USA > New Hampshire > The statistics and gazetteer of New-Hampshire. Containing descriptions of all the counties, towns and villages statistical tables with a list of state officers, etc. > Part 31
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Hotel. Merrimack House.
First Settlements. This town was part of Dunstable (now Nash- ua) and originally called Souhe- gan East. Settlements were com- menced as early as 1733. The first house was erected in town, several years before any permanent settle- ment was made. It was located on the margin of the river, and occupied as a place of traffic with the Indians. It was owned by John Cromwell, of England, and was called Cromwell's House. He carried on a profitable trade with the Indians, for some time, in pur- chasing their furs, having as a weight on the opposite scale his foot for their furs to weigh down. This deception, at length, they found out, and they determined to kill him for his perfidy towards them. Cromwell heard of their intention, through some source, buried his furs, and made his es- cape. Soon after his flight a party of the Pennacook tribe made their appearance, and not finding him, burned his house. The town was incorporated April 2, 1746, and de- rived its name from the river on which it was situated.
Hon. Matthew Thornton, one of the signers of the Declaration of American Independence, resided many years in this town. The old town records show that Mr. Thornton presided over their town meetings, and held various town offices. Statesmen and eminent men of to-day, who hold honorable positions of trust, would do well
to ponder the epitaph on his head stone, in the cemetery at Merri- mack. It is short, but a worthy biography of & life time. It is enough to fill volumes, but all implied in three words, " The Honest Man." He died in 1803, at the age of eighty-nine.
The people are to-day noted for their staid integrity, and general intelligence.
First Minister. Rev. Jacob Bur- nap settled in 1772, died in 1821.
Boundaries. North by Bedford, east by Litchfield, south by Nash- ua, and west by Amherst. Area, 19,361 acres; area of improved land, 8,798 acres.
Distances. Twenty-seven miles south from Concord, eight north from Nashua. and six miles east from Amherst.
Railroads. The Concord Rail- road passes along its eastern bor- der, while the Nashua and Wilton Railroad runs through the south- ern part. On the Concord road there are stations at Reed's Ferry, Merrimack, and Thornton's Ferry ; on the Wilton road, at South Mer- rimack.
MIDDLETON.
STRAFFORD COUNTY. The sur- face is even, and in some por- tions rocky. By careful cultiva- tion, the soil can be made to yield fine crops.
Mountains. Moose Mountain, which separates this town from Brookfield, is the principal ele- vation,
There are no ponds nor streams of any note, consequently there is but very little water power.
Employments. The employ- ments of the people are varied. Some are engaged in Agriculture,
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while others are employed in me- chanical labor. 75,000 shoe and carving knives are annually manu- factured; 2,000 clapboards, 62,000 shingles, 42,000 feet of boards and dimension timber sawed, and 6,600 bushels of grain ground, besides other small mechanical works. The total value of manu- factured goods annually produced, including grain ground, is $ 33,000.
Resources. Productions of the soil, $23,939; mechanical labor, $ 20,000; money at interest, $2. 700; ; deposits in savings banks, $ 21,792; stock in trade, $2,100; from summer tourists, $ 400.
Churches and Schools. Free- will Baptist, Rev. Seth Sawyer, pastor; There are four schools in town; average length for the year, sixteen weeks.
Hotels. "Rollins Hotel," and " Shapley House."
First Settlements. Thomas Mor- gan, and others came to this town and made a settlement a few years . before the Revolution. It was In- corporated March 4, 1778.
First Minister. Rev. Nehemi- ah Ordway settled in 1778.
Boundaries. North by Brook- field and Wakefield, east by Mil- ton, south by Milton and New- Durham and west by New Dur- ham. Area, 9,840, acres; im- proved land 3,806 acres.
Distances. Forty miles north- east from Concord, and twenty- five north-west from Dover.
Railroad Three miles to Union station on the Portsmouth, Great Falls and Conway Railroad.
MILAN.
Coos COUNTY. Although there are no mountains of any consider- able altitude, in Milan, the surface
is uneven, and broken. The soil is good, and well adapted to agri- culture. But few towns in the county produce better or more valuable crops to the acre.
Rivers and Ponds. The upper Amonoosuck and Androscoggin Rivers pass through this town, flowing in nearly opposite direc- tions. The latter receives several tributaries in Milan. There are several ponds, of which Cedar is the largest.
Employments. The inhabitants are mostly engaged in agriculture. There are several saw mills, which annually manufacture over 4,000, 000 feet of lumber, and two starch mills manufacturing 175 tons of starch.
Resources. Productions of the soil, $ 79,972; mechanical labor, $ 10,200; money at interest, $ 4, 687; deposits in savings banks, $ 324; stock in trade, $ 4,900; from summer tourists, $ 4,500.
Churches and Schools. Metho- dist Church, Rev. L. E. Gordon, pastor. There are ten school districts in town; average length of schools, for the year, eight weeks.
Hotel. Union Hotel.
Settlements. This town was granted to Sir William Mayne and others, under the name of Pauls- burg in 1771. It retained this name until December 16, 1824, when it was incorporated under the name of Milan.
Boundaries and Area. North by Dummer and Cambridge, east by Success, south by Berlin, west by Stark and Killkenney. Area, 31,154 acres; area of improved land, 5,512 acres.
Distances. One hundred and fifty. miles north from Concord,
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MILFORD.
twenty-two miles north-east from Lancaster.
Railroad. Grand Trunk Rail- road, passes through this town.
MILFORD.
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. Mil- ford is one of the most important towns in the State, in point of ag- riculture, manufactures, and trade. It ranks in population and wealth as the thirteenth town in the State, and in the county, the third. It lies on both sides of the Souhegan River, which runs in an easterly direction through the town, and affords many valuable water priv- ileges. The surface is moderately uneven. There is some very fine interval land on the Souhegan, about half a mile in width, the larger portion of which is annual- ly overflowed, which causes the soil to be deep, black, and exceed- ingly fertile. The nplands, when properly cultivated, produce ex- cellent crops of corn, oats, &c. Large quantities of fruit, of vari- ons kinds, are annually produced. Much attention has been given for a few years past, to the production of milk for the market. Over 220, 000 gallons are annually sent to Boston, besides what is sold in the village. The farmers of Milford know the valuable results obtain- ed through "New-Hampshire" farming; and everything about their farms and farm buildings indicates that their knowledge has been put into practical opera- tion.
Village. On the Souhegan is lo- cated the large and thriving village of Milford. For many years it has been the seat of considerable manufacturing and trade, but since the completion of the Wilton Rail-
road, a new impetus has been giv- en to all branches of business. In the season of 1871, the Souhegan cotton mill was burned, which, to some extent, has paralyzed busi- ness; but the inhabitants are vig- orous and industrious, and, no doubt, will soon recover from this disaster, and go forward with re- newed zeal. Nearly all branches of industry are pursued. There are two meat markets, five gro- cery stores, four dry goods, two clothing, two drug and medicine, two hardware, one book, two boot and shoe, one merchant tailor, two stove and tin ware, one jewel- ry, two millinery, one furniture and crockery store, and one fish market. Besides, there are two eating houses, one hotel, two liv- ery stables, two churches, one large high school building, two banks, one large social library, and about two hundred and fifty dwelling houses. There are also four law- yers, five physicians and dentists, and various other offices.
One of the finest town halls in the State was erected, at an ex- pense of $ 45,000, about five years since, and is an ornament to the village. The streets are wide and many of them pleasantly shaded. In the centre of the village is a handsome Common, beautifully shaded, and around this park are located many of the business blocks. Many of the dwellings are very neat, adorned with bean- tiful grounds, and enclosed with handsome fences. The whole village bears that impress of thrift and enterprise, which ev- ery stranger admires, who has the pleasure of making a visit to this delightful town. It is becoming a popular resort for tourists, and
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many spend their summer vaca- tion here.
Employments. Many of the in- habitants are devoted to agricul- ture, but manufacturing and trade, are the most important branches of business; 813,000 yards of cot- ton goods are manufactured; car- pets, &c., are annually made to the value of $ 260,000; 153,000 lbs. of knitting and tidy yarn valued at $ 107,100; 9,000 pairs men's boots and shoes; furniture to the value of $ 100,000; 90,000 mackerel kits; 90,000 barrels, half barrels, and kegs; 120,000 picture and mirror frames; 70,000 portable desks and fancy boxes; printers' furniture, $ 10,000; 700,000 shingles, 1,800,000 feet of boards and dimension tim- ber sawed; 40,000 bushels grain ground; 24,000 sides upper leather and 31,000 sides sole leather tan- ned, valued at $ 306,000; besides piano actions, toys, extension ta- bles, window springs, and various other manufactured articles, too numerous to mention. There are also blacksmiths, carpenters, ma- sons, marble workers, painters, tailors, milliners, jewelers, &c.
The granite quarrying is becom- ing an important branch of indus- try. This granite is pronounced of the best quality-free from iron, and is of easy access to the railroad. Seventy-five men are employed on the various ledges. The total cap- ital invested in manufactories is $ 722,300; males employed, 445, females, 211; value of goods annu- ally produced is $ 1,360,500.
Resources. Productions of the soil, $ 162,500; mechanical labor, $ 252,100; stocks &c., $59,300; money at interest, $ 95,340; depos- its in savings banks, $ 355,390; stocks in trade, $ 142,688; from
summer tourists, $ 4,000: profes- sional service, trades &c., $ 100,000.
Churches and Schools. Congre- gational, Rev. George Prince, Jr., pastor; number of members, 265. Baptist, Rev. J. D. Tilton, pastor. There are thirteen schools in town classified as follows: three of the primary grade, two grammar, sev- en mixed or ungraded, and one high school. Milford has taken the advance step in education, un- der the public free school system. At the June session in 1870, the Legislature passed an act to en- able towns to abolish the district school system, and have the dis- trict embrace the whole town, un- der the supervision of a board of education. Under this system the school terms are of the same length throughout the town. At the an- nual town meeting in March, 1871. Milford claimed the benefit of this law, and abolished the several dis- tricts in town, and it is now com- prised in one school district. No doubt the system is a correct one, for every scholar in town now has the same privilege as to the length of school terms, and grades, and is the equal, only in distance from school room, which cannot be ob- viated.
The length of schools for the year is thirty-six weeks, divided into three terms of twelve weeks in length. Amount of money an- nually appropriated for school pur- poses, $ 6,200. Amount of money expended to build and repair schoolhouses the past year, (1872,) $ 7,103.52 Present Board of Ed- ucation, W. B. Orcutt, G. Pierce, Jr., and D. S. Burnham.
Library. Milford Free Library. Number of volumes, 2,005. Books taken out for the year ending Jan-
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uary, 1873, equal to one volume 9,207 times. Number of persons taking out books, 750.
Banks. Souhegan National Bank, and Milford Five Cents Savings Bank.
Hotel. Union Hotel. Valua- ation, $ 10,000. Two livery sta- bles valued at $ 11,000
First Settlers Milford was in- corporated January 11, 1794, and included what was anciently call- ed Mile Slip and Duxbury School Farm. John Burns, Wil- liam Peabody, Benjamin Hopkins, Caleb Jones, Nathan Hutchinson, Andrew Bradford, Elisha Town, Captain Josiah Crosby, and Wil- liam Wallace were the first set- tlers. Captain Crosby was a rev- olutionary officer.
The blood of the sons of Milford ran freely in the war of the great rebellion. The memorial tablet in the Town Hall building gives the names of sixty soldiers belong- ing to this town,who were killed or died from the effects of the war.
First Churches and Minister. A Congregational Church was or- ganized in 1788, and the Baptist organized September 5, 1809, Rev. Humphrey Moore (Congregation- al) was the first settled minister, and was ordained in 1802.
Boundaries. North by Lynde- borough Mount Vernon and Am- herst, east by Amherst and Hollis, south by Hollis and Brookline, and west by Mason and Wilton. Area 15,402 acres; area of improved land, 10,547.
Distances. Thirty-one miles south from Concord, five south- west from Amherst, and ten north west of Nashua.
Railroad. Nashua and Wilton Railroad passes through the town,
in an easterly and westerly direc- tion.
MILLSFIELD.
Coos COUNTY. The surface of this town is uneven, but the soil is strong, and might produce good grass and grain, if the cold cli- mate and isolated location did not debar its being settled to any ex- tent. In 1870, there were 28 in- habitants, 180 acres of improved land, 4 horses, 14 cattle, 6 sheep, and 3 swine in town. The north- ern portion is mountainous. There are several ponds, the largest of which is 300 rods long and 140 wide, Clear Stream waters its northern extremity, and Philip's River with several small streams the other parts of the town.
This town was granted to Sir Thomas Mills, George Boyd and others, March 1, 1774.
Boundaries. North by Dixville, east by Errol, south by Dummer, and west by Odell and Dixville Area, 23,200 acres.
Distances. 150 miles north from Concord, and 36 north-east from Lancaster.
MILTON.
STRAFFORD COUNTY. This is an important town in point of manufactories. The surface is broken and affords excellent pas- turage. The soil is generally good, and, when properly tilled, pro- duces fair crops.
Rivers. Salmon Falls River wa- ters the eastern section of the town. A branch of this river pass- es through the northern part, and unites with it at the eastern border of the town, near the center of the line. There is some valuable wa- ter power, a part of which is im-
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proved with valuable manufacto- ries.
Ponds and Mountains. Milton Pond lies at the foot of Teneriffe Mountain, a bold and rocky eleva- tion which extends along the east- ern part of the town.
Employments. The employments of the inhabitants are nearly equal- ly divided between farming on the one side and manufacturing and trading on the other. At Milton Mills there is considerable manu- facturing-one manufactory annu- ally producing over $ 170,000 worth of flannels and blankets. There are also produced in other manufac- tories, 200,000 yards of felt cloth, 150,000 yards of embossing cloth, 20,000 printing, or piano and table covers. Also carriages. At the South part there are made over $100,000 worth of shoes, 15,000 clap- boards, 325,000 shingles, 15,000 railroad splices, 5,000 shooks, 475, 000 feet of lumber; besides, there are carriage and other small me- chanical shops. The total value of goods, of all kinds, annually manufactured in town is $520,000.
Resources. Productions of the soil, $ 68,192; mechanical labor, $ 65,000; money at interest, $ 5, 250; deposits in savings banks, $ 67,874; stock in trade, $ 21,193.
Churches and Schools. Congre- gational, Rev. F. Haley, pastor ; Freewill Baptist, Rev. Joseph F. Joy, pastor; Christian, Rev. D. E. Goodwin. Milton Mills, Congre- gational, Rev. D. B. Scott, pastor ; Baptist, Rev. Caleb F.Page, pastor. There are also Rev. J. S. Potter, Freewill Baptist, and Elder I. J. Tebbits, Methodist. There are thirteen schools in town. Aver- age length of schools, for the year, seventeen weeks. Amount of
money annually appropriated for school purposes $ 1,645,85.
Literary Institution. Milton Classical Institute, Mr. J. H. Ham, principal.
Hotels. Franklin House. At Milton Mills, Central House.
First Organization. Milton was formerly a part of Rochester, and was incorporated June 11, 1802.
Boundaries. North - west by Middleton and Wakefield, east by Salmon Falls river, which sepa- rates it from Lebanon, Maine, and south-west by Farmington and New Durham. Area, 25,000 acres; area of improved land, 8,517 acres.
Distances. Forty miles north- east from Concord, and twenty north-west from Dover.
Railroads. The Portsmouth, Great Falls and Conway Railroad passes through this town, nearly north and south.
MONROE.
GRAFTON COUNTY. The surface of this town is broken with hills and valleys, and affords excellent grazing. The soil is generally good, and, when properly culti- vated, produces fine crops of grain and hay. There is considerable interval on the river, and the west slope of Gardner's mountain pro- duces excellent grass and wheat.
River. Connecticut River wash- es its western border. At the nar- rows in this town, the river is only five rods in width, being con- fined by walls of slate. The scenery, at this point, is grand and picturesque. Near the north-west- ern extremity of the town, at the confluence of the Connecticut and Passumpsic rivers, the former as- sumes the shape of a diamond, its
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MOULTONBOROUGH.
greatest width being about one mile, encircling twenty islands, and affording a delightful land- scape.
Minerals. Bog iron ore, zinc and copper ore are found in vari- ous localities.
Employments. The inhabitants are largely engaged in farming. The lumber business is extensive- ly carried on. 1,400 bushels wheat, 3,000 bushels corn, and 9,000 bushels of oats and barley are annually produced.
Resources. Productions of the soil, $ 61,254; mechanical labor, $ 15,000; money at interest, $ 19, 976; deposits in savings banks, $ 20; stock in trade, $ 8,800; from tourists, $ 3,000.
Churches and Schools. Christian, Union, and Methodist. There are six schools in town. Average length of schools for the year, twenty-three weeks.
Hotel. Monroe House.
First Organization. Monroe was disannexed from the western part of Lyman, and formed into a separate town, July 13, 1854.
Boundaries. North by Little- ton, east by Lyman, south by Bath, and west by Barnet, Vermont. Area of improved land, 8,246 acres.
Distances. By railroad, ninety- seven miles north from Concord, and fifteen north from Haverhill.
Railroad. At McIndoe's Falls, on the Passumpsic Railroad, in Vermont, is the station for Mun- roe.
MOULTONBOROUGH.
CARROLL COUNTY. The surface of Moultonborough is mountain- ous, but the soil is deep and fer- tile, and yields good crops of
wheat, corn, potatoes, &c. The town ranks as the sixth town in the county, in the value of its ag- ricultural products.
Rivers, Ponds, &c. Red Hill River, the principal stream, origi- nates in Sandwich, and passes through this town into the Winni- piseogee. Long Pond is a beauti- ful sheet of water, and connects with the lake by a channel sixty rods in length. Squam and Win- nipiseogee Lakes lie partly in this town.
Mountains. Red Hill, lying wholly in this town, is about 2,000 feet above the level of the sea, and commands notice from the east, south, and west, and extends about three miles from east to west, between Red Hill River on the north, Great Squam on the west, Great Squam and Long Pond on the south, terminating south-east by a neck of fine land, extending into the Winnipiseogee. A number of oval bluffs rise on its summit, from each of which the prospect, on either hand, is extensive and delightful. The north bluff is supposed to consist of a body of iron ore. Bog ore is found in a brook descending from this bluff. This mountain is cov- ered with soil, and is wooded nearly to its summit. It owes its name to the circumstance of the leaves, Uva Ursa, with which it is covered, changing to a brilliant red in the autumn. Ossipee Mountain extends its base into this town, and is a commanding elevation.
Springs. On the south part of Ossipee Mountain, in Moultonbo- rough, is a mineral chalybeate spring, the water strongly impreg- nated with iron and sulphur, and
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efficacious in cutaneous eruptions. About a mile north is a spring of pure, cold water, sixteen feet in diameter, through the centre of which the water, containing a small portion of white sand, is constantly thrown up to the height of two feet. The spring furnishes water sufficient for mills. On the stream, nearly a mile below, is a beautiful water-fall of seventy feet perpendicular. Descending on the left of this fall, a cave is found, containing charcoal and other evidences of its having once been a hiding place for the In- dians.
Indians. The Ossipee tribe of Indians once resided in this vicin- ity, and some years since a tree was standing in Moultonborough, on which was carved in hiero- gliphics the history of their expe- ditions. Many Indian implements and relics have been found, indi- cating this to have been once their favorite residence. In 1820, on a small island in Lake Winnipiseo- gee, was found a curious gun bar- rel, much worn by age and rust, divested of its stock, enclosed in the body of a pitch pine tree, six- teen inches in diameter. On the line of Tuftonborough, on the shore of the lake, at the mouth of Melvin River, a gigantic skeleton was found, about sixty years since, buried in a sandy soil, apparently that of a man more than seven feet high, the jaw bone easily passing over the face of a large man.
Employments. Agriculture is the principal employment of the people. 700,000 shingles, and 325, 000 feet of boards &c., are annual- ly sawed.
Resources. Productions of the
soil, $109,622; mechanical labor, $7,600; money at interest, $3,064; deposits in savings banks, $ 22, 442; stock in trade, $ 10,401; from summer tourists, $ 3,000.
Churches and Schools. Metho- dist Episcopal Church, Rev. Hen- ry Chandler, pastor. There are seventeen school districts in this town, and sixteen schools. Aver- age length of schools for the year, nineteen weeks.
Hotels. Jaclard House.
First Settlements. Moultonbo- rough was granted by the Masoni- an proprietors to Col. Jonathan Moulton and sixty-one others, No- vember 17, 1763. Incorporated November 27, 1777.
In the month of August, 1784, a boy of Mr. Leach, eight years of age, was sent to a pasture, towards the close of the day, to put out a horse and bring home the cows. His father, being in a neighboring field, heard a cry of distress, and running to the fence, saw his child lying on the ground, and a bear standing by him. He seized a stake and crept along, with a view to get between the bear and the child. The bear took the child by the throat, and drew him into the bushes. The father pursued till he came up, and aiming a stroke at the bear, the stake broke in his hand, and the bear, leaving his prey, turned upon the parent, who, in the anguish of his soul, was obliged to retreat, and call for help. Before any sufficient help could be obtained, the night was so far advanced that a search was impracticable. The night was passed by the family in the utmost distress. The neighbors assem- bled, and, at break of day, renew- ed the pursuit. The child's hat,
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MOUNT VERNON.
and the bridle, which he had drop- ed, were found, and they tracked his blood about forty rods, when they discovered the mangled corpse. The throat was torn, and one thigh devoured. Whilst they were standing around the body, the bear arose from behind a log. Three guns were fired at him at the same instant, which dispatched him, and a fire was immediately kindled, in which he was consumed.
First Ministers. Rev. Samuel Perley, Congregational, ordained in 1778, died in 1779; Rev. Jere- miah Shaw, ordained in 1779; Rev. Joshua Dodge, settled in 1808. The first house for public worship was erected in 1773, and blown down by a violent east wind,in 1819. The Congregational church was formed March 12, 1777.
Boundaries. North by Sand- wich and Tamworth, east by Ossi- pee and Tuftonborough, south by Lake Winnipiseogee, and west by Centre Harbor and Squam Lake. Area of improved land, 14,265 acres.
Distances. Fifty miles north from Concord, and about fifteen north-west from Ossipee.
Railroads. By daily stage. to Meredith station, ten miles, on the Boston, Concord, and Montreal Railroad. When completed, it is expected that the New-Hamp- shire Central, and Meredith and Ossipee Railroads will pass through this town.
MOUNT VERNON.
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. The surface of this town is uneven and elevated, but the soil is strong and productive, well adapted to grass and grain. On many of the eleva-
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