Dummer, New Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Dummer is a town
in Coos County
, New Hampshire
, United States
. The population was 304 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Berlin
, NH–VT
micropolitan statistical area
. Dummer is home to the Pontook Reservoir
, popular with canoeists
, kayak
ers and birdwatchers
.
to a group of wealthy Portsmouth
investors, including his father, Mark Hunking Wentworth, Nathaniel Haven and others. He named it after Massachusetts
Governor William Dummer
, who successfully defended the eastern English
provinces from the French
and Indians in Dummer's War
. But the town remained unsettled until 1812, when William Leighton arrived from Farmington
with his family. Dummer was incorporated by the General Court
on December 19, 1848.
Mountainous terrain
and sterility of the soil prevented cultivation
. But the region had forest
s, and the Upper Ammonoosuc River
provided water power for mills
. There were two sawmill
s operating by 1859, with a considerable trade
in timber
. Log drives
on the Androscoggin River
supplied the papermills downstream in Berlin
. Pontook Dam, which created Pontook Reservoir
, was reconstructed in the mid-1980s to generate hydroelectric power.
, the town has a total area of 49.5 square miles (128.2 km²), of which 48.2 square miles (124.8 km²) is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²) is water, comprising 2.43% of the town. The highest point in Dummer is the summit of Cow Mountain, at 2289 feet (697.7 m) above sea level
. Roughly the western third of Dummer lies within the Connecticut River
watershed
, where it is drained by the Upper Ammonoosuc River
, with the eastern two-thirds in the Androscoggin River
watershed.
Dummer is crossed by New Hampshire Route 16
.
of 2000, there were 309 people, 128 households, and 102 families residing in the town. The population density
was 6.5 people per square mile (2.5/km²). There were 252 housing units at an average density of 5.3 per square mile (2.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.71% White, 0.32% Asian, and 0.97% from two or more races.
There were 128 households out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.8% were married couples
living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.3% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.73.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 3.9% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 30.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 103.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,750, and the median income for a family was $42,708. Males had a median income of $29,286 versus $22,083 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $16,754. About 4.6% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under the age of eighteen and 10.0% of those sixty five 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 Coos County
Coos County, New Hampshire
-National protected areas:*Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge *Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge *White Mountain National Forest -Demographics:...
, 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 304 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Berlin
Berlin, New Hampshire
Berlin is a city along the Androscoggin River in Coos County in northern New Hampshire, United States. The population was 10,051 at the 2010 census. It includes the village of Cascade. Located on the edge of the White Mountains, the city's boundaries extend into the White Mountain National Forest...
, NH–VT
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...
micropolitan statistical area
Berlin micropolitan area
The Berlin Micropolitan Statistical Area is the core based statistical area centered on the urban cluster associated with the city Berlin, New Hampshire in the United States...
. Dummer is home to the Pontook Reservoir
Pontook Reservoir
Pontook Reservoir is a impoundment on the Androscoggin River in Coos County in northern New Hampshire, United States. The dam and impoundment are located in the town of Dummer...
, popular with canoeists
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
, kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
ers and birdwatchers
Birdwatching
Birdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...
.
History
The town was granted on March 8, 1773 by Governor John WentworthJohn Wentworth (governor)
Sir John Wentworth, 1st Baronet was the British colonial governor of New Hampshire at the time of the American Revolution. He was later also Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia.-Early life:...
to a group of wealthy Portsmouth
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
investors, including his father, Mark Hunking Wentworth, Nathaniel Haven and others. He named it after 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...
Governor William Dummer
William Dummer
William Dummer was Acting Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1723 to 1728.-Family:Dummer was born in Boston and died in Newbury, Massachusetts, the son of Jeremiah Dummer, the first American born silversmith, and Anna Atwater...
, who successfully defended the eastern English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
provinces from the French
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
and Indians in Dummer's War
Dummer's War
Dummer's War , also known as Lovewell's War, Father Rale's War, Greylock's War, the Three Years War, the 4th Indian War or the Wabanaki-New England War of 1722–1725, was a series of battles between British settlers of the three northernmost British colonies of North America of the time and the...
. But the town remained unsettled until 1812, when William Leighton arrived from Farmington
Farmington, New Hampshire
Farmington is a town located in Strafford County, New Hampshire, USA. The 2010 census reported that the town had a total population of 6,786. Farmington is home to Blue Job State Forest....
with his family. Dummer was incorporated by the General Court
New Hampshire General Court
The General Court of New Hampshire is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The lower house is the New Hampshire House of Representatives with 400 members. The upper house is the New Hampshire Senate with 24 members...
on December 19, 1848.
Mountainous terrain
Terrain
Terrain, or land relief, is the vertical and horizontal dimension of land surface. When relief is described underwater, the term bathymetry is used...
and sterility of the soil prevented cultivation
Tillage
Tillage is the agricultural preparation of the soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shovelling, picking, mattock work, hoeing, and raking...
. But the region had forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s, and the Upper Ammonoosuc River
Upper Ammonoosuc River
The Upper Ammonoosuc River is a tributary of the Connecticut River that flows through Coös County in northern part of the northeastern U.S. state of New Hampshire...
provided water power for mills
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
. There were two 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 operating by 1859, with a considerable trade
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
in timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
. Log drives
Log driving
Log driving is a means of log transport which makes use of a river's current to move floating tree trunks downstream to sawmills and pulp mills.It was the main transportation method of the early logging industry in Europe and North America...
on the Androscoggin River
Androscoggin River
The Androscoggin River is a river in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is long and joins the Kennebec River at Merrymeeting Bay in Maine before its water empties into the Gulf of Maine on the Atlantic Ocean. Its drainage basin is in area...
supplied the papermills downstream in Berlin
Berlin, New Hampshire
Berlin is a city along the Androscoggin River in Coos County in northern New Hampshire, United States. The population was 10,051 at the 2010 census. It includes the village of Cascade. Located on the edge of the White Mountains, the city's boundaries extend into the White Mountain National Forest...
. Pontook Dam, which created Pontook Reservoir
Pontook Reservoir
Pontook Reservoir is a impoundment on the Androscoggin River in Coos County in northern New Hampshire, United States. The dam and impoundment are located in the town of Dummer...
, was reconstructed in the mid-1980s to generate hydroelectric power.
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 49.5 square miles (128.2 km²), of which 48.2 square miles (124.8 km²) is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²) is water, comprising 2.43% of the town. The highest point in Dummer is the summit of Cow Mountain, at 2289 feet (697.7 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...
. Roughly the western third of Dummer lies within 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...
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...
, where it is drained by the Upper Ammonoosuc River
Upper Ammonoosuc River
The Upper Ammonoosuc River is a tributary of the Connecticut River that flows through Coös County in northern part of the northeastern U.S. state of New Hampshire...
, with the eastern two-thirds in the Androscoggin River
Androscoggin River
The Androscoggin River is a river in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is long and joins the Kennebec River at Merrymeeting Bay in Maine before its water empties into the Gulf of Maine on the Atlantic Ocean. Its drainage basin is in area...
watershed.
Dummer is crossed by New Hampshire Route 16
New Hampshire Route 16
New Hampshire Route 16 is a long north–south highway in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Much of its length is close to the border with Maine. NH 16 is the main route from the Seacoast region north to the Lakes Region and the White Mountains. The section from Portsmouth to Milton is a...
.
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 309 people, 128 households, and 102 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 6.5 people per square mile (2.5/km²). There were 252 housing units at an average density of 5.3 per square mile (2.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.71% White, 0.32% Asian, and 0.97% from two or more races.
There were 128 households out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.8% 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, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.3% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.73.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 3.9% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 30.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 103.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,750, and the median income for a family was $42,708. Males had a median income of $29,286 versus $22,083 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 $16,754. About 4.6% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under the age of eighteen and 10.0% of those sixty five or over.