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'New Ipswich' is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, USA. The population was 4,289 at the 2000 census. New Ipswich, situated on the Massachusetts border, includes the villages of Bank, Davis, Gibson Four Corners, Highbridge, New Ipswich Center, Smithville, and Wilder, though these village designations no longer hold the importance they did in the past. The Wapack Trail passes through the community.

Contents

History

Notable Inhabitants

Geography

Demographics

Sites of Interest

References

External links

History

New Ipswich was granted in 1735 to 60 inhabitants of Ipswich, Massachusetts, from whence the name is derived, by Colonial Governor Jonathan Belcher and the General Court (Assembly) of Massachusetts. As was customary, tall white pine trees were reserved for use as masts by the Royal Navy. Settlement began in 1738, when Abijah Foster arrived with his wife and infant daughter. In 1762, Governor Benning Wentworth incorporated the town as "Ipswich," and then in 1766 as "New Ipswich." Appleton Academy was incorporated in 1789, the second oldest in New Hampshire after Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter. It would also serve as high school for the nearby communities of Mason and Greenville. Appleton Academy closed in 1968. In 1969, construction of Mascenic Regional High School was completed in New Ipswich.

The Souhegan River provided water power for mills, and in 1801, the first woolen mill in the state was established at New Ipswich, followed in 1804 by the first cotton mill. Other early factories produced glass, potash and linseed oil. Cabinet making craftsmen produced elegant furniture. The town's affluence would be expressed in fine architecture, an example of which is the Barrett House, used as a setting for the 1979 Merchant Ivory film of ''The Europeans'' by Henry James. Bypassed by the railroad, the early mill town was preserved.
In the past half century, a notable influx of peoples of Finnish descent, particularly of the Apostolic Lutheran Church of America, have settled in New Ipswich. Additionally, migrants from nearby Massachusetts make up a large percentage of new residents.

Notable Inhabitants

★ Jesse Appleton, theologian & educator

★ Nathan Appleton, merchant & politician, born in New Ipswich^[1]

★ Samuel Appleton, merchant & philanthropist

★ Benjamin Champney, artist

★ Jonas Chickering, piano manufacturer

★ Augustus Addison Gould, scientist

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 85.6 km² (33.1 mi²). 84.8 km² (32.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²) of it is water, comprising 0.97% of the town. New Ipswich is drained by the Souhegan River. ''New Ipswich Mountain'', part of the Wapack Range, is the highest point in the town, with an elevation of 1,881 feet (573 meters) above sea level. Much of the town is made up of the wooded foothills of the Wapack Range. Secondary growth forests have reclaimed the vast majority of the pasture lands that dominated New Ipswich and much of New England around the turn of the last century.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 4,289 people, 1,350 households, and 1,089 families residing in the town. The population density was 50.6/km² (131.0/mi²). There were 1,449 housing units at an average density of 17.1/km² (44.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.55% White, 0.19% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.14% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.79% of the population. 19.7% were of Finnish, 13.2% French, 13.0% English, 10.4% Irish, 9.7% French Canadian, 6.5% German and 5.6% American ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 1,350 households out of which 45.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.6% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.3% were non-families. 15.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.16 and the average family size was 3.55.

In the town the population was spread out with 34.5% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 104.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $53,939, and the median income for a family was $57,865. Males had a median income of $40,887 versus $26,724 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,210. About 4.3% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.5% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.
New Ipswich has one of the highest population percentages of residents under the age of 18 in New Hampshire ^[2].

Sites of Interest

★ Barrett House (c. 1800)

References

1. Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896, , , , Marquis Who's Who, ,
2. New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile

External links

★ History of New Ipswich, New Hampshire

★ The Wapack Trail