Franconia, New Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Franconia is a town in Grafton County
, New Hampshire
, United States
. The population was 1,104 at the 2010 census. Set in the White Mountains
, Franconia is home to the northern half of Franconia Notch State Park
. Parts of the White Mountain National Forest
are in the eastern and southern portions of the town. The Appalachian Trail
crosses the southern part.
The town was first granted in 1764 by Colonial
Governor Benning Wentworth
as Franconia, a name widely applied to the region by 1760 due to the terrain's resemblance to the Franconian Switzerland in the region of Franconia
in Germany. Upon claims that a settlement was not made within the time prescribed under the terms of the charter, it was regranted in 1772 by his nephew, Governor John Wentworth
, as Morristown. By about 1782, after a legal battle over the two grants, the first grant was recognized and the original name of the town was resumed.
The town sits on a rich iron
deposit, and the region once produced pig iron
and bar iron
for farm tools and cast iron
ware.
Franconia is home to the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway, which rises to the 4,100-foot summit of Cannon Mountain
. Built in 1938, it was the first passenger aerial tramway
in North America
. From the time of its construction in 1938 to its retirement in 1980, the original tramway carried 6,581,338 passengers to the summit of Cannon Mountain. The original tramway was replaced by a new 80-passenger tram in 1979. Construction and testing of the new tram were completed in February 1980, and the red and yellow tram cars are still running year-round today.
Around 1940, actress Bette Davis
vacationed in Sugar Hill
, the town bordering Franconia to the west. On a solo hike to Bridal Veil Falls at the western foot of Cannon Mountain, she got lost in the woods. Arthur Farnsworth, who worked at Peckett's Ski School, found her and rescued her from the woods. They fell in love and soon married. Farnsworth died unexpectedly as a result of freak accident in Los Angeles. Davis had erected in a rock on the trail to Bridal Veil Falls a plaque to commemorate Farnsworth, in which was inscribed the words "The Keeper of Stray Ladies," although Davis did not include her name in the plaque. The plaque can be seen today on the Coppermine Trail to Bridal Veil Falls.
The town was home to Franconia College
during the 1960s and 1970s.
, the town has a total area of 66 square miles (170.9 km²), of which 65.7 square miles (170.2 km²) is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) is water, comprising 0.47% of the town. Franconia is drained by the Pemigewasset River
, the Gale River
, and the Ham Branch
of the Gale River, in addition to Lafayette Brook. The north-western two-thirds of Franconia lies within the Connecticut River
watershed
, while the south-eastern corner lies in the Merrimack River
watershed.
The area of Franconia Notch
is well-known for its natural features, including Profile
and Echo
lakes, the Basin, Mount Lafayette, Mount Lincoln
, and Cannon Mountain
. Mount Lafayette, at 5249 feet (1,599.9 m) above sea level
, is the highest peak in Franconia. The Old Man of the Mountain
, a profile-like cliff which inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne
to write The Great Stone Face
, collapsed on May 3, 2003.
In addition to the mountains around Franconia Notch, there are several other four-thousand footers
within the town limits: Mount Garfield
, Galehead Mountain
, South Twin Mountain
, and Owl's Head
.
of 2000, there were 924 people, 384 households, and 243 families residing in the town. The population density
was 14.0 people per square mile (5.4/km²). There were 702 housing units at an average density of 10.7 per square mile (4.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.51% White, 0.11% African American, 0.65% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.11% from other races
, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.32% of the population.
There were 384 households out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples
living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.76.
In the town the population was spread out with 20.0% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 21.9% from 25 to 44, 33.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,114, and the median income for a family was $46,979. Males had a median income of $29,500 versus $24,000 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $20,351. About 7.8% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.1% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.
Grafton County, New Hampshire
Grafton County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2010 census, the population was 89,118. Its county seat is North Haverhill, which is a village within the town of Haverhill. Until 1972, the county courthouse and other offices were located in downtown Woodsville, a...
, 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 1,104 at the 2010 census. Set in the White Mountains
White Mountains (New Hampshire)
The White Mountains are a mountain range covering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. Part of the Appalachian Mountains, they are considered the most rugged mountains in New England...
, Franconia is home to the northern half of Franconia Notch State Park
Franconia Notch State Park
Franconia Notch State Park is located in the White Mountains in northern New Hampshire and straddles of Interstate 93 as it passes through Franconia Notch, a mountain pass between the Kinsman Range and Franconia Range...
. Parts of the White Mountain National Forest
White Mountain National Forest
The White Mountain National Forest is a federally-managed forest contained within the White Mountains in the northeastern United States. It was established in 1918 as a result of the Weeks Act of 1911; federal acquisition of land had already begun in 1914. It has a total area of...
are in the eastern and southern portions of the town. The Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...
crosses the southern part.
History
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
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 Franconia, a name widely applied to the region by 1760 due to the terrain's resemblance to the Franconian Switzerland in the region of Franconia
Franconia
Franconia is a region of Germany comprising the northern parts of the modern state of Bavaria, a small part of southern Thuringia, and a region in northeastern Baden-Württemberg called Tauberfranken...
in Germany. Upon claims that a settlement was not made within the time prescribed under the terms of the charter, it was regranted in 1772 by his nephew, Governor John Wentworth
John Wentworth (governor)
Sir John Wentworth, 1st Baronet was the British colonial governor of New Hampshire at the time of the American Revolution. He was later also Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia.-Early life:...
, as Morristown. By about 1782, after a legal battle over the two grants, the first grant was recognized and the original name of the town was resumed.
The town sits on a rich iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
deposit, and the region once produced pig iron
Pig iron
Pig iron is the intermediate product of smelting iron ore with a high-carbon fuel such as coke, usually with limestone as a flux. Charcoal and anthracite have also been used as fuel...
and bar iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
for farm tools and cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
ware.
Franconia is home to the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway, which rises to the 4,100-foot summit of Cannon Mountain
Cannon Mountain (New Hampshire)
Cannon Mountain is a peak in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Known for both its technical rock and ice climbing and its skiing , the mountain was home to the Old Man of the Mountain until the formation collapsed on May 3, 2003...
. Built in 1938, it was the first passenger aerial tramway
Aerial tramway
An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...
in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. From the time of its construction in 1938 to its retirement in 1980, the original tramway carried 6,581,338 passengers to the summit of Cannon Mountain. The original tramway was replaced by a new 80-passenger tram in 1979. Construction and testing of the new tram were completed in February 1980, and the red and yellow tram cars are still running year-round today.
Around 1940, actress Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
vacationed in Sugar Hill
Sugar Hill, New Hampshire
Sugar Hill is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 563 at the 2010 census. Sugar Hill is a venerable resort community which overlooks the White Mountain National Forest, with views of the Presidential, Franconia, Kinsman and Dalton ranges.- History :This town...
, the town bordering Franconia to the west. On a solo hike to Bridal Veil Falls at the western foot of Cannon Mountain, she got lost in the woods. Arthur Farnsworth, who worked at Peckett's Ski School, found her and rescued her from the woods. They fell in love and soon married. Farnsworth died unexpectedly as a result of freak accident in Los Angeles. Davis had erected in a rock on the trail to Bridal Veil Falls a plaque to commemorate Farnsworth, in which was inscribed the words "The Keeper of Stray Ladies," although Davis did not include her name in the plaque. The plaque can be seen today on the Coppermine Trail to Bridal Veil Falls.
The town was home to Franconia College
Franconia College
Franconia College was a small experimental liberal arts college in Franconia, New Hampshire, United States. It opened in 1963 on the site of The Forest Hills Hotel on Agassiz Road, and closed in 1978, after years of declining enrollment and increasing financial difficulties.A small, eclectic...
during the 1960s and 1970s.
Notable residents
- Elisabeth ElliotElisabeth ElliotElisabeth Elliot is a Christian author and speaker. Her first husband, Jim Elliot, was killed in 1956 while attempting to make missionary contact with the Auca of eastern Ecuador. She later spent two years as a missionary to the tribe members who killed her husband...
, Christian author and speaker - Robert FrostRobert FrostRobert Lee Frost was an American poet. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and...
, poet - Bode MillerBode MillerSamuel Bode Miller is an American alpine ski racer. He is an Olympic and World Championship gold medalist, a two-time overall World Cup champion in 2005 and 2008, and is generally considered the greatest American alpine skier of all time...
, skier - Ernest PooleErnest PooleErnest Cook Poole was an American novelist.He was born in Chicago, Illinois on January 23, 1880, and graduated from Princeton University in 1902...
, author - Annie Trumbull SlossonAnnie Trumbull SlossonAnnie Trumbull Slosson was an author and entomologist. She was the daughter of Gurdon Trumbull and Sarah Ann Trumbull of Stonington, Connecticut. Her father, Gurdon Trumbull was originally from Norwich...
, entomologist
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 66 square miles (170.9 km²), of which 65.7 square miles (170.2 km²) is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) is water, comprising 0.47% of the town. Franconia is drained by the Pemigewasset River
Pemigewasset River
The Pemigewasset River , known locally as "The Pemi", is a river in the state of New Hampshire, the United States. It is in length and drains approximately...
, the Gale River
Gale River
The Gale River is a 13.1 mile long tributary of the Ammonoosuc River in northwestern New Hampshire in the United States. Via the Ammonoosuc, it is part of the watershed of the Connecticut River, which flows to Long Island Sound....
, and the Ham Branch
Ham Branch
The Ham Branch of the Gale River is a 12.2 mile long river in northwestern New Hampshire in the United States. Via the Gale River, it is a tributary of the Ammonoosuc River and part of the Connecticut River watershed....
of the Gale River, in addition to Lafayette Brook. The north-western two-thirds of Franconia lies 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...
, while the south-eastern corner lies in the Merrimack River
Merrimack River
The Merrimack River is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport...
watershed.
The area of Franconia Notch
Franconia Notch
Franconia Notch is a major mountain pass through the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Dominated by Cannon Mountain, it lies principally within Franconia Notch State Park and is traversed by the Franconia Notch Parkway Franconia Notch (el. 1950 ft. / 590 m.) is a major mountain pass through...
is well-known for its natural features, including Profile
Profile Lake
Profile Lake is a water body located in Franconia Notch in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, at the foot of Cannon Mountain. The lake was given its name due to its location directly beneath the Old Man of the Mountain, a famous rock formation which collapsed in 2003...
and Echo
Echo Lake (Franconia Notch)
Echo Lake is a water body located in Franconia Notch in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, at the foot of Cannon Mountain. The lake is in the Connecticut River watershed, near the height of land in Franconia Notch; water from the lake's outlet flows north via Lafayette Brook to the Gale River,...
lakes, the Basin, Mount Lafayette, Mount Lincoln
Mount Lincoln (New Hampshire)
Mount Lincoln is a 5,089-foot-high mountain within the Franconia Range of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Lincoln is located between Little Haystack and Mount Lafayette. All three overlook Franconia Notch. The west side of Lincoln drains into the main stem of the Pemigewasset River...
, and Cannon Mountain
Cannon Mountain (New Hampshire)
Cannon Mountain is a peak in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Known for both its technical rock and ice climbing and its skiing , the mountain was home to the Old Man of the Mountain until the formation collapsed on May 3, 2003...
. Mount Lafayette, at 5249 feet (1,599.9 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...
, is the highest peak in Franconia. The Old Man of the Mountain
Old Man of the Mountain
The Old Man of the Mountain, also known as the Great Stone Face or the Profile, was a series of five granite cliff ledges on Cannon Mountain in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, USA that, when viewed from the north, appeared to be the jagged profile of a face. The rock formation was above...
, a profile-like cliff which inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer.Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts to Nathaniel Hathorne and the former Elizabeth Clarke Manning. His ancestors include John Hathorne, a judge during the Salem Witch Trials...
to write The Great Stone Face
The Great Stone Face
The Great Stone Face is:* a nickname of Buster Keaton* a nickname of Keanu Reeves* a nickname of Ed Sullivan* a nickname for the Old Man of the Mountain, a New Hampshire rock formation that collapsed in 2003...
, collapsed on May 3, 2003.
In addition to the mountains around Franconia Notch, there are several other four-thousand footers
Four-thousand footers
The term Four-Thousand Footers refers to a group of forty-eight mountains in New Hampshire at least 4,000 feet above sea level...
within the town limits: Mount Garfield
Mount Garfield (New Hampshire)
Mount Garfield is a mountain located in Grafton County, New Hampshire. The mountain is part of the White Mountains. Mt. Garfield is flanked to the east by South Twin Mountain, and to the southwest along Garfield Ridge by Mount Lafayette....
, Galehead Mountain
Galehead Mountain
Galehead Mountain is a mountain located in Grafton County, New Hampshire. The mountain is part of the Twin Range of the White Mountains.Galehead is flanked to the east by South Twin Mountain, and to the west by Mount Garfield....
, South Twin Mountain
South Twin Mountain (New Hampshire)
South Twin Mountain is a mountain located in Grafton County, New Hampshire. The mountain is part of the Twin Range of the White Mountains. South Twin forms the high point of a north-south ridge, with North Twin Mountain lying approximately one mile to the north and Mount Guyot two miles to the...
, and Owl's Head
Owl's Head (Franconia)
Owl's Head is a mountain in Franconia, New Hampshire. It lies between the Franconia Branch of the Pemigewasset River and Lincoln Brook , in the Pemigewasset Wilderness of the White Mountain National Forest....
.
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 924 people, 384 households, and 243 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 14.0 people per square mile (5.4/km²). There were 702 housing units at an average density of 10.7 per square mile (4.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.51% White, 0.11% African American, 0.65% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.11% 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 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.32% of the population.
There were 384 households out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% 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, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.76.
In the town the population was spread out with 20.0% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 21.9% from 25 to 44, 33.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,114, and the median income for a family was $46,979. Males had a median income of $29,500 versus $24,000 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 $20,351. About 7.8% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.1% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.
Sites of interest
- Franconia Heritage Museum & Iron Furnace Interpretive Center
- The Frost PlaceThe Frost PlaceThe Frost Place is a museum and nonprofit educational center for poetry located at Robert Frost's former home in Franconia, New Hampshire, USA....
, former home of poet Robert FrostRobert FrostRobert Lee Frost was an American poet. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and...
http://www.frostplace.org/ - New England Ski Museum
- Bridal Veil Falls