Alstead, New Hampshire

Alstead, New Hampshire
Town


Location in Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Coordinates: 43°08′56″N 72°21′38″W / 43.14889°N 72.36056°WCoordinates: 43°08′56″N 72°21′38″W / 43.14889°N 72.36056°W
Country United States
State New Hampshire
County Cheshire
Incorporated 1763
Government
 • Board of Selectmen Joel C. McCarty
Chris Rietmann
Rock Wilson
Area
 • Total 39.3 sq mi (101.9 km2)
 • Land 38.8 sq mi (100.4 km2)
 • Water 0.6 sq mi (1.5 km2)  1.45%
Elevation 479 ft (146 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 1,937
 • Density 49/sq mi (19/km2)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 03602
Area code(s) 603
FIPS code 33-00820
GNIS feature ID 0873529
Website www.alsteadnh.org

Alstead (/ˈælstɛd/) is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,937 at the 2010 census.[1] Alstead is home to Feuer State Forest.

History

The town was chartered by Massachusetts Governor Jonathan Belcher in 1735 as one in a line of nine forts intended to protect southwestern New Hampshire from Indian attack. It was granted as Newton[2] or Newtown [3] in 1752 by Governor Benning Wentworth, but would be incorporated in 1763 as Alstead. It was named for Johann Heinrich Alsted, who compiled an early encyclopedia that was popular at Harvard College. Settled about 1764, Alstead would be one of the towns that wavered in its allegiance after the Revolutionary War. It decided to join Vermont in April 1781, but at the insistence of George Washington, returned to New Hampshire authority early the next year.[4]

Also known as Paper Mill Village, Alstead is the location of the state's first paper mill. It was established in 1793 on the Cold River by Ephraim and Elisha Kingsbury. Paper was then a rare and expensive product, made by chopping rags of linen and cotton cloth into pulp. The mill was destroyed by fire in 1880. While Alstead was basically an agricultural community, its streams and ponds once powered a variety of small mills. A turbine water mill at East Alstead is probably the last of its type anywhere in the region.[5]

Shedd-Porter Memorial Library, built in 1909-1910 in the Beaux-Arts style, was a gift to Alstead and Langdon by native son John G. Shedd, president of Marshall Field's department store in Chicago. Another native son philanthropist, Charles M. Vilas, gave a large public recreation area, school building and the only carillon in Cheshire County.

On the weekend of October 8–9, 2005, parts of Alstead were devastated by a severe flood. Heavy rain in Cheshire County caused the Cold River and its tributaries to swell, washing away homes, cars and 4 miles of Route 123. Four inhabitants of the town were killed. A Save Our History grant from The History Channel provided funding to the Alstead Historical Society and several students of the local high school, who wrote and printed a book called Too Much Water, Too Much Rain,[6] chronicling the disaster and its aftermath.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.3 square miles (102 km2), of which 38.8 square miles (100 km2) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2) is water, comprising 1.45% of the town.[7] Alstead is drained by the Cold River. Lake Warren is in the east. The highest point in Alstead is Smith Hill, at 1,795 feet (547 m) above sea level). Alstead lies fully within the Connecticut River watershed.[8]

The town is served by state routes 123, 123A and 12A.

Demographics

As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 1,944 people, 771 households, and 534 families residing in the town. The population density was 50.0 people per square mile (19.3/km²). There were 941 housing units at an average density of 24.2 per square mile (9.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.20% White, 0.21% African American, 0.62% Native American, 0.51% Asian, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.51% of the population.

There were 771 households out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 104.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $43,191, and the median income for a family was $47,311. Males had a median income of $35,481 versus $23,785 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,444. About 3.5% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Sites of interest

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ United States Census Bureau, American FactFinder, 2010 Census figures. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  2. ↑ http://gedcomindex.com/Reference/Haywards/frame027.html Hayward’s New England Gazetteer (1839)
  3. ↑ http://gedcomindex.com/Reference/New_Hampshire_1875/051.html Ststistics and Gazetteer of New Hampshire (1875)
  4. ↑ Coolidge, Austin J.; John B. Mansfield (1859). A History and Description of New England. Boston, Massachusetts. p. 408.
  5. ↑ History of Alstead, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
  6. ↑ Alstead Historical Society (2006). Too Much Water, Too Much Rain. PublishingWorks. ISBN 1-933002-38-7.
  7. ↑ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001) - Alstead town, New Hampshire". U.S. Census Bureau American Factfinder. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  8. ↑ Foster, Debra H.; Batorfalvy, Tatianna N.; Medalie, Laura (1995). Water Use in New Hampshire: An Activities Guide for Teachers. U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Geological Survey.
  9. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  10. ↑ "BROWN, Titus, (1786 - 1849)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  11. ↑ "CHAMBERLAIN, John Curtis, (1772 - 1834)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  12. ↑ "HALE, Salma, (1787 - 1866)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 10, 2013.

External links

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