Chesterfield, New Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Chesterfield is a town
in Cheshire County
, New Hampshire
, United States
. The population was 3,604 at the 2010 census. It includes the village of Spofford
. Chesterfield is home to Spofford Lake
, Chesterfield Gorge Natural Area, and parts of Pisgah State Park
and Wantastiquet Mountain State Forest.
of Massachusetts
, this town was the site of Fort Number 1, first in the line of forts bordering the Connecticut River
. After New Hampshire
became a separate province, the town would be incorporated in 1752 by Governor Benning Wentworth
as Chesterfield, named for Philip Stanhope
, 4th Earl of Chesterfield
. Settled in 1761, the town contains some of the finest farmland in Cheshire County, yet once was home to small manufacturing, notably spinning wheel
parts and handtools.
In 1772, Philip Embury conducted the first Methodist religious services in New Hampshire at the James Robertson farm in Chesterfield, and in 1803, Francis Asbury
preached here. Asbury Church
is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
and is recognized for its historic puritan
design. Asbury Church is considered the "Mother Church of Methodism" in New Hampshire, and is the oldest Methodist church in New Hampshire. The town has had continual Methodist Sunday services for over 225 years.
Chesterfield Academy, established in 1794, was for decades one of the most celebrated in the state. Spofford Lake
is one of the region's largest and oldest resorts.
, the town has a total area of 47.6 square miles (123.3 km²), of which 45.6 sq mi (118.1 km²) is land and 2 sq mi (5.2 km²) (4.21%) is water. Chesterfield is bounded on the west by the Connecticut River
. The highest point in the town is near its southern border, atop Davis Hill, at 1427 feet (434.9 m) above sea level
. Chesterfield lies fully within the Connecticut River
watershed
.
The town is served by state routes 9 and 63
.
of 2000, there were 3,542 people, 1,366 households, and 1,005 families residing in the town. The population density
was 77.7 people per square mile (30.0/km²). There were 1,632 housing units at an average density of 35.8 per square mile (13.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.80% White, 0.23% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.08% from other races
, and 1.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.56% of the population.
There were 1,366 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.5% were married couples
living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 30.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 103.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $51,351, and the median income for a family was $58,516. Males had a median income of $44,087 versus $26,547 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $25,051. About 4.9% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
in Cheshire County
Cheshire County, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 73,825 people, 28,299 households, and 18,790 families residing in the county. The population density was 104 people per square mile . There were 31,876 housing units at an average density of 45 per square mile...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 3,604 at the 2010 census. It includes the village of Spofford
Spofford, New Hampshire
Spofford is a village in the northeastern part of the town of Chesterfield in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. It is situated at the outlet of Spofford Lake and is located along New Hampshire Route 9A. While no population figures are available for Spofford, it is slightly larger than...
. Chesterfield is home to Spofford Lake
Spofford Lake
Spofford Lake is a water body located in Cheshire County in southwestern New Hampshire, in the town of Chesterfield. Water from Spofford Lake flows via Partridge Brook to the Connecticut River. In 2005 the NH Department of Fish and Game named it the cleanest lake in southwestern New Hampshire,...
, Chesterfield Gorge Natural Area, and parts of Pisgah State Park
Pisgah State Park
Pisgah State Park is a woodland located in Cheshire County in New Hampshire. It is the largest state park in New Hampshire and contains a complete watershed north of the Ashuelot River, seven ponds, four highland ridges, numerous wetlands, and a parcel of old-growth forest.-Geography:The park...
and Wantastiquet Mountain State Forest.
History
Granted in 1735 by Governor Jonathan BelcherJonathan Belcher
Jonathan Belcher was colonial governor of the British provinces of Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and New Jersey.-Early life:Jonathan Belcher was born in Cambridge, Province of Massachusetts Bay, in 1682...
of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, this town was the site of Fort Number 1, first in the line of forts bordering the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
. After New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
became a separate province, the town would be incorporated in 1752 by Governor Benning Wentworth
Benning Wentworth
Benning Wentworth was the colonial governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766.-Biography:The eldest child of the John Wentworth who had been Lieutenant Governor, he was born and died in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Wentworth graduated from Harvard College in 1715...
as Chesterfield, named for Philip Stanhope
Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield
Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield PC KG was a British statesman and man of letters.A Whig, Lord Stanhope, as he was known until his father's death in 1726, was born in London. After being educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, he went on the Grand Tour of the continent...
, 4th Earl of Chesterfield
Earl of Chesterfield
Earls of Chesterfield, in the County of Derby, was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1628 for Philip Stanhope, 1st Baron Stanhope. He had already been created Baron Stanhope, of Shelford in the County of Nottingham, in 1616, also in the Peerage of England. Stanhope's youngest son...
. Settled in 1761, the town contains some of the finest farmland in Cheshire County, yet once was home to small manufacturing, notably spinning wheel
Spinning wheel
A spinning wheel is a device for spinning thread or yarn from natural or synthetic fibers. Spinning wheels appeared in Asia, probably in the 11th century, and very gradually replaced hand spinning with spindle and distaff...
parts and handtools.
In 1772, Philip Embury conducted the first Methodist religious services in New Hampshire at the James Robertson farm in Chesterfield, and in 1803, Francis Asbury
Francis Asbury
Bishop Francis Asbury was one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church, now The United Methodist Church in the United States...
preached here. Asbury Church
Asbury United Methodist Church (Chesterfield, New Hampshire)
Asbury United Methodist Church is a historic Methodist Church building on NH 63 in Chesterfield, New Hampshire.It was built in 1844 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983....
is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and is recognized for its historic puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
design. Asbury Church is considered the "Mother Church of Methodism" in New Hampshire, and is the oldest Methodist church in New Hampshire. The town has had continual Methodist Sunday services for over 225 years.
Chesterfield Academy, established in 1794, was for decades one of the most celebrated in the state. Spofford Lake
Spofford Lake
Spofford Lake is a water body located in Cheshire County in southwestern New Hampshire, in the town of Chesterfield. Water from Spofford Lake flows via Partridge Brook to the Connecticut River. In 2005 the NH Department of Fish and Game named it the cleanest lake in southwestern New Hampshire,...
is one of the region's largest and oldest resorts.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 47.6 square miles (123.3 km²), of which 45.6 sq mi (118.1 km²) is land and 2 sq mi (5.2 km²) (4.21%) is water. Chesterfield is bounded on the west by the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
. The highest point in the town is near its southern border, atop Davis Hill, at 1427 feet (434.9 m) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. Chesterfield lies fully within the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
.
The town is served by state routes 9 and 63
New Hampshire Route 63
New Hampshire Route 63 is a long north–south state highway in Cheshire County in southwestern New Hampshire. It runs from Winchester to Westmoreland.The northern terminus of NH 63 is in Westmoreland at New Hampshire Route 12...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,542 people, 1,366 households, and 1,005 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 77.7 people per square mile (30.0/km²). There were 1,632 housing units at an average density of 35.8 per square mile (13.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.80% White, 0.23% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.08% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.56% of the population.
There were 1,366 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 30.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 103.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $51,351, and the median income for a family was $58,516. Males had a median income of $44,087 versus $26,547 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $25,051. About 4.9% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.
Sites of interest
Notable inhabitants
- Theodore DavisTheodore Davis (Canadian politician)Theodore Davis was an American-born merchant, surveyor and political figure in Lower Canada.He was born in Chesterfield, New Hampshire around 1778. Davis received his commission as surveyor in 1799 and set up practice at Saint-André-d'Argenteuil. He surveyed Hull County for Philemon Wright and was...
, merchant, surveyor and politician - William H. HaileWilliam H. HaileWilliam Henry Haile was an American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts in 1881, and as Lieutenant Governor for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1890 to 1893....
, businessman and politician - Larkin Goldsmith MeadLarkin Goldsmith MeadLarkin Goldsmith Mead was an American sculptor, working in a neoclassical styleHe was born at Chesterfield, New Hampshire, and was a pupil of Henry Kirke Brown...
, sculptor - Harlan Fiske StoneHarlan Fiske StoneHarlan Fiske Stone was an American lawyer and jurist. A native of New Hampshire, he served as the dean of Columbia Law School, his alma mater, in the early 20th century. As a member of the Republican Party, he was appointed as the 52nd Attorney General of the United States before becoming an...
, chief justiceChief Justice of the United StatesThe Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal court system and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Chief Justice is one of nine Supreme Court justices; the other eight are the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States... - Winthrop E. StoneWinthrop E. StoneWinthrop Ellsworth Stone was a professor of chemistry and served as the president of Purdue University from 1900-1921.Born in Chesterfield, New Hampshire, to Frederick L...
, professor and college president - Charles TazewellCharles TazewellCharles Tazewell was the author of the children's book The Small One, which The Walt Disney Company adapted into the animated short of the same name in 1978. In 1939 he wrote an unproduced radio script The Littlest Angel, which was published in book form in 1946 and adapted as a musical TV drama...
, children's author - Hoyt Henry WheelerHoyt Henry WheelerHoyt Henry Wheeler was a United States federal judge.Born in Chesterfield, New Hampshire, Wheeler read law in 1859 and entered private practice in Jamaica, Vermont from 1859 to 1867. He was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives in 1867, and of the Vermont State Senate from 1868 to 1869...
, judge