Bethlehem, New Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Bethlehem is a hillside town in Grafton County
, New Hampshire
, United States
. The population was 2,526 at the 2010 census. It is home to Cushman and Strawberry Hill state forests. The eastern half of the town is within the White Mountain National Forest
. The Appalachian Trail
crosses in the south.
The main village of the town, where 972 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Bethlehem census-designated place
(CDP), and is located at the junction of U.S. Route 302
with New Hampshire Route 142
. The town also includes the villages of Maplewood and Pierce Bridge.
Governor John Wentworth
, the town was named for James Lloyd of Boston. It would be the last of the provincial grants in New Hampshire
. In the aftermath of the Revolutionary War
, the original grant could not be found. Lack of documentation would deter settlement until 1787, when the first permanent houses where built. Dropping its homage to Lloyd, a Loyalist
, the town would be incorporated as Bethlehem on December 27, 1799, the name selected on the last Christmas
Day of the century. There were just 33 families, with agriculture
the only industry.
By 1850, however, the population had grown to 950, and the town contained a gristmill
, 5 large sawmill
s and 2 starch
factories. Then, in 1867, the railroad came to Bethlehem Junction. With it traveled tourists from Boston, New York and elsewhere, many to avoid respiratory ailments in the low pollen
count environment of "the highest town in New Hampshire" (as claimed on a present-day sign in the village, although several other towns in the state are higher). Others were attracted by the paintings of the White Mountain art
ists. Conveniently located near Mount Washington
and other attractions of the White Mountains
, Bethlehem developed into a Gilded Age
resort for the rich and famous.
In 1873, at the beginning of a building boom, Governor Henry Howard
of Rhode Island
built Howard House. Eventually, over 30 hotels would line Bethlehem's streets. Seven trains arrived daily, some direct from Grand Central Terminal
, stopping at Bethlehem's five depots. Patrons included Presidents Grant
, Hayes, Roosevelt
, Taft
and Harding, as well as author Thornton Burgess
and poet Robert Frost
. Entertainments included strolling Main Street on a two and a half mile raised boardwalk
, carriage
rides in the countryside, croquet
games or simply lounging about the hotels' sweeping piazza
s.
On the hills and thoroughfares were built large summer "cottages," including that of the Woolworth
family. Beginning in 1887, an annual Coaching Parade was held, with prizes awarded for lavishly decorated horse-drawn carriages. Ornamentations cost as much as $5000, prompting visitor Phineas T. Barnum to proclaim it "the Second Greatest Show on Earth."
But the rise of the automobile
would bring the decline of grand hotels. Tourists could now explore regions beyond the limits of rail service. Beginning about 1916, Jewish families began arriving in town, often seeking relief from hay fever
symptoms. In fact, an organization named the Hebrew Hay Fever Relief Association, which was organized in the 1920s, existed in Bethlehem for many years. For a town in northern New Hampshire, contemporary Bethlehem has a sizable Jewish community (and a number of synagogues), a legacy of its hay-fever-relief experience.
It was at Bethlehem that the National Hay Fever Relief Association was founded. World War II
gave the hotels a second life, as tourists avoided war-ravaged Europe
and stayed closer to home. By the 1950s, however, hotel attendance had dwindled. Many would close and be demolished. Today, the town is known for its special Christmas postal cancellation stamp. Every year, people from all over the world send Christmas card
s to the Bethlehem post office
to have them postmarked. In 2000, it handled 56,000 Christmas cards.
Bethlehem has experienced a continuing controversy, beginning in the 1980s. The Rutland, Vermont company Casella Waste Systems, through its subsidiary North Country Environmental Services, purchased the town dump, and created a landfill
. The company has made efforts to expand the landfill. Town residents have tried to terminate the landfill, but Casella has repeatedly challenged the residents in court.
, the town has a total area of 91 square miles (235.7 km²), of which 90.6 square miles (234.7 km²) is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) is water, comprising 0.39% of the town. Bethlehem is drained by the Ammonoosuc
, Gale
, Zealand
and Little
rivers, together with Tuttle, Baker and Haystack brooks. Mount Cleveland, elevation 2397 feet (730.6 m), and Mount Agassiz, 2378 ft (724.8 m), rise to the south of the center of town. Town boundaries contain several of the famous 4,000-footers
of New Hampshire: North Twin Mountain
(the highest point in Bethlehem at 4781 ft (1,457.2 m)), Mount Hale
, Mount Tom
, Mount Field
and Mount Willey
. Bethlehem lies almost fully within the Connecticut River
watershed
, though a tiny portion of the southeast corner of the town is in the Merrimack River
watershed.
of 2000, there were 2,199 people, 924 households, and 588 families residing in the town. The population density
was 24.2 people per square mile (9.3/km²). There were 1,307 housing units at an average density of 14.4 per square mile (5.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.95% White, 0.14% African American, 0.55% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.14% from other races
, and 1.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.77% of the population.
There were 924 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples
living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 28.0% 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 103.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,547, and the median income for a family was $48,333. Males had a median income of $30,133 versus $24,333 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $20,155. About 7.9% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.8% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
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
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,526 at the 2010 census. It is home to Cushman and Strawberry Hill state forests. The eastern half of the town is within 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...
. 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 south.
The main village of the town, where 972 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Bethlehem census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP), and is located at the junction of U.S. Route 302
U.S. Route 302
U.S. Route 302 is a spur of U.S. Route 2. It currently runs 171 miles north from Portland, Maine, at U.S. Route 1, to Montpelier, Vermont, at US 2...
with New Hampshire Route 142
New Hampshire Route 142
New Hampshire Route 142 is a long north–south state highway in northern New Hampshire. The highway runs between Franconia in the White Mountains Region to Dalton in the upper Connecticut River valley....
. The town also includes the villages of Maplewood and Pierce Bridge.
History
Granted as Lloyd's Hills in 1774 by ColonialColony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
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:...
, the town was named for James Lloyd of Boston. It would be the last of the provincial grants in 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...
. In the aftermath of the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, the original grant could not be found. Lack of documentation would deter settlement until 1787, when the first permanent houses where built. Dropping its homage to Lloyd, a Loyalist
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
, the town would be incorporated as Bethlehem on December 27, 1799, the name selected on the last Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
Day of the century. There were just 33 families, with 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...
the only industry.
By 1850, however, the population had grown to 950, and the town contained 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 :...
, 5 large 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 and 2 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...
factories. Then, in 1867, the railroad came to Bethlehem Junction. With it traveled tourists from Boston, New York and elsewhere, many to avoid respiratory ailments in the low pollen
Pollen
Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
count environment of "the highest town in New Hampshire" (as claimed on a present-day sign in the village, although several other towns in the state are higher). Others were attracted by the paintings of the White Mountain art
White Mountain art
White Mountain art is the body of work created during the 19th century by over four hundred artists who painted landscape scenes of the White Mountains of New Hampshire in order to promote the region and, consequently, sell their works of art....
ists. Conveniently located near Mount Washington
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...
and other attractions of 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...
, Bethlehem developed into a Gilded Age
Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age refers to the era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States during the post–Civil War and post-Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century. The term "Gilded Age" was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book The Gilded...
resort for the rich and famous.
In 1873, at the beginning of a building boom, Governor Henry Howard
Henry Howard (Rhode Island)
Henry Howard was the 32nd Governor of Rhode Island from 1873 to 1875.- Education and family life :Henry Howard was born in Cranston, Rhode Island to Jesse and Mary Howard. In 1848, he studied law in the office of future Rhode Island Governor William W. Hoppin...
of Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
built Howard House. Eventually, over 30 hotels would line Bethlehem's streets. Seven trains arrived daily, some direct from Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
, stopping at Bethlehem's five depots. Patrons included Presidents Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
, Hayes, Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
, Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
and Harding, as well as author Thornton Burgess
Thornton Burgess
Thornton Waldo Burgess was a conservationist and author of children's stories. Burgess loved the beauty of nature and its living creatures so much that he wrote about them for 50 years in books and his newspaper column, "Bedtime Stories". He was sometimes known as the Bedtime Story-Man...
and poet Robert Frost
Robert Frost
Robert Lee Frost was an American poet. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and...
. Entertainments included strolling Main Street on a two and a half mile raised boardwalk
Boardwalk
A boardwalk, in the conventional sense, is a wooden walkway for pedestrians and sometimes vehicles, often found along beaches, but they are also common as paths through wetlands, coastal dunes, and other sensitive environments....
, carriage
Carriage
A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...
rides in the countryside, croquet
Croquet
Croquet is a lawn game, played both as a recreational pastime and as a competitive sport. It involves hitting plastic or wooden balls with a mallet through hoops embedded into the grass playing court.-History:...
games or simply lounging about the hotels' sweeping piazza
Piazza
A piazza is a city square in Italy, Malta, along the Dalmatian coast and in surrounding regions. The term is roughly equivalent to the Spanish plaza...
s.
On the hills and thoroughfares were built large summer "cottages," including that of the Woolworth
Frank Woolworth
Frank Winfield Woolworth was the founder of F.W. Woolworth Company , an operator of discount stores that priced merchandise at five and ten cents...
family. Beginning in 1887, an annual Coaching Parade was held, with prizes awarded for lavishly decorated horse-drawn carriages. Ornamentations cost as much as $5000, prompting visitor Phineas T. Barnum to proclaim it "the Second Greatest Show on Earth."
But the rise of the automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
would bring the decline of grand hotels. Tourists could now explore regions beyond the limits of rail service. Beginning about 1916, Jewish families began arriving in town, often seeking relief from hay fever
Hay Fever
Hay Fever is a comic play written by Noël Coward in 1924 and first produced in 1925 with Marie Tempest as the first Judith Bliss. Laura Hope Crews played the role in New York...
symptoms. In fact, an organization named the Hebrew Hay Fever Relief Association, which was organized in the 1920s, existed in Bethlehem for many years. For a town in northern New Hampshire, contemporary Bethlehem has a sizable Jewish community (and a number of synagogues), a legacy of its hay-fever-relief experience.
It was at Bethlehem that the National Hay Fever Relief Association was founded. 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...
gave the hotels a second life, as tourists avoided war-ravaged 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...
and stayed closer to home. By the 1950s, however, hotel attendance had dwindled. Many would close and be demolished. Today, the town is known for its special Christmas postal cancellation stamp. Every year, people from all over the world send Christmas card
Christmas card
A Christmas card is a greeting card sent as part of the traditional celebration of Christmas in order to convey between people a range of sentiments related to the Christmas and holiday season. Christmas cards are usually exchanged during the weeks preceding Christmas Day by many people in Western...
s to the Bethlehem post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
to have them postmarked. In 2000, it handled 56,000 Christmas cards.
Bethlehem has experienced a continuing controversy, beginning in the 1980s. The Rutland, Vermont company Casella Waste Systems, through its subsidiary North Country Environmental Services, purchased the town dump, and created a landfill
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
. The company has made efforts to expand the landfill. Town residents have tried to terminate the landfill, but Casella has repeatedly challenged the residents in court.
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 91 square miles (235.7 km²), of which 90.6 square miles (234.7 km²) is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) is water, comprising 0.39% of the town. Bethlehem is drained by the Ammonoosuc
Ammonoosuc River
The Ammonoosuc River is a river, 55 mi long, in northwestern New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Connecticut River, which flows to Long Island Sound. "Ammonoosuc" is Abnaki for "small, narrow fishing place"....
, Gale
Gale River
The Gale River is a 13.1 mile long tributary of the Ammonoosuc River in northwestern New Hampshire in the United States. Via the Ammonoosuc, it is part of the watershed of the Connecticut River, which flows to Long Island Sound....
, Zealand
Zealand River
The Zealand River is a 6.3 mile long river in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Ammonoosuc River and part of the Connecticut River watershed....
and Little
Little River (Ammonoosuc River)
The Little River is a 7.4 mile long river in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Ammonoosuc River and part of the Connecticut River watershed....
rivers, together with Tuttle, Baker and Haystack brooks. Mount Cleveland, elevation 2397 feet (730.6 m), and Mount Agassiz, 2378 ft (724.8 m), rise to the south of the center of town. Town boundaries contain several of the famous 4,000-footers
Four-thousand footers
The term Four-Thousand Footers refers to a group of forty-eight mountains in New Hampshire at least 4,000 feet above sea level...
of New Hampshire: North Twin Mountain
North Twin Mountain (New Hampshire)
North Twin Mountain is a mountain located in Grafton County, New Hampshire. The mountain forms the north end of the Twin Range of the White Mountains. North Twin overlooks the village of Twin Mountain, lying to the north of the mountain at the intersection of US Routes 3 and 302...
(the highest point in Bethlehem at 4781 ft (1,457.2 m)), Mount Hale
Mount Hale (New Hampshire)
Mount Hale is a mountain located in Grafton County, New Hampshire. The mountain is named after Reverend Edward Everett Hale , and is part of the Twin Range of the White Mountains...
, Mount Tom
Mount Tom (New Hampshire)
Mount Tom is a mountain located in Grafton County, New Hampshire, about southwest of the height of land of Crawford Notch. The mountain is named after Thomas Crawford, whose family ran the Crawford House. Mount Tom is part of the Willey Range of the White Mountains. Tom is flanked to the south by...
, Mount Field
Mount Field (New Hampshire)
Mount Field is a mountain located in Grafton County, New Hampshire. The mountain is named after Darby Field , who in 1642 made the first known ascent of Mount Washington. Mount Field is the highest peak of the Willey Range of the White Mountains. Mt. Field is flanked to the northwest by Mount Tom,...
and Mount Willey
Mount Willey
Mount Willey is a mountain located in Grafton County, New Hampshire. The mountain is named after Samuel Willey, Jr. and his family, who in 1825 moved into a house in Crawford Notch...
. Bethlehem lies almost fully within 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...
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...
, though a tiny portion of the southeast corner of the town is in 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...
watershed.
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 2,199 people, 924 households, and 588 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 24.2 people per square mile (9.3/km²). There were 1,307 housing units at an average density of 14.4 per square mile (5.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.95% White, 0.14% African American, 0.55% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.14% 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 1.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.77% of the population.
There were 924 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% 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, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 28.0% 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 103.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,547, and the median income for a family was $48,333. Males had a median income of $30,133 versus $24,333 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 $20,155. About 7.9% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.8% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
Sites of interest
- Bethlehem Heritage Society Museum
- The Rocks Estate
- Bethlehem, NH farmers market, open Saturdays from May to October
- Crossroads of America, a museum of miniatures and toys and the home of an extensive model railroad