Tilton, New Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Tilton is a town
located on the Winnipesaukee River
in Belknap County
, New Hampshire
, United States
. The population was 3,567 at the 2010 census. It includes the village of Lochmere
. Tilton is home to the Tilton School
, a private preparatory school
.
, the present area of Tilton was known as Sanbornton Bridge and Bridge Village. These two names refer to the bridge, built in 1763, that crossed the Winnipesaukee River
from Canterbury
to Sanbornton and onto what is presently Main Street in Tilton. In 1869, Sanbornton Bridge was set off and incorporated as Tilton, named in honor of Nathaniel Tilton, whose grandson Charles E. Tilton was the owner of textile
mills and the community's wealthiest citizen. Nathaniel Tilton established an iron
foundry
and the area's first hotel, the Dexter House. Charles E. Tilton donated many statue
s to the town, a unique feature, and his estate is now part of the Tilton School
. Tilton Hall, his former mansion built in 1861, houses the Lucian Hunt Library. The attached carriage house was renovated in 1980 to become the Helene Grant Daly Art Center.
Charles E. Tilton also donated what is perhaps the most notable landmark in the area, the hilltop Memorial Arch
, located in the neighboring town of Northfield
, across the Winnipesaukee River
from the center of Tilton. The Roman
arch
replica was built in the late 1800s as a memorial to his ancestors. It is built of Concord
granite
, 50 feet (15.2 m) high and 40 feet (12.2 m) wide.
, the town has a total area of 12 square miles (31.1 km²), of which 11.1 square miles (28.7 km²) is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) is water, comprising 7.12% of the town. Tilton is drained by the Winnipesaukee River
. It is bounded in the east by Silver and Winnisquam
lakes.
The highest point in Tilton is 866 feet (264 m) above sea level
, along the town's northern border, near the summit of Calef Hill.
Tilton is served by Interstate 93, U.S. Route 3, and state routes 11
, 132
and 140
. Tilton is considered the gateway to the Lakes Region
of the state, and a large commercial and retail district has sprung up at the intersection of the five aforementioned routes, just off Exit 20 of I-93. The historic village of Tilton is located a short distance to the west of the new commercial development, on the northern banks of the Winnipesaukee.
of 2000, there were 3,477 people, 1,360 households, and 875 families residing in the town. The population density
was 303.8 people per square mile (117.3/km²). There were 1,631 housing units at an average density of 142.5 per square mile (55.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.66% White, 0.06% African American, 0.63% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races
, and 1.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population.
There were 1,360 households out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples
living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,977, and the median income for a family was $50,143. Males had a median income of $32,095 versus $25,227 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $19,578. About 2.9% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 6.2% 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...
located on the Winnipesaukee River
Winnipesaukee River
The Winnipesaukee River is a river that connects Lake Winnipesaukee with the Pemigewasset and Merrimack rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire. The river is located in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire. The total drainage area of the river is approximately .There are two distinct sections of...
in Belknap County
Belknap County, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 56,325 people, 22,459 households, and 15,496 families residing in the county. The population density was 140 people per square mile . There were 32,121 housing units at an average density of 80 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 3,567 at the 2010 census. It includes the village of Lochmere
Lochmere, New Hampshire
Lochmere is an unincorporated village in the towns of Tilton and Belmont in Belknap County, New Hampshire, in the United States. It is located along U.S. Route 3 and New Hampshire Route 11, which connect the village with Laconia to the northeast and to the center of Tilton and to Franklin to the...
. Tilton is home to the Tilton School
Tilton School
The Tilton School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory school in Tilton, New Hampshire, in the United States, serving students from 9th to 12th grade and postgraduates...
, a private preparatory school
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
.
History
Originally the southern part of SanborntonSanbornton, New Hampshire
Sanbornton is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,966 at the 2010 census. It includes the villages of North Sanbornton and Gaza.-History:...
, the present area of Tilton was known as Sanbornton Bridge and Bridge Village. These two names refer to the bridge, built in 1763, that crossed the Winnipesaukee River
Winnipesaukee River
The Winnipesaukee River is a river that connects Lake Winnipesaukee with the Pemigewasset and Merrimack rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire. The river is located in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire. The total drainage area of the river is approximately .There are two distinct sections of...
from Canterbury
Canterbury, New Hampshire
Canterbury is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,352 at the 2010 census. Canterbury is home to Ayers State Forest and Shaker State Forest. On the last Saturday in July, the town hosts the annual .- History :...
to Sanbornton and onto what is presently Main Street in Tilton. In 1869, Sanbornton Bridge was set off and incorporated as Tilton, named in honor of Nathaniel Tilton, whose grandson Charles E. Tilton was the owner of textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
mills and the community's wealthiest citizen. Nathaniel Tilton established an 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...
foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
and the area's first hotel, the Dexter House. Charles E. Tilton donated many statue
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
s to the town, a unique feature, and his estate is now part of the Tilton School
Tilton School
The Tilton School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory school in Tilton, New Hampshire, in the United States, serving students from 9th to 12th grade and postgraduates...
. Tilton Hall, his former mansion built in 1861, houses the Lucian Hunt Library. The attached carriage house was renovated in 1980 to become the Helene Grant Daly Art Center.
Charles E. Tilton also donated what is perhaps the most notable landmark in the area, the hilltop Memorial Arch
Memorial Arch of Tilton
Memorial Arch of Tilton, sometimes referred to as Tilton's Folly, is a historic arch on Elm Street in Northfield, New Hampshire, United States, on a hill overlooking the town of Tilton...
, located in the neighboring town of Northfield
Northfield, New Hampshire
Northfield is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,829 at the 2010 census.-History:The area was settled in 1760 as a part of Canterbury. In the late 1770s the residents of the "north fields" of Canterbury petitioned the State Legislature to become their...
, across the Winnipesaukee River
Winnipesaukee River
The Winnipesaukee River is a river that connects Lake Winnipesaukee with the Pemigewasset and Merrimack rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire. The river is located in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire. The total drainage area of the river is approximately .There are two distinct sections of...
from the center of Tilton. The Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
arch
Triumphal arch
A triumphal arch is a monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, crowned with a flat entablature or attic on which a statue might be...
replica was built in the late 1800s as a memorial to his ancestors. It is built of Concord
Concord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
, 50 feet (15.2 m) high and 40 feet (12.2 m) wide.
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 12 square miles (31.1 km²), of which 11.1 square miles (28.7 km²) is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) is water, comprising 7.12% of the town. Tilton is drained by the Winnipesaukee River
Winnipesaukee River
The Winnipesaukee River is a river that connects Lake Winnipesaukee with the Pemigewasset and Merrimack rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire. The river is located in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire. The total drainage area of the river is approximately .There are two distinct sections of...
. It is bounded in the east by Silver and Winnisquam
Winnisquam Lake
Winnisquam Lake is located in Belknap County in central New Hampshire, in the communities of Meredith, Laconia, Sanbornton, Belmont, and Tilton. At , it is the fourth-largest lake located entirely in New Hampshire. The lake is primarily fed by the outlet from Lake Winnipesaukee, and Winnisquam's...
lakes.
The highest point in Tilton is 866 feet (264 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...
, along the town's northern border, near the summit of Calef Hill.
Tilton is served by Interstate 93, U.S. Route 3, and state routes 11
New Hampshire Route 11
New Hampshire Route 11 is a long east–west state highway in New Hampshire, running westward along the southern shore of Lake Winnipesaukee. Its eastern terminus is at the Maine state line in the city of Rochester, where it continues north as Maine State Route 11. U.S. Route 202, which runs...
, 132
New Hampshire Route 132
New Hampshire Route 132 is a long north–south highway in Belknap and Merrimack counties in central New Hampshire. NH 132 runs from Concord north to Ashland in the Lakes Region....
and 140
New Hampshire Route 140
New Hampshire Route 140 is a long east–west state highway in New Hampshire. It runs from Tilton to Alton.The western terminus of NH 140 is in Tilton at U.S. Route 3 and New Hampshire Route 11. The eastern terminus is in Alton at NH 11 and New Hampshire Route 28A . In Alton, the road is named the...
. Tilton is considered the gateway to the Lakes Region
Lakes Region (New Hampshire)
The Lakes Region of New Hampshire is the mid-state region surrounding Lake Winnipesaukee, Winnisquam Lake, Squam Lake, and Newfound Lake.The area is a popular tourist destination in the summer time, with the activity peaking during the annual Motorcycle Week and races at Loudon's New Hampshire...
of the state, and a large commercial and retail district has sprung up at the intersection of the five aforementioned routes, just off Exit 20 of I-93. The historic village of Tilton is located a short distance to the west of the new commercial development, on the northern banks of the Winnipesaukee.
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 3,477 people, 1,360 households, and 875 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 303.8 people per square mile (117.3/km²). There were 1,631 housing units at an average density of 142.5 per square mile (55.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.66% White, 0.06% African American, 0.63% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.17% 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 1.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population.
There were 1,360 households out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% 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, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,977, and the median income for a family was $50,143. Males had a median income of $32,095 versus $25,227 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 $19,578. About 2.9% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
Notable inhabitants
- Gabe ClogstonGabe ClogstonGabe Clogston is the featured editorial cartoonist for Highlands Today newspaper in Sebring, Florida. Born in Tilton, New Hampshire, Clogston moved to Florida with his family in 1993...
, editorial cartoonist - Mary Baker EddyMary Baker EddyMary Baker Eddy was the founder of Christian Science , a Protestant American system of religious thought and practice religion adopted by the Church of Christ, Scientist, and others...
, founder of Christian ScienceChristian ScienceChristian Science is a system of thought and practice derived from the writings of Mary Baker Eddy and the Bible. It is practiced by members of The First Church of Christ, Scientist as well as some others who are nonmembers. Its central texts are the Bible and the Christian Science textbook,... - John W. GowdyJohn W. GowdyJohn W. Gowdy was a Scottish American Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church and The Methodist Church, elected in 1930...
, bishopBishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the Methodist Episcopal ChurchMethodist Episcopal ChurchThe Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
and Methodist Church - Harry TaylorHarry Taylor (engineer)Harry Taylor was a U.S. Army officer who fought in World War I, and who served for a time as Chief of Engineers.-Early Life:...
, engineer - Charles E. Tilton, industrialist and patronPatrónPatrón is a luxury brand of tequila produced in Mexico and sold in hand-blown, individually numbered bottles.Made entirely from Blue Agave "piñas" , Patrón comes in five varieties: Silver, Añejo, Reposado, Gran Patrón Platinum and Gran Patrón Burdeos. Patrón also sells a tequila-coffee blend known...
- Nathaniel Tilton, industrialist and town namesake