Gilsum, New Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Gilsum is a town
in Cheshire County
, New Hampshire
, United States
. The population was 813 at the 2010 census. Home to the Bear's Den Natural Area, Gilsum includes Gilsum Lower Village.
, Earl of Burlington
, when the land was granted by the Masonian Proprietors in 1752, but ongoing hostilities during the French and Indian War
prevented settlement. When the grant lapsed, the town was rechartered by Governor Benning Wentworth
on July 13, 1763 as Gilsum, combining the surnames of two proprietors, Samuel Gilbert and his son-in-law, Thomas Sumner. It was first settled in 1764 by Josiah Kilburn from Hebron
, Connecticut
.
The Ashuelot River
provided water power for woolen
mills. By 1859, when the population was 668, there was also a bobbin
factory, a chair
factory, and a tannery
. Gilsum used to be a center for mining
mica
and feldspar
. High-quality crystals, especially beryl
, tourmaline
, and quartz
, can also be found. Today, Gilsum is headquarters to the W.S. Badger Company, makers of "balm
s, potion
s and natural remedies."
The town contains the Stone Arch Bridge, completed in 1863 with the highest vault (36 feet, 6 inches) of any mortarless bridge
in New Hampshire. In 1989, it was added to the National Register
.
, the town has a total area of 16.7 square miles (43.3 km²), of which 16.7 sq mi (43.3 km²) is land and 0.04 sq mi (0.1035995244 km²) is water, comprising 0.12% of the town. The highest point in Gilsum is an unnamed hill along the town's eastern boundary, where the elevation reaches 1657 feet (505.1 m) above sea level
. Gilsum is drained by the Ashuelot River and lies fully within the Connecticut River
watershed
.
The town is served by New Hampshire Route 10
.
of 2000, there were 777 people, 310 households, and 220 families residing in the town. The population density
was 46.6 people per square mile (18.0/km²). There were 343 housing units at an average density of 20.6 per square mile (7.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.46% White, 0.39% Native American, 0.13% Asian, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.51% of the population.
There were 310 households out of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.7% were married couples
living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.3% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 31.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $43,359, and the median income for a family was $50,469. Males had a median income of $35,150 versus $24,205 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $20,955. About 1.9% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 13.7% 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 813 at the 2010 census. Home to the Bear's Den Natural Area, Gilsum includes Gilsum Lower Village.
History
The land was originally named Boyle after Richard BoyleRichard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington
Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork PC , born in Yorkshire, England, was the son of Charles Boyle, 2nd Earl of Burlington and 3rd Earl of Cork...
, Earl of Burlington
Earl of Burlington
Earl of Burlington is a title that has been created twice, the first time in the Peerage of England and the second in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation was for Richard Boyle, 2nd Earl of Cork, on 20 March 1664...
, when the land was granted by the Masonian Proprietors in 1752, but ongoing hostilities during the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
prevented settlement. When the grant lapsed, the town was rechartered 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...
on July 13, 1763 as Gilsum, combining the surnames of two proprietors, Samuel Gilbert and his son-in-law, Thomas Sumner. It was first settled in 1764 by Josiah Kilburn from Hebron
Hebron, Connecticut
Hebron is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,610 at the 2000 census. Hebron was incorporated May 26, 1708....
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
.
The Ashuelot River
Ashuelot River
The Ashuelot River is a tributary of the Connecticut River, approximately long, in southwestern New Hampshire in the United States. It drains a mountainous area of , including much of the area known as the Monadnock Region...
provided water power for woolen
Woolen
Woolen or woollen is a type of yarn made from carded wool. Woolen yarn is soft, light, stretchy, and full of air. It is thus a good insulator, and makes a good knitting yarn...
mills. By 1859, when the population was 668, there was also a bobbin
Bobbin
A bobbin is a spindle or cylinder, with or without flanges, on which wire, yarn, thread or film is wound. Bobbins are typically found in sewing machines, cameras, and within electronic equipment....
factory, a chair
Chair
A chair is a stable, raised surface used to sit on, commonly for use by one person. Chairs are most often supported by four legs and have a back; however, a chair can have three legs or could have a different shape depending on the criteria of the chair specifications. A chair without a back or...
factory, and a tannery
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
. Gilsum used to be a center for mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
mica
Mica
The mica group of sheet silicate minerals includes several closely related materials having highly perfect basal cleavage. All are monoclinic, with a tendency towards pseudohexagonal crystals, and are similar in chemical composition...
and feldspar
Feldspar
Feldspars are a group of rock-forming tectosilicate minerals which make up as much as 60% of the Earth's crust....
. High-quality crystals, especially beryl
Beryl
The mineral beryl is a beryllium aluminium cyclosilicate with the chemical formula Be3Al26. The hexagonal crystals of beryl may be very small or range to several meters in size. Terminated crystals are relatively rare...
, tourmaline
Tourmaline
Tourmaline is a crystal boron silicate mineral compounded with elements such as aluminium, iron, magnesium, sodium, lithium, or potassium. Tourmaline is classified as a semi-precious stone and the gem comes in a wide variety of colors...
, and quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
, can also be found. Today, Gilsum is headquarters to the W.S. Badger Company, makers of "balm
Balm
Balm can refer to:*Liniment, a topical medical preparation*Melissa , a plant genus, particularly the species commonly known as Lemon balm*Balm of Gilead, a medicinal resin from the North American species Populus candicans...
s, potion
Potion
A potion is a consumable medicine or poison.In mythology and literature, a potion is usually made by a magician, sorcerer, dragon, fairy or witch and has magical properties. It might be used to heal, bewitch or poison people...
s and natural remedies."
The town contains the Stone Arch Bridge, completed in 1863 with the highest vault (36 feet, 6 inches) of any mortarless bridge
Arch bridge
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side...
in New Hampshire. In 1989, it was added to the National Register
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...
.
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 16.7 square miles (43.3 km²), of which 16.7 sq mi (43.3 km²) is land and 0.04 sq mi (0.1035995244 km²) is water, comprising 0.12% of the town. The highest point in Gilsum is an unnamed hill along the town's eastern boundary, where the elevation reaches 1657 feet (505.1 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...
. Gilsum is drained by the Ashuelot River and 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 New Hampshire Route 10
New Hampshire Route 10
New Hampshire Route 10 is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Its southern terminus is at the Massachusetts state line in the town of Winchester. In Massachusetts the highway becomes Massachusetts Route 10. Total length of the highway is .-Route description:NH 10...
.
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 777 people, 310 households, and 220 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 46.6 people per square mile (18.0/km²). There were 343 housing units at an average density of 20.6 per square mile (7.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.46% White, 0.39% Native American, 0.13% Asian, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.51% of the population.
There were 310 households out of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.7% 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, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.3% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 31.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $43,359, and the median income for a family was $50,469. Males had a median income of $35,150 versus $24,205 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 $20,955. About 1.9% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over.
Notable residents
- Lucy MackLucy Mack SmithLucy Mack Smith was the mother of Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. She is most noted for writing an award-winning memoir: Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Generations. She was an important leader of the movement during...
, mother of the Latter Day Saint movementLatter Day Saint movementThe Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...
founder Joseph Smith