, NH
( 06/16/2006 12:05 PM )
Long a part of Somersworth, Rollinsford was the site of a 1680 landing on the Salmon River. The town was incorporated in 1849, and given the name of Rollinsford in honor of newlyweds Edward H. and Ellen West Rollins. Rollins went on to be Speaker of the New Hampshire House, chairman of the State Republican Committee, Congressman and Senator from New Hampshire, and founder of the banking firm E.H. Rollins & Sons in Boston. His son, Frank W. Rollins, was New Hampshire's governor in 1900, and the originator of Old Home Week.
Rochester, NH
( 06/16/2006 12:06 PM )
This town was one of four granted by Samuel Shute of Massachusetts during his brief term. It was named for a close friend of Governor Shute, Laurence Hyde, Earl of Rochester and brother-in-law to King James II. Rochester was incorporated as a city in 1891. It includes the village of Gonic, named for the Indian Squamanagona, meaning day and water.
New Durham, NH
( 06/16/2006 12:09 PM )
Granted in 1749 as Cocheco, New Durham was first settled almost entirely by colonists from Durham, New Hampshire. It was incorporated as New Durham in 1762. An early minister in the town, Reverend Benjamin Randall, founded a new religious denomination called the Free-Will Baptists, later known as Free Baptists.
Milton, NH
( 06/16/2006 12:12 PM )
Originally a part of Rochester, this town was long known as Three Ponds or Milton Mills. Located along the Maine border on the Salmon River, it was the location of several mills, and the scene of early manufacturing. The name Milton may have come from a relative of the Wentworth Governors, William Fitzwilliam, Earl of Fitzwilliam and Viscount Milton. Milton is home to Mount Teneriffe, among the earliest of New Hampshire's mountains to be named, and so named in honor of the volcano on the Canary Islands.
Middleton, NH
( 06/16/2006 12:14 PM )
Granted in 1749, the town was named for Sir Charles Middleton, Lord Barham, who was in charge of convoy service between Barbados and the colonies. Middleton was situated on the road between Exeter and Wolfeboro, the location of Governor John Wentworth's summer home, Kingswood. Neglect of the road caused the Governor to bill the proprietors for repairs that he had to make for safe travel to Kingswood.
Madbury, NH
( 06/16/2006 12:15 PM )
Once part of Dover and Durham called Barbados because of trade with the island, this town was the farm of Sir Francis Champernowne of Greenland. Sir Francis' English home was called Modbury, and the name Madbury is in its honor. Madbury Parish was granted for the first time in 1755, and town privileges were granted in 1768. The name Barbados is still used for several natural features of the area.
Lee, NH
( 06/16/2006 12:17 PM )
Established in 1765, Lee was one of the last among the 129 towns chartered by Governor Benning Wentworth. Named for General Charles Lee, friend and kin of the Governor, who had fought with George Washington and others during the French and Indian Wars. Lee also fought under Washington during the American Revolution, and in doing so, forfeited estates in England.
Farmington, NH
( 06/16/2006 12:19 PM )
Once the West Parish of Rochester, known as Farmington Dock, the town's location on the Cocheco River was an ideal spot for sawmills. The name Farmington appears to refer to the area's fertile farmland. Farmington was also home to a prime shoe-making industry, and was one of the first places to use automated shoe-making machines instead of handwork.
Durham, NH
( 06/16/2006 12:21 PM )
A parish of Dover settled in 1669 as Oyster River Plantation, Durham was incorporated in 1732. The name probably honored Richard Barnes, Bishop of Durham, England, the first Puritan bishop. A descendent of an early settler, Benjamin Thompson, bequeathed the family estate, Warner Farm, to be used for establishment of an agricultural college. The state agricultural school, originally set up in Hanover in 1866, was moved to Durham in 1890, becoming the University of New Hampshire in 1923.
Dover, NH
( 06/16/2006 12:23 PM )
For the first fifty years of New Hampshire's history, Dover was one of only three communities established in the state. Settled in 1623 on the banks of the Piscataqua River, Dover was first called Hilton's Point, named after Edward Hilton, leader of the company of Englishmen who landed at Dover Point. It was also known by the Indian names of Newichwannock (place of wigwams) and Cocheco. The town was probably named for Dover, England. In 1855, Dover was incorporated as a city.
Barrington, NH
( 06/16/2006 12:25 PM )
Barrington bears the family name of the English governor of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, Samuel Shute of Barrington Hall, whose brother was Viscount Barrington. It was once the third most populous town in the state. The smelting of iron ore was at the time the area's primary industry.