Shelburne, New Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Shelburne is a town
in Coos County
, New Hampshire
, United States
. The population was 372 at the 2010 census. It is located in the White Mountains
, and part of the White Mountain National Forest
is in the south. Shelburne is home to Leadmine State Forest. The Appalachian Trail
crosses the town.
Shelburne is part of the Berlin
, NH–VT
Micropolitan Statistical Area
.
, the town was named for William Petty Fitzmaurice, Earl of Shelburne
. He was a supporter of independence for the American
colonies, and at his insistence, King George III recognized the independence of the United States
. The town was first settled in 1771, and incorporated on December 13, 1820, when Shelburne voters chose to keep the name. It included Shelburne Addition until that was set off and incorporated in 1836 as Gorham
.
On August 3, 1781, the town was attacked by a party of six Indians, who had earlier raided Bethel
and Gilead
, Maine
. They killed one man and took another into captivity. The rest of the inhabitants fled to Hark Hill, where they spent the night before sheltering in Fryeburg.
Shelburne provided excellent soil for farming on either side of the Androscoggin River
, but not far from the stream it becomes mountainous. The Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad, which opened to Gorham on July 23, 1851, and later became the Grand Trunk Railway
, passed through the southern part of the town. In 1859, the population was 480.
Located at the northern end of the Mount Washington Valley
, Shelburne has a beautiful grove
of birch
trees, popular with artists and photographers, dedicated to the town's soldiers who served in World War II
.
, the town has a total area of 48.8 square miles (126.4 km²), of which 47.9 sq mi (124.1 km²) is land and 0.9 sq mi (2.3 km²) is water, comprising 1.84% of the town. Shelburne is drained by the Androscoggin River
. Part of the Mahoosuc Range is in the north, while the northern end of the Carter-Moriah Range
is to the south. The highest point in Shelburne is on the town's southern boundary at 3970 feet (1,210.1 m) above sea level
, just a few steps north of the 4049 feet (1,234.1 m) summit of Mount Moriah
.
The town is crossed by U.S. Route 2.
of 2000, there were 379 people, 156 households, and 114 families residing in the town. The population density
was 7.9 people per square mile (3.1/km²). There were 197 housing units at an average density of 4.1 per square mile (1.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.36% White, 0.26% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.26% from other races
, and 1.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.06% of the population.
There were 156 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.9% were married couples
living together, 2.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 34.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 106.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $44,375, and the median income for a family was $59,375. Males had a median income of $36,000 versus $22,188 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $24,899. About 2.9% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 13.5% 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 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 372 at the 2010 census. It is located in the White Mountains
White Mountains (New Hampshire)
The White Mountains are a mountain range covering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. Part of the Appalachian Mountains, they are considered the most rugged mountains in New England...
, and part of the White Mountain National Forest
White Mountain National Forest
The White Mountain National Forest is a federally-managed forest contained within the White Mountains in the northeastern United States. It was established in 1918 as a result of the Weeks Act of 1911; federal acquisition of land had already begun in 1914. It has a total area of...
is in the south. Shelburne is home to Leadmine State Forest. 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 the town.
Shelburne 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...
.
History
First granted in 1769 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:...
, the town was named for William Petty Fitzmaurice, Earl of Shelburne
Earl of Shelburne
Earl of Shelburne is a title that has been created two times while the title of Baron Shelburne has been created three times. The Shelburne title was created for the first time in the Peerage of Ireland in 1688 when Elizabeth, Lady Petty, was made Baroness Shelburne. She was the wife of the noted...
. He was a supporter of independence for the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
colonies, and at his insistence, King George III recognized the independence of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The town was first settled in 1771, and incorporated on December 13, 1820, when Shelburne voters chose to keep the name. It included Shelburne Addition until that was set off and incorporated in 1836 as Gorham
Gorham, New Hampshire
Gorham is a town in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,848 at the 2010 census. Gorham is located in the White Mountains, and parts of the White Mountain National Forest are in the south and northwest. Moose Brook State Park is in the west. The town is crossed by the...
.
On August 3, 1781, the town was attacked by a party of six Indians, who had earlier raided Bethel
Bethel, Maine
Bethel is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,411 at the 2000 census. It includes the villages of West Bethel and South Bethel...
and Gilead
Gilead, Maine
Gilead is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. Upon incorporation in 1804, it was named for the large quantity of Balm of Gilead trees in the town center. The population was 156 at the 2000 census.- History :...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. They killed one man and took another into captivity. The rest of the inhabitants fled to Hark Hill, where they spent the night before sheltering in Fryeburg.
Shelburne provided excellent soil for farming on either side of 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...
, but not far from the stream it becomes mountainous. The Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad, which opened to Gorham on July 23, 1851, and later became the Grand Trunk Railway
Grand Trunk Railway
The Grand Trunk Railway was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The railway was operated from headquarters in Montreal, Quebec; however, corporate...
, passed through the southern part of the town. In 1859, the population was 480.
Located at the northern end of the Mount Washington Valley
Mount Washington (New Hampshire)
Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at , famous for dangerously erratic weather. For 76 years, a weather observatory on the summit held the record for the highest wind gust directly measured at the Earth's surface, , on the afternoon of April 12, 1934...
, Shelburne has a beautiful grove
Grove (nature)
A grove is a small group of trees with minimal or no undergrowth, such as a sequoia grove, or a small orchard planted for the cultivation of fruits or nuts...
of birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
trees, popular with artists and photographers, dedicated to the town's soldiers who served in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
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 48.8 square miles (126.4 km²), of which 47.9 sq mi (124.1 km²) is land and 0.9 sq mi (2.3 km²) is water, comprising 1.84% of the town. Shelburne is drained by 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...
. Part of the Mahoosuc Range is in the north, while the northern end of the Carter-Moriah Range
Carter-Moriah Range
The Carter-Moriah Range of mountains is located in the White Mountains, in Coos County, New Hampshire. The range forms the northern east side of Pinkham Notch, opposite the northern Presidential Range.- Summits :From north to south:...
is to the south. The highest point in Shelburne is on the town's southern boundary at 3970 feet (1,210.1 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...
, just a few steps north of the 4049 feet (1,234.1 m) summit of Mount Moriah
Mount Moriah (New Hampshire)
Mount Moriah is a mountain located in Coos County, New Hampshire. The mountain is part of the Carter-Moriah Range of the White Mountains, which runs along the northern east side of Pinkham Notch. The summit is approximately southeast of the center of the town of Gorham...
.
The town is crossed by U.S. Route 2.
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 379 people, 156 households, and 114 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 7.9 people per square mile (3.1/km²). There were 197 housing units at an average density of 4.1 per square mile (1.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.36% White, 0.26% Native American, 0.26% 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 1.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.06% of the population.
There were 156 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.9% 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, 2.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 34.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 106.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $44,375, and the median income for a family was $59,375. Males had a median income of $36,000 versus $22,188 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 $24,899. About 2.9% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 13.5% of those age 65 or over.