New Boston, New Hampshire
Encyclopedia
New Boston is a town in Hillsborough County
, New Hampshire
, United States
. The population was 5,321 at the 2010 census. New Boston is home to the annual Hillsborough County Agricultural Fair and the Molly Stark Cannon.
governor Jonathan Belcher
of Massachusetts
and New Hampshire
. At the time, lands to the west of the Merrimack River
, disputed between the two provinces, were treated by Belcher as part of Massachusetts, and he granted the town to several Boston
families. It was to have been called Lanestown or Piscataquog Township, but by 1751 they called it New Boston after their hometown. Not all the grantees took up their claims, and the land was regranted 10 years later to settlers from Londonderry
. When the town was incorporated in 1763, Governor Benning Wentworth
formally recognized the long-used name of New Boston.
In 1820, the town had 25 sawmill
s, six grain mills
, two clothing mills, two carding
mills, two tanneries
and a bark mill. It also had 14 schoolhouses and a tavern
. The Great Village Fire of 1887, which started when a spark from a cooper's
shop set a barn on fire, destroyed nearly 40 buildings in the lower village. In 1893, the railroad came to New Boston, and farm produce was sent by rail to city markets. The train line was abandoned in the mid-1970s, and the former rail bed is today a walking path.
The town is home to the 2800 acres (1,133.1 ha) New Boston Air Force Station
, which started as an Army Air Corps
bombing range in 1942. By 1960, it had become a U.S. Air Force base for tracking military satellite
s. New Boston was also home to the Gravity Research Foundation
from the late 1940s through the mid-1960s. Founder Roger Babson
placed it in New Boston because he believed it safe from nuclear fallout should New York or Boston be attacked.
Dodge's Store, in the center of town, was established in 1872 and was owned and operated by five generations of the Dodge family until 1994. Clarence H. Dodge started the family business, and ownership remained in the Dodge family until Malcom J. Dodge sold the business in 1994 due to a downturn in the economy. The store closed on August 29, 2011, due to the owner's financial problems.
, the town has a total area of 43.2 square miles (111.9 km²), of which 42.8 square miles (110.9 km²) is land and 0.4 square miles (1 km²) is water, comprising 0.88% of the town. New Boston is drained by the South Branch Piscataquog River
. Joe English Hill, elevation 1285 feet (391.7 m) above sea level
and the highest point in the town, is in the south.
of 2000, there were 4,138 people, 1,434 households, and 1,162 families residing in the town. The population density
was 96.6 people per square mile (37.3/km²). There were 1,462 housing units at an average density of 34.1 per square mile (13.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.02% White, 0.36% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.31% from other races
, and 0.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.63% of the population.
There were 1,434 households out of which 44.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.3% were married couples
living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.9% were non-families. 12.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.4% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 5.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 100.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $66,020, and the median income for a family was $69,458. Males had a median income of $47,173 versus $32,417 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $26,488. About 3.1% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
and Goffstown
. New Boston Central School provides public elementary school through grade six for town residents. Students subsequently attend Mountain View Middle School in Goffstown through eighth grade, followed by Goffstown High School
.
, represented by Republican Charles Bass. New Boston's town administrator is Peter Flynn as of September 2011.
grounds are host to several events each year, including the Hillsborough County Fair.
The town's Fourth of July celebration is one of the larger productions in the area, starting with a parade featuring an assortment of floats created by locals, marching bands, and emergency vehicles, winding through the center of town and ending at the fair grounds. The annual firing of the Molly Stark
cannon also takes place.
Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 380,841 people, 144,455 households, and 98,807 families residing in the county. The population density was 435 people per square mile . There were 149,961 housing units at an average density of 171 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 5,321 at the 2010 census. New Boston is home to the annual Hillsborough County Agricultural Fair and the Molly Stark Cannon.
History
The town was first granted in 1736 by colonialColony
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 Jonathan Belcher
Jonathan 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
Province of Massachusetts Bay
The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a crown colony in North America. It was chartered on October 7, 1691 by William and Mary, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of England and Scotland...
and New Hampshire
Province of New Hampshire
The Province of New Hampshire is a name first given in 1629 to the territory between the Merrimack and Piscataqua rivers on the eastern coast of North America. It was formally organized as an English royal colony on October 7, 1691, during the period of English colonization...
. At the time, lands to the west of 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...
, disputed between the two provinces, were treated by Belcher as part of Massachusetts, and he granted the town to several Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
families. It was to have been called Lanestown or Piscataquog Township, but by 1751 they called it New Boston after their hometown. Not all the grantees took up their claims, and the land was regranted 10 years later to settlers from Londonderry
Londonderry, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,236 people, 7,623 households, and 6,319 families residing in the town. The population density was 555.8 people per square mile . There were 7,718 housing units at an average density of 184.6 per square mile...
. When the town was incorporated in 1763, 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...
formally recognized the long-used name of New Boston.
In 1820, the town had 25 sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
s, six grain mills
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
, two clothing mills, two carding
Carding
Carding is a mechanical process that breaks up locks and unorganised clumps of fibre and then aligns the individual fibres so that they are more or less parallel with each other. The word is derived from the Latin carduus meaning teasel, as dried vegetable teasels were first used to comb the raw wool...
mills, two tanneries
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...
and a bark mill. It also had 14 schoolhouses and a tavern
Tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
. The Great Village Fire of 1887, which started when a spark from a cooper's
Cooper (profession)
Traditionally, a cooper is someone who makes wooden staved vessels of a conical form, of greater length than breadth, bound together with hoops and possessing flat ends or heads...
shop set a barn on fire, destroyed nearly 40 buildings in the lower village. In 1893, the railroad came to New Boston, and farm produce was sent by rail to city markets. The train line was abandoned in the mid-1970s, and the former rail bed is today a walking path.
The town is home to the 2800 acres (1,133.1 ha) New Boston Air Force Station
New Boston Air Force Station
New Boston Air Force Station is a United States Air Force facility located in Hillsborough County in south central New Hampshire.It occupies more than 2,800 acres in three towns: New Boston, Amherst, and Mont Vernon. It was established in 1942 as a practice area for bombers and fighter planes from...
, which started as an Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
bombing range in 1942. By 1960, it had become a U.S. Air Force base for tracking military satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
s. New Boston was also home to the Gravity Research Foundation
Gravity Research Foundation
The Gravity Research Foundation, established in 1948 by businessman Roger Babson , was an organization designed to find ways to implement gravitational shielding...
from the late 1940s through the mid-1960s. Founder Roger Babson
Roger Babson
Roger Ward Babson , remembered today largely for founding Babson College in Massachusetts, was an entrepreneur and business theorist in the first half of the 20th century...
placed it in New Boston because he believed it safe from nuclear fallout should New York or Boston be attacked.
Dodge's Store, in the center of town, was established in 1872 and was owned and operated by five generations of the Dodge family until 1994. Clarence H. Dodge started the family business, and ownership remained in the Dodge family until Malcom J. Dodge sold the business in 1994 due to a downturn in the economy. The store closed on August 29, 2011, due to the owner's financial problems.
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 43.2 square miles (111.9 km²), of which 42.8 square miles (110.9 km²) is land and 0.4 square miles (1 km²) is water, comprising 0.88% of the town. New Boston is drained by the South Branch Piscataquog River
South Branch Piscataquog River
The South Branch of the Piscataquog River is a river located in southern New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Piscataquog River, part of the Merrimack River watershed....
. Joe English Hill, elevation 1285 feet (391.7 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...
and the highest point in the town, is in the south.
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 4,138 people, 1,434 households, and 1,162 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 96.6 people per square mile (37.3/km²). There were 1,462 housing units at an average density of 34.1 per square mile (13.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.02% White, 0.36% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.31% 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 0.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.63% of the population.
There were 1,434 households out of which 44.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.3% 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, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.9% were non-families. 12.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.4% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 5.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 100.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $66,020, and the median income for a family was $69,458. Males had a median income of $47,173 versus $32,417 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 $26,488. About 3.1% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
Education
New Boston is part of School Administrative Unit 19, along with DunbartonDunbarton, New Hampshire
Dunbarton, is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,758 at the 2010 census.- History :Originally granted as Gorham's-town in 1735, and re-granted as Starkstown in 1748, the town was incorporated in 1765 as Dunbarton...
and Goffstown
Goffstown, New Hampshire
Goffstown is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 17,651 at the 2010 census. The compact center of town, where 3,196 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Goffstown census-designated place and is located at the...
. New Boston Central School provides public elementary school through grade six for town residents. Students subsequently attend Mountain View Middle School in Goffstown through eighth grade, followed by Goffstown High School
Goffstown High School
Goffstown High School, located in Goffstown, New Hampshire, USA, serves the towns of Goffstown, New Boston and Dunbarton. Goffstown High School has a total of 1,221 students as of September 3, 2008.- Administration :...
.
Politics
New Boston is part of New Hampshire's 2nd congressional districtNew Hampshire's 2nd congressional district
New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district covers the western and northern parts of New Hampshire. It includes the state's second-largest city, Nashua, as well as the state capital, Concord...
, represented by Republican Charles Bass. New Boston's town administrator is Peter Flynn as of September 2011.
Culture
New Boston's fairFair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
grounds are host to several events each year, including the Hillsborough County Fair.
The town's Fourth of July celebration is one of the larger productions in the area, starting with a parade featuring an assortment of floats created by locals, marching bands, and emergency vehicles, winding through the center of town and ending at the fair grounds. The annual firing of the Molly Stark
Molly Stark
Molly Stark, née Elizabeth Page, was the wife of American Revolutionary War general John Stark.She was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, moved with her family to Dunbarton, New Hampshire, around 1755, and was the daughter of the first postmaster of New Hampshire, Caleb Page, and his wife Ruth. She...
cannon also takes place.