Walpole, New Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Walpole is a town
in Cheshire County
, New Hampshire
, United States
. The population was 3,734 at the 2010 census.
The town's central settlement, where 605 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Walpole census-designated place
(CDP), and is east of New Hampshire Route 12
. The town also includes the villages of North Walpole
and Drewsville
.
Governor Jonathan Belcher
of Massachusetts
as Number 3, third in a line of Connecticut River
fort towns. It would be settled as early as 1736, and called Great Falls or Lunenburg. Colonel Benjamin Bellows, for whom Bellows Falls
, Vermont
is named, built a large fort here for defense against Indian
attack. After New Hampshire
became a separate province, the town was regranted by Governor Benning Wentworth
as Bellowstown, after its founder. It would be incorporated in 1756. The grant was renewed in 1761, when the town was renamed Walpole, in honor of Sir Robert Walpole
, 1st Earl of Orford
, and first Prime Minister of Great Britain.
The first bridge across the Connecticut River, an engineering feat in its day, was built at Walpole in 1785, and is regarded as one of the most famous early spans in the United States
. The town contains many architecturally significant old houses, including several associated with Colonel Bellows and members of his family. Walpole Academy, built in 1831 and attributed to master-builder Aaron Prentiss Howland, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. The abundant lilac
s in the town inspired Louisa May Alcott
to write the 1878 book Under the Lilacs.
, the town has a total area of 36.7 square miles (95.1 km²), of which 35.2 square miles (91.2 km²) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) is water, comprising 4.16% of the town. The town is drained by the Connecticut River
, which forms the western border of the town and is also the state border with Vermont
. The northern part of Walpole is drained by the Cold River
, a tributary of the Connecticut. The highest point in town is the summit of Derry Hill, at 1663 feet (506.9 m) above sea level
.
Walpole is served by state routes 12
and 123
.
of 2000, there were 3,594 people, 1,490 households, and 1,016 families residing in the town. The population density
was 101.0 people per square mile (39.0/km²). There were 1,592 housing units at an average density of 44.8 per square mile (17.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.30% White, 0.14% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.08% from other races
, and 1.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.47% of the population.
There were 1,490 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples
living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $44,673, and the median income for a family was $53,561. Males had a median income of $37,193 versus $24,323 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $23,295. About 3.9% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.4% of those under age 18 and 3.6% 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 3,734 at the 2010 census.
The town's central settlement, where 605 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Walpole census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP), and is east of New Hampshire Route 12
New Hampshire Route 12
New Hampshire Route 12 is a north-south state highway running across the western portion of New Hampshire from the Massachusetts state line to the Vermont state line at the Connecticut River.-Route description:...
. The town also includes the villages of North Walpole
North Walpole, New Hampshire
North Walpole is a census-designated place in the town of Walpole in Cheshire County, New Hampshire. It had a population of 828 at the 2010 census....
and Drewsville
Drewsville, New Hampshire
Drewsville is an unincorporated village in the town of Walpole in Cheshire County, New Hampshire.The village is located in the northeastern corner of Walpole, just south of the valley of the Cold River...
.
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
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...
as Number 3, third in a line of 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...
fort towns. It would be settled as early as 1736, and called Great Falls or Lunenburg. Colonel Benjamin Bellows, for whom Bellows Falls
Bellows Falls, Vermont
Bellows Falls is an incorporated village located in the town of Rockingham in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,165 at the 2000 census...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
is named, built a large fort here for defense against Indian
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
attack. 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 was regranted 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 Bellowstown, after its founder. It would be incorporated in 1756. The grant was renewed in 1761, when the town was renamed Walpole, in honor of Sir Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, KG, KB, PC , known before 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British statesman who is generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain....
, 1st Earl of Orford
Earl of Orford
Earl of Orford is a title that has been created three times. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1697 in favour of the naval commander Edward Russell, who served three times as First Lord of the Admiralty. He was created Baron Shingay and Viscount Barfleur at the same time...
, and first Prime Minister of Great Britain.
The first bridge across the Connecticut River, an engineering feat in its day, was built at Walpole in 1785, and is regarded as one of the most famous early spans in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The town contains many architecturally significant old houses, including several associated with Colonel Bellows and members of his family. Walpole Academy, built in 1831 and attributed to master-builder Aaron Prentiss Howland, 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...
. The abundant lilac
Lilac
Syringa is a genus of about 20–25 species of flowering woody plants in the olive family , native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and widely and commonly cultivated in temperate areas elsewhere....
s in the town inspired Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott was an American novelist. She is best known for the novel Little Women and its sequels Little Men and Jo's Boys. Little Women was set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts, and published in 1868...
to write the 1878 book Under the Lilacs.
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 36.7 square miles (95.1 km²), of which 35.2 square miles (91.2 km²) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) is water, comprising 4.16% of the town. The town is drained 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...
, which forms the western border of the town and is also the state border with Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. The northern part of Walpole is drained by the Cold River
Cold River (Connecticut River)
The Cold River is a 22.6 mile long river located in western New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Connecticut River, which flows to Long Island Sound....
, a tributary of the Connecticut. The highest point in town is the summit of Derry Hill, at 1663 feet (506.9 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...
.
Walpole is served by state routes 12
New Hampshire Route 12
New Hampshire Route 12 is a north-south state highway running across the western portion of New Hampshire from the Massachusetts state line to the Vermont state line at the Connecticut River.-Route description:...
and 123
New Hampshire Route 123
New Hampshire Route 123 is a long secondary north–south state highway in southwestern New Hampshire. The southern terminus of the route is at the Massachusetts state line in Mason where, as Valley Road, the road continues as an unnumbered local road in the town of Townsend...
.
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 3,594 people, 1,490 households, and 1,016 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 101.0 people per square mile (39.0/km²). There were 1,592 housing units at an average density of 44.8 per square mile (17.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.30% White, 0.14% African American, 0.25% 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 1.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.47% of the population.
There were 1,490 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% 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, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $44,673, and the median income for a family was $53,561. Males had a median income of $37,193 versus $24,323 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 $23,295. About 3.9% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.4% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.
Site of interest
- Walpole Mountain View Winery, a full estate winery
- Walpole Academy Museum, the Walpole Historical Society
Notable inhabitants
- Bronson Alcott, writer, philosopher, family patriarch
- Louisa May AlcottLouisa May AlcottLouisa May Alcott was an American novelist. She is best known for the novel Little Women and its sequels Little Men and Jo's Boys. Little Women was set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts, and published in 1868...
, writer (summer resident) - Glover Morrill AllenGlover Morrill AllenGlover Morrill Allen was an American zoologist.He was born at Walpole, New Hampshire, the son of Reverend Nathaniel Glover Allen and Harriet Ann Allen, and studied at Harvard University,...
, zoologist - Ken BurnsKen BurnsKenneth Lauren "Ken" Burns is an American director and producer of documentary films, known for his style of using archival footage and photographs...
, documentary film-maker - Davis CarpenterDavis CarpenterDavis Carpenter was a United States Representative from New York.Carpenter was born in Walpole, New Hampshire on December 25, 1799, where he studied medicine. He graduated from Middlebury College, Vermont in 1824, where he studied law...
, congressman - Herman M. ChapinHerman M. ChapinHerman M. Chapin was the mayor of Cleveland from 1865–1866.Chapin was born in Walpole, New Hampshire to Nathaniel and Fanny Bowen Brown Chapin. He was educated locally and eventually moved to Cleveland in 1848 where he became a partner in the grocery business. In 1852, he established his...
, mayor of Cleveland - Dayton DuncanDayton DuncanDayton Duncan was the writer and co-producer of The National Parks: America's Best Idea documentary produced by Ken Burns, and has also been involved for many years with other series by Burns including The Civil War, Baseball and Jazz...
, writer and documentary producer - Franklin HooperFranklin HooperFranklin William Hooper, LL.D. was an American institute director. He was born at Walpole, New Hampshire and from 1867 to 1871 studied at Antioch College, Ohio. He graduated from Harvard University in 1875. He taught science at Adelphi College, Brooklyn, in 1880–89. He was president of Antioch...
, professor and college president - Rev. Jonathan LeavittJonathan Leavitt (minister)Rev. Jonathan Leavitt was an early New England Congregational minister, born in Connecticut, and subsequently the pastor of churches in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, both of which dismissed him from his posts. Several of Rev...
, first minister, later dismissed by the town - Charles Holland MasonCharles Holland MasonCharles Holland Mason was an 19th century American politician and lawyer. Mason served as United States Commissioner for the Indian Territory from 1890 until his death.-Early life and marriage:...
, politician and lawyer - Howard PetrieHoward PetrieHoward Alexander Petrie was an American radio, television, and film actor.-Early life:Howard Petrie was born in Beverly, Massachusetts on November 22, 1906...
, film and television actor - Gary SmithGary Smith (record producer)Gary Smith is an entrepreneur, record producer, and artist's manager known for his work recording albums by alternative rock musicians since the mid-1980s at Fort Apache Studios...
, record producer - Roger VoseRoger VoseRoger Vose was a United States Representative from New Hampshire. He was born in Milton, Massachusetts. He moved to New Hampshire in 1766 with his parents, who settled near Walpole. He graduated from Harvard University in 1790...
, congressman - Horace WellsHorace WellsHorace Wells was an American dentist who pioneered the use of anaesthesia in dentistry, specifically nitrous oxide .-Life:...
, pioneered anaesthesia in dentistry, specifically nitrous oxideNitrous oxideNitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or sweet air, is a chemical compound with the formula . It is an oxide of nitrogen. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic...
(laughing gas)