Holderness, New Hampshire
Encyclopedia
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
. Holderness is also home to Holderness School
, a co-educational college-preparatory boarding school.
and early Europe
an settlers, who traveled the Squam River
to the Pemigewasset River
, then to the Merrimack River
and seacoast. In 1751, Thomas Shepard submitted a petition on behalf of 64 grantees to Colonial
Governor Benning Wentworth
for 6 miles square on the Pemigewasset River. The governing council accepted, and the town was named after Robert Darcy
, 4th Earl of Holderness
. The French and Indian War
, however, prevented settlement until after the 1759 Fall of Quebec. The land was regranted as New Holderness in 1761 to a group of New England
families, and first settled in 1763. As proprietor of half the town, Samuel Livermore
intended to create at New Holderness a great estate patterned after those of the English
countryside. By 1790, the town had 329 residents, and in 1816, "New" was dropped from its name.
Holderness became a farming and fishing
community, except for the "business or flat iron area" located on the Squam River, which has falls that drop about 112 feet before meeting the Pemigewasset River. With water power to operate mills, the southwestern corner of town developed into an industrial center, to which the Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad entered in 1849. But the mill village would be at odds with the agricultural community, especially when denied civic amenities including gaslights and sidewalks. Consequently, in 1868, it was set off as Ashland
.
Tourists in the 19th century discovered the region's scenic mountains and lakes. Before the age of automobile
s, they would depart the train
in Ashland and board a steamer
, which traveled up the Squam River to rustic fishing camps or hillside hotels beside Squam Lake. Today, Holderness remains a popular resort area, where in 1981 the movie On Golden Pond
was filmed.
, the town has a total area of 35.6 square miles (92.2 km²), of which 30.4 sq mi (78.7 km²) is land and 5.2 sq mi (13.5 km²) is water, comprising 14.73% of the town. Bounded on the northwest by the Pemigewasset River
, Holderness is drained by Owl Brook. Part of Squam Lake
is in the east, and Little Squam Lake
is in the center. Mount Prospect, with an elevation of 2064 feet (629.1 m) above sea level
, is in the north. Also in the north is the highest point in Holderness, Mount Webster, elevation 2076 feet (632.8 m) and part of the Squam Range. Holderness lies fully within the Merrimack River
watershed
.
The town is served by U.S. Route 3 and state routes 25
, 113
and 175
.
of 2000, there were 1,930 people, 768 households, and 546 families residing in the town. The population density
was 63.5 people per square mile (24.5/km²). There were 1,208 housing units at an average density of 39.8 per square mile (15.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.88% White, 0.47% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.10% from other races
, and 1.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.41% of the population.
There were 768 households out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.2% were married couples
living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 31.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $47,895, and the median income for a family was $55,526. Males had a median income of $36,500 versus $26,116 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $27,825. About 2.8% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.
as its legislative branch. Municipal elections and Town Meetings are customarily held in March.
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. The population was 2,108 at the 2010 census. An agricultural and resort area, Holderness is home to the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center
Squam Lakes Natural Science Center
The Squam Lakes Natural Science Center is a non-profit environmental education organization founded in 1966. SLNSC is located in Holderness, New Hampshire...
and is located on 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...
. Holderness is also home to Holderness School
Holderness School
The Holderness School is a private, coeducational college-preparatory school in Holderness, near Plymouth, New Hampshire in the United States. The student body of 275 is drawn from 22 U.S. states and 14 foreign countries. While Holderness operates primarily as a boarding school, it also enrolls 50...
, a co-educational college-preparatory boarding school.
History
The Squam Lakes were a trade route for Abenaki IndiansIndigenous 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...
and early Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an settlers, who traveled 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....
to 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...
, then to 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...
and seacoast. In 1751, Thomas Shepard submitted a petition on behalf of 64 grantees to 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...
for 6 miles square on the Pemigewasset River. The governing council accepted, and the town was named after Robert Darcy
Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness
Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness PC , known before 1721 as Lord Darcy and Conyers, was a British diplomat and politician. From 1744 to 1746 he was ambassador at Venice and from 1749 to 1751 he represented his country at The Hague...
, 4th Earl of Holderness
Earl of Holderness
The title Earl of Holderness was created on three occasions in the Peerage of England.The first creation, in 1621, along with the subsidiary title Baron Kingston-upon-Thames, of Kingston-upon-Thames in the County of Surrey, was in favour of John Ramsay, 1st Viscount of Haddington...
. 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...
, however, prevented settlement until after the 1759 Fall of Quebec. The land was regranted as New Holderness in 1761 to a group of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
families, and first settled in 1763. As proprietor of half the town, Samuel Livermore
Samuel Livermore
Samuel Livermore was a U.S. politician. He was a U.S. Senator from New Hampshire from 1793 to 1801 and served as President pro tempore of the United States Senate in 1796 and again in 1799....
intended to create at New Holderness a great estate patterned after those of the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
countryside. By 1790, the town had 329 residents, and in 1816, "New" was dropped from its name.
Holderness became a farming and fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
community, except for the "business or flat iron area" located on the Squam River, which has falls that drop about 112 feet before meeting the Pemigewasset River. With water power to operate mills, the southwestern corner of town developed into an industrial center, to which the Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad entered in 1849. But the mill village would be at odds with the agricultural community, especially when denied civic amenities including gaslights and sidewalks. Consequently, in 1868, it was set off as Ashland
Ashland, New Hampshire
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....
.
Tourists in the 19th century discovered the region's scenic mountains and lakes. Before the age of automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
s, they would depart the train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
in Ashland and board a 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...
, which traveled up the Squam River to rustic fishing camps or hillside hotels beside Squam Lake. Today, Holderness remains a popular resort area, where in 1981 the movie On Golden Pond
On Golden Pond (1981 film)
On Golden Pond is a 1981 American drama film directed by Mark Rydell. The screenplay by Ernest Thompson was adapted from his 1979 play of the same title. Henry Fonda won the Academy Award in what was his final film role. Co-star Katharine Hepburn also received an Oscar, as did Thompson for his...
was filmed.
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 35.6 square miles (92.2 km²), of which 30.4 sq mi (78.7 km²) is land and 5.2 sq mi (13.5 km²) is water, comprising 14.73% of the town. Bounded on the northwest 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...
, Holderness is drained by Owl Brook. Part of 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...
is in the east, and 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 in the center. Mount Prospect, with an elevation of 2064 feet (629.1 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...
, is in the north. Also in the north is the highest point in Holderness, Mount Webster, elevation 2076 feet (632.8 m) and part of the Squam Range. Holderness 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 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...
, 113
New Hampshire Route 113
New Hampshire Route 113 is a long east–west state highway in east-central New Hampshire. Route 113 begins in the Lakes Region at an intersection with U.S. Route 3 and New Hampshire Route 25 in Holderness, and stretches eastward across the central part of the state, ending at an intersection with...
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 1,930 people, 768 households, and 546 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 63.5 people per square mile (24.5/km²). There were 1,208 housing units at an average density of 39.8 per square mile (15.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.88% White, 0.47% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.10% 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 1.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.41% of the population.
There were 768 households out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.2% 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, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 31.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $47,895, and the median income for a family was $55,526. Males had a median income of $36,500 versus $26,116 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 $27,825. About 2.8% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.
Town government
Holderness is governed in the traditional New England style, with a 5-member board of selectmen as its executive branch, and the traditional Town MeetingTown meeting
A town meeting is a form of direct democratic rule, used primarily in portions of the United States since the 17th century, in which most or all the members of a community come together to legislate policy and budgets for local government....
as its legislative branch. Municipal elections and Town Meetings are customarily held in March.
Notable inhabitants
- Joan BlosJoan BlosJoan Winsor Blos is an author, teacher and Advocate for Children and Literature. In 1980, she won the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award for A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal...
, writer (seasonal resident) - George Butler, director of documentaries such as Pumping IronPumping IronPumping Iron is a 1977 docudrama about the world of bodybuilding, focusing on the 1975 IFBB Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia competitions and the 100 days leading up to them. The film was inspired by a book of the same name, written by Charles Gaines and George Butler...
, The Endurance (part resident) - 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, conductor on 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... - Arthur LivermoreArthur LivermoreArthur Livermore was a United States Representative from New Hampshire. He was the son of Samuel Livermore and brother of Edward St. Loe Livermore, both of whom served in the United States Congress. He was born in Londonderry, New Hampshire. He received classical instruction from his parents and...
(1766–1853), a United States Representative from New Hampshire - Samuel LivermoreSamuel LivermoreSamuel Livermore was a U.S. politician. He was a U.S. Senator from New Hampshire from 1793 to 1801 and served as President pro tempore of the United States Senate in 1796 and again in 1799....
(1732–1803), U.S. Senator - Hercules MooneyHercules MooneyHercules Mooney was an Irish-born veteran of the French and Indian and American Revolutionary wars.Born to a Protestant family, in 1733 he emigrated to the United States and settled in Dover, New Hampshire. In 1738 he married Elizabeth Evans, also of Dover...
, Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
officer