Ashland, New Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Ashland is a town in Grafton County
, New Hampshire
, United States
. The population was 2,076 at the 2010 census. Located near the geographical center of the state, Ashland is home to Scribner-Fellows State Forest.
The main village of the town, where 1,244 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Ashland census-designated place
(CDP), and is located at the junction of U.S. Route 3
and New Hampshire Route 25
with NH Route 132
.
, chartered in 1751 by Colonial
Governor Benning Wentworth
. But hostilities during the French and Indian War
delayed settlement, and in 1761, it was regranted as New Holderness (although "New" would be dropped in 1816). Settled in 1763, the town was predominantly agricultural except for Holderness Village on the Squam River
, with falls that drop about 112 feet (34.1 m) before meeting the Pemigewasset River
. The falls provided water power for mills, and in 1770-1771, a sawmill
and gristmill
were built. The Squam Lake Woolen Mill was established in 1840. Goods manufactured at local factories included hosiery
, gloves, sporting equipment, wood products and paper
.
The Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad entered in 1849, carrying freight but also tourists bound for hotels on the Squam Lake
s, to which they traveled by steamer
up the Squam River. The interests of the industrialized settlement increasingly diverged from those of the farming community, however, and in 1868 Holderness Village was set off as Ashland, named for Ashland
, the Kentucky
estate of Henry Clay
. The last textile
mill, the L.W. Packard Company, would close in 2002, and Ashland is today a residential and resort community.
, the town has a total area of 11.5 square miles (29.8 km²), of which 11 square miles (28.5 km²) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) is water, comprising 4.62% of the town. Bounded on the west by the Pemigewasset River
, Ashland is drained by the Squam River
and Owl Brook. Little Squam Lake
is on the eastern boundary. The highest point in Ashland is Hicks Hill, at 1386 feet (422.5 m) above sea level
. Ashland lies fully within the Merrimack River
watershed
.
The town is served by Interstate 93, U.S. Route 3, and state routes 25
, 132
and 175
.
of 2000, there were 1,955 people, 853 households, and 515 families residing in the town. The population density
was 173.7 people per square mile (67.1/km²). There were 1,149 housing units at an average density of 102.1 per square mile (39.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.44% White, 0.36% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.26% from other races
, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.77% of the population.
There were 853 households out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples
living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $33,345, and the median income for a family was $38,487. Males had a median income of $29,630 versus $23,242 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $17,450. About 7.5% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.
Grafton County, New Hampshire
Grafton County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2010 census, the population was 89,118. Its county seat is North Haverhill, which is a village within the town of Haverhill. Until 1972, the county courthouse and other offices were located in downtown Woodsville, a...
, 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 2,076 at the 2010 census. Located near the geographical center of the state, Ashland is home to Scribner-Fellows State Forest.
The main village of the town, where 1,244 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Ashland 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 located at the junction of U.S. Route 3
U.S. Route 3
U.S. Route 3 is a north–south United States highway that runs from its southern terminus in Cambridge, Massachusetts through New Hampshire to its terminus near Third Connecticut Lake at the Canadian border, where the road continues north as Quebec Route 257.In New Hampshire parts of US 3 are...
and New Hampshire Route 25
New Hampshire Route 25
New Hampshire Route 25 is a long east–west state highway in New Hampshire. It runs completely across the state from Vermont to Maine.The western terminus of Route 25 is at the Vermont state line on the Connecticut River in Piermont, where the road continues west as Vermont Route 25...
with NH Route 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....
.
History
Ashland was once the southwestern corner of HoldernessHolderness, New Hampshire
Holderness is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,108 at the 2010 census. An agricultural and resort area, Holderness is home to the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center and is located on Squam Lake...
, chartered in 1751 by Colonial
Colony
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 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...
. But 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...
delayed settlement, and in 1761, it was regranted as New Holderness (although "New" would be dropped in 1816). Settled in 1763, the town was predominantly agricultural except for Holderness Village on the Squam River
Squam River
The Squam River is a river located in central New Hampshire in the United States. It is the outlet of Squam Lake, the second-largest lake in New Hampshire, and it is a tributary of the Pemigewasset River, which itself is a tributary of the Merrimack River....
, with falls that drop about 112 feet (34.1 m) before meeting the Pemigewasset River
Pemigewasset River
The Pemigewasset River , known locally as "The Pemi", is a river in the state of New Hampshire, the United States. It is in length and drains approximately...
. The falls provided water power for mills, and in 1770-1771, a 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....
and gristmill
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 :...
were built. The Squam Lake Woolen Mill was established in 1840. Goods manufactured at local factories included hosiery
Hosiery
Hosiery, also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as hose...
, gloves, sporting equipment, wood products and paper
Paper
Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
.
The Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad entered in 1849, carrying freight but also tourists bound for hotels on the Squam Lake
Squam Lake
Squam Lake is a lake located in central New Hampshire, USA, south of the White Mountains, straddling the borders of Grafton, Carroll, and Belknap counties. The largest town center on the lake is Holderness...
s, to which they traveled by steamer
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
up the Squam River. The interests of the industrialized settlement increasingly diverged from those of the farming community, however, and in 1868 Holderness Village was set off as Ashland, named for Ashland
Ashland (Henry Clay home)
Ashland is the name of the plantation of the nineteenth-century Kentucky statesman Henry Clay, located in Lexington, Kentucky, in the central Bluegrass region of the state...
, the Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
estate of Henry Clay
Henry Clay
Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
. The last 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...
mill, the L.W. Packard Company, would close in 2002, and Ashland is today a residential and resort community.
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 11.5 square miles (29.8 km²), of which 11 square miles (28.5 km²) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) is water, comprising 4.62% of the town. Bounded on the west by the Pemigewasset River
Pemigewasset River
The Pemigewasset River , known locally as "The Pemi", is a river in the state of New Hampshire, the United States. It is in length and drains approximately...
, Ashland is drained by the Squam River
Squam River
The Squam River is a river located in central New Hampshire in the United States. It is the outlet of Squam Lake, the second-largest lake in New Hampshire, and it is a tributary of the Pemigewasset River, which itself is a tributary of the Merrimack River....
and Owl Brook. Little Squam Lake
Little Squam Lake
Little Squam Lake is a water body located in Grafton County in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire, United States, in the towns of Holderness and Ashland. The lake connects upstream via a short channel to Squam Lake in Holderness...
is on the eastern boundary. The highest point in Ashland is Hicks Hill, at 1386 feet (422.5 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...
. Ashland lies fully within 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...
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 Interstate 93, U.S. Route 3, and state routes 25
New Hampshire Route 25
New Hampshire Route 25 is a long east–west state highway in New Hampshire. It runs completely across the state from Vermont to Maine.The western terminus of Route 25 is at the Vermont state line on the Connecticut River in Piermont, where the road continues west as Vermont Route 25...
, 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 175
New Hampshire Route 175
New Hampshire Route 175 is a long north–south state highway in Grafton County in central New Hampshire. The highway winds from Holderness in the Lakes Region, north along the Pemigewasset River, to Woodstock in the White Mountains Region...
.
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 1,955 people, 853 households, and 515 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 173.7 people per square mile (67.1/km²). There were 1,149 housing units at an average density of 102.1 per square mile (39.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.44% White, 0.36% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.26% 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 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.77% of the population.
There were 853 households out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% 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, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $33,345, and the median income for a family was $38,487. Males had a median income of $29,630 versus $23,242 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 $17,450. About 7.5% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.
Sites of interest
- Ashland Historical Society & Museums
- Ashland Train Depot (c. 1869, 1891)
- Pauline E. Glidden Toy Museum (c. 1810)
- Whipple House Museum (1837)
- Jellystone Park http://www.jellystonenh.com/index.php
- St. Mark's Episcopal ChurchSt. Mark's Episcopal Church (Ashland, New Hampshire)St. Mark's Episcopal Church built in 1899 is an historic Episcopal church located at 6-8 Highland Street in Ashland, New Hampshire, in the United States. On December 13, 1984, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It is still an active mission of the Episcopal Diocese of New...
, 1899
Notable people
- James F. BriggsJames F. BriggsJames Frankland Briggs was a U.S. Representative from New Hampshire, father of Frank Obadiah Briggs.-Biography:...
, congressman - Moses CheneyMoses CheneyMoses Cheney was an abolitionist, printer and legislator from New Hampshire.Cheney was born in 1793 in Thornton, New Hampshire. Cheney entered the paper printing business in Holderness . On June 23, 1816 he married Abigail Cheney...
, abolitionist, member of the Underground RailroadUnderground RailroadThe Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,... - Oren B. CheneyOren B. CheneyOren Burbank Cheney was the founder of Bates College, an abolitionist, and a Free Will Baptist clergyman.-Early life:...
, founder of Bates CollegeBates CollegeBates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists... - Person C. Cheney, senator, 43rd Governor of New Hampshire
- George Hoyt Whipple, pathologist, Nobel PrizeNobel Prize in Physiology or MedicineThe Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine administered by the Nobel Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in his will...
winner