Nelson, New Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Nelson is a town
in Cheshire County
, New Hampshire
, United States
. The population was 729 at the 2010 census. Nelson includes the village of Munsonville.
No. 6, the town was granted in 1752 by Governor Benning Wentworth
. It was first settled in 1767 by Breed Batchelder. On February 22, 1774, the town was incorporated by Governor John Wentworth
as Packersfield, after a major proprietor, Thomas Packer, the sheriff
at Portsmouth
. The name was changed in 1814 to Nelson in honor of Viscount Horatio Nelson, British
admiral and naval hero.
Located on the height of land separating the watershed
s of the Connecticut
and Merrimack
rivers, Nelson became primarily an agricultural community. The uneven surface proved good for grazing
. But with streams rising from four ponds to provide water power, it also developed industry. The village of Munsonville, situated on the stage
line at the outlet of Granite Lake, manufactured cotton
cloth and chair
s. The L. J. Colony Chair Co. produced between 25,000 and 30,000 chairs annually, hiring women and children from local farms to weave
the rattan
seats and backs. At one time, Munsonville had 1,000 homesteads and 10 school districts. The mills have since closed, and Munsonville is today a resort of summer homes.
Nelson is the home of a popular contradance; the event is held in Nelson's town hall each Monday night. The Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music
, a classical chamber music
group which attempts to bring members of culture
s in conflict (such as Israel
is and Palestinians
) closer together through music, is also in Nelson.
, the town has a total area of 23.2 square miles (60.1 km²), of which 21.9 sq mi (56.7 km²) is land and 1.4 sq mi (3.6 km²) is water, comprising 5.94% of the town. A branch of the Contoocook River
rises from Long Pond, and in the southern part of Nelson, a branch of the Ashuelot River
rises. Spoonwood Pond and part of Nubanusit Lake
are in the east. The highest point in Nelson is the summit of Osgood Hill (also known as Nelson Pinnacle), with an elevation of 2253 feet (686.7 m) above sea level
.
The town is traversed by the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway
, a 50 miles (80.5 km) hiking trail that traverses the highlands of southern New Hampshire from Mount Monadnock
in Jaffrey
to Mount Sunapee
in Newbury
. The trail passes directly through the center of Nelson.
The town is crossed by New Hampshire Route 9.
of 2000, there were 634 people, 247 households, and 162 families residing in the town. The population density
was 29.0 people per square mile (11.2/km²). There were 400 housing units at an average density of 18.3 per square mile (7.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.48% White, 0.63% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.16% from other races
, and 1.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.58% of the population.
There were 247 households out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.5% were married couples
living together, 4.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 105.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,250, and the median income for a family was $59,464. Males had a median income of $40,577 versus $25,000 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $31,625. About 9.2% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.3% of those under age 18 and 3.2% 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 729 at the 2010 census. Nelson includes the village of Munsonville.
History
Originally named MonadnockMount Monadnock
Mount Monadnock, or Grand Monadnock, is the most prominent New England mountain peak south of the White Mountains and east of the Massachusetts Berkshires, and is the highest point in Cheshire County, New Hampshire...
No. 6, the town was granted in 1752 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...
. It was first settled in 1767 by Breed Batchelder. On February 22, 1774, the town was incorporated by Governor John Wentworth
John 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:...
as Packersfield, after a major proprietor, Thomas Packer, the sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
at 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...
. The name was changed in 1814 to Nelson in honor of Viscount Horatio Nelson, British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
admiral and naval hero.
Located on the height of land separating 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...
s of the Connecticut
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...
and Merrimack
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...
rivers, Nelson became primarily an agricultural community. The uneven surface proved good for grazing
Grazing
Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
. But with streams rising from four ponds to provide water power, it also developed industry. The village of Munsonville, situated on the stage
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
line at the outlet of Granite Lake, manufactured cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
cloth and chair
Chair
A chair is a stable, raised surface used to sit on, commonly for use by one person. Chairs are most often supported by four legs and have a back; however, a chair can have three legs or could have a different shape depending on the criteria of the chair specifications. A chair without a back or...
s. The L. J. Colony Chair Co. produced between 25,000 and 30,000 chairs annually, hiring women and children from local farms to weave
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
the rattan
Rattan
Rattan is the name for the roughly 600 species of palms in the tribe Calameae, native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Australasia.- Structure :...
seats and backs. At one time, Munsonville had 1,000 homesteads and 10 school districts. The mills have since closed, and Munsonville is today a resort of summer homes.
Nelson is the home of a popular contradance; the event is held in Nelson's town hall each Monday night. The Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music
Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music
The Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music is located in Nelson, New Hampshire , housed in the buildings of an old horse farm on Apple Hill Road, on the eponymous hill...
, a classical chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
group which attempts to bring members of culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
s in conflict (such as Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
is and Palestinians
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
) closer together through music, is also in Nelson.
Notable inhabitants
- Charles EastmanCharles EastmanCharles Alexander Eastman was a Native American physician, writer, national lecturer, and reformer. He was of Santee Sioux and Anglo-American ancestry...
http://www.yourdictionary.com/biography/charles-a-eastman, Native American physician and writer - Alfred B. KittredgeAlfred B. KittredgeAlfred Beard Kittredge was a United States Senator from South Dakota. Born in Nelson, New Hampshire, he attended the public schools and graduated from Yale College in 1882 and from the Yale Law School in 1885...
, senator from South Dakota - May SartonMay SartonMay Sarton is the pen name of Eleanore Marie Sarton , an American poet, novelist, and memoirist.-Biography:...
, writer
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 23.2 square miles (60.1 km²), of which 21.9 sq mi (56.7 km²) is land and 1.4 sq mi (3.6 km²) is water, comprising 5.94% of the town. A branch of the Contoocook River
Contoocook River
The Contoocook River is a river in New Hampshire. It flows from Pool Pond and Contoocook Lake on the Jaffrey/Rindge border to Penacook , where it empties into the Merrimack River. It is one of only a few rivers in New Hampshire that flow in a predominantly northward direction...
rises from Long Pond, and in the southern part of Nelson, a branch of the Ashuelot River
Ashuelot River
The Ashuelot River is a tributary of the Connecticut River, approximately long, in southwestern New Hampshire in the United States. It drains a mountainous area of , including much of the area known as the Monadnock Region...
rises. Spoonwood Pond and part of Nubanusit Lake
Nubanusit Lake
Nubanusit Lake is a lake located on the border between Cheshire and Hillsborough counties in southwestern New Hampshire, United States, in the towns of Nelson and Hancock. The outlet of the lake is Nubanusit Brook, a tributary of the Contoocook River in the Merrimack River drainage basin....
are in the east. The highest point in Nelson is the summit of Osgood Hill (also known as Nelson Pinnacle), with an elevation of 2253 feet (686.7 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...
.
The town is traversed by the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway
Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway
The Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway is a hiking trail that traverses the highlands of southern New Hampshire from Mount Monadnock in Jaffrey to Mount Sunapee in Newbury...
, a 50 miles (80.5 km) hiking trail that traverses the highlands of southern New Hampshire from Mount Monadnock
Mount Monadnock
Mount Monadnock, or Grand Monadnock, is the most prominent New England mountain peak south of the White Mountains and east of the Massachusetts Berkshires, and is the highest point in Cheshire County, New Hampshire...
in Jaffrey
Jaffrey, New Hampshire
Jaffrey is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,457 at the 2010 census.The primary settlement in town, where 2,757 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Jaffrey census-designated place and is located along the Contoocook River at the...
to Mount Sunapee
Mount Sunapee
Mount Sunapee is a -long mountain ridge in the towns of Newbury and Goshen in western New Hampshire. Its highest peak, at the north end of the mountain, is above sea level. The mountain has three secondary peaks, White Ledges at ; North Peak at ; and South Peak at...
in Newbury
Newbury, New Hampshire
Newbury is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,072 at the 2010 census. Newbury is home to part of Lake Sunapee, including Mount Sunapee State Park Beach. Mount Sunapee Resort, a ski area in Mount Sunapee State Park, is in the west...
. The trail passes directly through the center of Nelson.
The town is crossed by New Hampshire Route 9.
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 634 people, 247 households, and 162 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 29.0 people per square mile (11.2/km²). There were 400 housing units at an average density of 18.3 per square mile (7.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.48% White, 0.63% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.16% 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 1.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.58% of the population.
There were 247 households out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.5% 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, 4.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 105.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,250, and the median income for a family was $59,464. Males had a median income of $40,577 versus $25,000 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 $31,625. About 9.2% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.3% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.