Orford, New Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Orford is a town in Grafton County
, New Hampshire
, United States. The population was 1,237 at the 2010 census. The Appalachian Trail
crosses in the east.
First called Number Seven in a line of Connecticut River
fort towns, Orford was incorporated in 1761 by Governor Benning Wentworth
and named for Robert Walpole
, Earl of Orford
, who was England's
first prime minister
. It was settled in 1765 by Daniel Cross and wife from Lebanon
, Connecticut
. By 1859, it had 1,406 inhabitants, most involved in agriculture
. There was a large tannery
, chair
factory, 10 sawmill
s, a starch
factory, a gristmill
, a sash, blind
and door
factory, and 2 boot
and shoe
factories.
An original grantee was General Israel Morey, whose son Samuel Morey
discovered a way to separate hydrogen
from oxygen
in water, making possible the first marine steam engine
. He recognized the potential of steam power after working at his father's ferry
. In 1793, on the river at Orford, he was first to demonstrate the use of a paddlewheel to propel a steam boat
.
Author Washington Irving
visited Orford in 1832 and is quoted as saying, "In all my travels in this country and in Europe
, I have seen no village more beautiful than this. It is a charming place -- nature has done her utmost here." Of the famous sequence of seven early homes built on The Ridge, Dartmouth
Professor of Architecture
Hugh Morrison said, "As a row and counting the setting, this is the finest group of Federal-style houses in the United States." Built between 1773 and 1839, the dwellings show the influence of architect Asher Benjamin
.
, the town has a total area of 48 square miles (124.3 km²), of which 46.7 sq mi (121 km²) is land and 1.3 sq mi (3.4 km²) is water, comprising 2.81% of the town. The Connecticut River
, which serves as the boundary between New Hampshire and Vermont
, forms the western edge of the town. Most of Orford is drained by Jacob's Brook and other small tributaries of the Connecticut. The northeastern corner of the town, around Upper and Lower Baker Ponds, drains via the Baker River
and Pemigewasset River
into the Merrimack River
.
The town has two population centers. The main village of Orford, with the town's schools and post office, is located on New Hampshire Route 10
along the banks of the Connecticut River. The town hall, however, is located in the smaller village of Orfordville, on New Hampshire Route 25A several miles east of the river.
The highest point in Orford is the summit of Mount Cube, at 2909 feet (886.7 m) above sea level
, in the eastern part of town. The northern slopes of Smarts Mountain
, whose 3240 feet (987.6 m) summit lies in the neighboring town of Lyme
, occupy the southeast corner of town.
Camps Merriwood and Moosilauke are situated on Upper Baker Pond in Orford.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 1,091 people, 470 households, and 308 families residing in the town. The population density
was 23.4 people per square mile (9.0/km²). There were 561 housing units at an average density of 12.0 per square mile (4.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.98% White, 0.09% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 1.10% from other races
, and 0.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.92% of the population.
There were 470 households out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples
living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $46,250, and the median income for a family was $50,577. Males had a median income of $27,500 versus $25,833 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $24,196. About 3.1% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.
, at one point leaving the town with only six signs remaining. With an addition of a new police officer, 66 of the signs were recovered and two of the thieves confessed.
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 1,237 at the 2010 census. The Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...
crosses in the east.
History
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...
fort towns, Orford was incorporated in 1761 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...
and named for Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, KG, KB, PC , known before 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British statesman who is generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain....
, Earl of Orford
Earl of Orford
Earl of Orford is a title that has been created three times. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1697 in favour of the naval commander Edward Russell, who served three times as First Lord of the Admiralty. He was created Baron Shingay and Viscount Barfleur at the same time...
, who was England's
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...
first prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
. It was settled in 1765 by Daniel Cross and wife from Lebanon
Lebanon, Connecticut
Lebanon is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 6,907 at the 2000 census. The town lies just to the northwest of Norwich, north of New London, and east of Hartford...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. By 1859, it had 1,406 inhabitants, most involved in agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. There was a large tannery
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
, 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...
factory, 10 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, a starch
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
factory, a 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 :...
, a sash, blind
Window shutter
A window shutter is a solid and stable window covering usually consisting of a frame of vertical stiles and horizontal rails...
and door
Door
A door is a movable structure used to open and close off an entrance, typically consisting of a panel that swings on hinges or that slides or rotates inside of a space....
factory, and 2 boot
Boot
A boot is a type of footwear but they are not shoes. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle and extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearly distinguishable from the rest of the sole, even if the two are made of one piece....
and shoe
Shoemaking
Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand. Traditional handicraft shoemaking has now been largely superseded in volume of shoes produced by industrial mass production of footwear, but not necessarily in quality, attention to detail, or...
factories.
An original grantee was General Israel Morey, whose son Samuel Morey
Samuel Morey
Samuel Morey was an American inventor, who worked on early internal combustion engines and was a pioneer in steamships who accumulated a total of 20 patents.-Early life:...
discovered a way to separate hydrogen
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
from oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
in water, making possible the first marine steam engine
Marine steam engine
A marine steam engine is a reciprocating steam engine that is used to power a ship or boat. Steam turbines and diesel engines largely replaced reciprocating steam engines in marine applications during the 20th century, so this article describes the more common types of marine steam engine in use...
. He recognized the potential of steam power after working at his father's ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
. In 1793, on the river at Orford, he was first to demonstrate the use of a paddlewheel to propel a steam boat
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...
.
Author Washington Irving
Washington Irving
Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works...
visited Orford in 1832 and is quoted as saying, "In all my travels in this country and in 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...
, I have seen no village more beautiful than this. It is a charming place -- nature has done her utmost here." Of the famous sequence of seven early homes built on The Ridge, Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
Professor of Architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
Hugh Morrison said, "As a row and counting the setting, this is the finest group of Federal-style houses in the United States." Built between 1773 and 1839, the dwellings show the influence of architect Asher Benjamin
Asher Benjamin
Asher Benjamin was an American architect and author whose work transitioned between Federal style architecture and the later Greek Revival. His seven handbooks on design deeply influenced the look of cities and towns throughout New England until the Civil War...
.
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 48 square miles (124.3 km²), of which 46.7 sq mi (121 km²) is land and 1.3 sq mi (3.4 km²) is water, comprising 2.81% of the town. 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...
, which serves as the boundary between New Hampshire and Vermont
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...
, forms the western edge of the town. Most of Orford is drained by Jacob's Brook and other small tributaries of the Connecticut. The northeastern corner of the town, around Upper and Lower Baker Ponds, drains via the Baker River
Baker River
Baker River may refer to one of the following rivers:In Chile:*Baker River In the United States:*Baker River *Baker River...
and 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...
into 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...
.
The town has two population centers. The main village of Orford, with the town's schools and post office, is located on New Hampshire Route 10
New Hampshire Route 10
New Hampshire Route 10 is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Its southern terminus is at the Massachusetts state line in the town of Winchester. In Massachusetts the highway becomes Massachusetts Route 10. Total length of the highway is .-Route description:NH 10...
along the banks of the Connecticut River. The town hall, however, is located in the smaller village of Orfordville, on New Hampshire Route 25A several miles east of the river.
The highest point in Orford is the summit of Mount Cube, at 2909 feet (886.7 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...
, in the eastern part of town. The northern slopes of Smarts Mountain
Smarts Mountain
Smarts Mountain is a mountain located in Grafton County, New Hampshire. Smarts is flanked to the north by Mount Cube, at , and to the southwest by Holts Ledge, at . Although of only moderate elevation, Smarts is separated from the southwestern White Mountains by Oliverian Notch, a fairly low pass...
, whose 3240 feet (987.6 m) summit lies in the neighboring town of Lyme
Lyme, New Hampshire
Lyme is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,716 at the 2010 census. Lyme is home to the Chaffee Natural Area. The Dartmouth Skiway is in the eastern part of town, near the village of Lyme Center...
, occupy the southeast corner of town.
Camps Merriwood and Moosilauke are situated on Upper Baker Pond in Orford.
Demographics
Census
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 1,091 people, 470 households, and 308 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 23.4 people per square mile (9.0/km²). There were 561 housing units at an average density of 12.0 per square mile (4.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.98% White, 0.09% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 1.10% 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 0.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.92% of the population.
There were 470 households out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% 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, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.84.
The median income for a household in the town was $46,250, and the median income for a family was $50,577. Males had a median income of $27,500 versus $25,833 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 $24,196. About 3.1% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.
Crime
In the winter of 2011, Orford experienced a rash of street sign theftStreet sign theft
Street sign theft occurs when street signs are stolen, often to be used as decorations, but also sometimes to avoid obeying the law by claiming later the sign was not there. Although the theft often seems arbitrary, signs that are unusual or amusing tend to be stolen more frequently...
, at one point leaving the town with only six signs remaining. With an addition of a new police officer, 66 of the signs were recovered and two of the thieves confessed.
Notable inhabitants
- Daniel DoanDaniel DoanDaniel Doan is best known for his classic hiking books, 50 Hikes in the White Mountains and 50 More Hikes in New Hampshire...
, hiking enthusiast and writer - Milton FriedmanMilton FriedmanMilton Friedman was an American economist, statistician, academic, and author who taught at the University of Chicago for more than three decades...
, economist - Charles R. JacksonCharles R. JacksonCharles Reginald Jackson was an American author, best known for his 1944 novel The Lost Weekend.-Career:Jackson's first published story, "Palm Sunday", appeared in the Partisan Review in 1939...
, writer - Gilman MarstonGilman MarstonGilman Marston was a United States Representative, Senator, and United States Army general from New Hampshire.-Early life:...
, politician and general - Samuel MoreySamuel MoreySamuel Morey was an American inventor, who worked on early internal combustion engines and was a pioneer in steamships who accumulated a total of 20 patents.-Early life:...
, inventor - Jameson ParkerJameson ParkerFrancis Jameson Parker Jr. is an American actor, best known as the co-star of the 1980s television series Simon & Simon.-Biography:Parker studied drama at Beloit College...
, actor - Meldrim Thomson, Jr.Meldrim Thomson, Jr.Meldrim Thomson, Jr. was a Republican who served three terms as Governor of the U.S. state of New Hampshire from 1973 to 1979, during which time he became known as a strong supporter of conservative political values....
, governor - Jeduthun WilcoxJeduthun WilcoxJeduthun Wilcox was a United States Representative from New Hampshire. He was born in Middletown, Connecticut. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1802. He commenced practice in Orford, New Hampshire....
, congressman - Leonard WilcoxLeonard WilcoxLeonard Wilcox was a United States Senator from New Hampshire. His father, Jeduthun Wilcox, was a United States Representative from New Hampshire from 1813 to 1816....
, senator