Plymouth is a town in
Grafton CountyGrafton 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 HampshireNew 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 StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in the
White Mountains RegionThe White Mountains Region is a tourism region designated by the New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism. It is located in northern New Hampshire in the United States and is named for the White Mountains, which cover most of the region. The southern boundary of the region begins at Piermont...
. Plymouth is located at the convergence of the
PemigewassetThe 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...
and
BakerThe Baker River, or Asquamchumauke, is a river in the White Mountains region of New Hampshire, the United States. It rises on the south side of Mount Moosilauke and runs south and east to empty into the Pemigewasset River in Plymouth. The river traverses the towns of Warren, Wentworth, and...
rivers. The population was 6,990 at the 2010 census. The town is home to
Plymouth State UniversityPlymouth State University, formerly Plymouth State College, is a regional comprehensive university located in Plymouth, New Hampshire and part of the University System of New Hampshire....
, Speare Memorial Hospital, and
Plymouth Regional High SchoolPlymouth Regional High School is a public secondary school in Plymouth, New Hampshire. Surrounding towns that attend PRHS are Ashland, Holderness, Campton, Rumney, Wentworth, Warren, Ellsworth, Waterville Valley and Thornton. Bruce Parsons is the current principal. The facility, opened in 1970,...
.
The town's central settlement, where 4,456 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Plymouth
census-designated placeA 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 along
U.S. Route 3U.S. Route 3 is a north–south United States highway that runs from its southern terminus in Cambridge, Massachusetts through New Hampshire to its terminus near Third Connecticut Lake at the Canadian border, where the road continues north as Quebec Route 257.In New Hampshire parts of US 3 are...
, south of the confluence of the Baker and Pemigewasset rivers.
History
Plymouth was originally the site of an Abenaki village that was burned to the ground by Captain Thomas Baker in 1712. This was just one of the many British raids on American Indian settlements during
Queen Anne's WarQueen Anne's War , as the North American theater of the War of the Spanish Succession was known in the British colonies, was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought between France and England, later Great Britain, in North America for control of the continent. The War of the...
. Part of a large plot of undivided land in the Pemigewasset Valley, the town was first named New Plymouth, after the original
Plymouth ColonyPlymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town...
in
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
ColonialIn 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
Benning WentworthBenning 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...
granted Plymouth to settlers from
HollisHollis is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 7,684 at the 2010 census. The town center village is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Hollis Village Historic District....
, all of whom had been soldiers in the
French and Indian WarThe French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. Some had originally come from Plymouth, Massachusetts. The town was incorporated in 1763. Parts of
HebronHebron is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 602 at the 2010 census. Settlements include the town center and the village of East Hebron.- History :...
and
CamptonCampton is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,333 at the 2010 census. Campton, which includes the villages of Blair, Campton Hollow, Lower Campton and West Campton, is home to Blair State Forest and Livermore Falls State Forest...
were annexed in 1845 and 1860.
In 1806, then-lawyer
Daniel WebsterDaniel Webster was a leading American statesman and senator from Massachusetts during the period leading up to the Civil War. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests...
lost his first criminal case at the Plymouth courthouse, which now houses the Historical Society. The
transcendentalistTranscendentalism is a philosophical movement that developed in the 1830s and 1840s in the New England region of the United States as a protest against the general state of culture and society, and in particular, the state of intellectualism at Harvard University and the doctrine of the Unitarian...
author
Nathaniel HawthorneNathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer.Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts to Nathaniel Hathorne and the former Elizabeth Clarke Manning. His ancestors include John Hathorne, a judge during the Salem Witch Trials...
, while on vacation in 1864 with former U.S. President
Franklin PierceFranklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army...
, died in Plymouth at the second Pemigewasset House, which was later destroyed by fire in 1909. In the early 20th century, the Draper and Maynard Sporting Goods Company (D&M) sold products directly to the
Boston Red SoxThe Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, and players such as
Babe RuthGeorge Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
would regularly visit to pick out their equipment. The Plymouth Normal School was founded in 1871 out of the already existing Holmes Plymouth Academy, becoming the state's first teachers' college. It would later evolve into Plymouth Teachers' College in 1939, Plymouth State College in 1963, and finally
Plymouth State UniversityPlymouth State University, formerly Plymouth State College, is a regional comprehensive university located in Plymouth, New Hampshire and part of the University System of New Hampshire....
in 2003.
Notable residents
- Henry W. Blair
Henry William Blair was a United States Representative and Senator from New Hampshire. Born in Campton, he attended the common schools and private academies, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1859 and commenced practice in Plymouth...
, statesman
- John Cheever
John William Cheever was an American novelist and short story writer. He is sometimes called "the Chekhov of the suburbs." His fiction is mostly set in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the Westchester suburbs, old New England villages based on various South Shore towns around Quincy,...
, Pulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning author (seasonal)
- Susan Cheever
Susan Cheever, , daughter of John Cheever and sister of Benjamin Cheever, is an author whose books include My Name is Bill - Bill Wilson: His Life and the Creation of Alcoholics Anonymous, a biography of Alcoholics Anonymous cofounder Bill Wilson; Home Before Dark, a memoir about her father, John...
, author and professor (seasonal)
- Eliza Coupe
Eliza Coupe is an American actress best known for her role as Denise "Jo" Mahoney in the medical comedy Scrubs, in which she became a regular for the ninth season. Coupe currently stars as Jane Williams in the ABC comedy series Happy Endings.-Career:Coupe grew up in New Hampshire and graduated...
, actress in ABC comedy ScrubsScrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
- Mary Baker Eddy
Mary Baker Eddy was the founder of Christian Science , a Protestant American system of religious thought and practice religion adopted by the Church of Christ, Scientist, and others...
, religious leader
- 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...
, poet
- Harl Pease
Harl Pease, Jr., was a United States Army Air Forces officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest award, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during World War II...
, World War II pilot and Medal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient
- Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster was a leading American statesman and senator from Massachusetts during the period leading up to the Civil War. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests...
, statesman
Geography
According to the
United States Census BureauThe 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 28.7 square miles (74.3 km²), of which 28.1 square miles (72.8 km²) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) of it is water, comprising 2.00% of the town. Plymouth is drained by the
PemigewassetThe 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...
and
BakerThe Baker River, or Asquamchumauke, is a river in the White Mountains region of New Hampshire, the United States. It rises on the south side of Mount Moosilauke and runs south and east to empty into the Pemigewasset River in Plymouth. The river traverses the towns of Warren, Wentworth, and...
rivers and lies within the
Merrimack RiverThe 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...
watershedA 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...
. Plymouth Mountain, elevation 2193 feet (668.4 m) above
sea levelMean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, the highest point in Plymouth, is in the south, and the slopes of Tenney Mountain are in the west. (The 2310 feet (704.1 m) summit of Tenney Mountain lies in the town of
GrotonGroton is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 593 at the 2010 census.- History :The town was originally named Cockermouth in honor of Charles Wyndham, Baron Cockermouth and Earl of Egremont, who was Secretary of State for the Southern Department from 1761 to...
.)
The main village of Plymouth, a
census-designated placeA 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...
, has a total area of 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²). 3.7 sq mi (9.6 km²) is land and 0.1 sq mi (0.258998811 km²) of it (1.59%) is water.
Quotes about Plymouth
- Susan Cheever
Susan Cheever, , daughter of John Cheever and sister of Benjamin Cheever, is an author whose books include My Name is Bill - Bill Wilson: His Life and the Creation of Alcoholics Anonymous, a biography of Alcoholics Anonymous cofounder Bill Wilson; Home Before Dark, a memoir about her father, John...
: "Plymouth is a nice enough town, but . . . it's a town in the middle of nowhere, a town for people on the way to somewhere else."
Demographics
As of the
censusA 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 5,892 people, 1,678 households, and 941 families residing in the town. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 207.5 people per square mile (80.1/km²). There were 1,901 housing units at an average density of 25.9 persons/km² (67.0 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the town was 96.54% White, 0.42%
African AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, 0.14% Native American, 0.83%
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. 1.46% of the population were
HispanicHispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
or
LatinoThe demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
of any race.
There were 1,678 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were
married couplesMarriage 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, 9.8% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 43.9% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the town the population was spread out with 16.2% under the age of 18, 43.4% from 18 to 24, 17.9% from 25 to 44, 14.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 101.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,618, and the median income for a family was $43,797. Males had a median income of $33,289 versus $20,565 for females. The
per capita incomePer 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 $14,766. 18.6% of the population and 6.2% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 10.4% are under the age of 18 and 7.1% are 65 or older.
Town center
As of the
censusA 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 3,528 people, 723 households, and 310 families residing in the main village, or
census-designated placeA 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). The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 951.3 people per square mile (367.2/km²). There were 772 housing units at an average density of 80.3 persons/km² (208.2 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the town was 96.85% White, 0.43%
African AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, 0.09% Native American, 0.94%
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n, 0.51% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. 0.88% of the population were
HispanicHispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
or
LatinoThe demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
of any race.
There were 723 households out of which 22.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.0% were
married couplesMarriage 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, 6.9% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 57.1% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 9.0% under the age of 18, 67.2% from 18 to 24, 11.4% from 25 to 44, 8.7% from 45 to 64, and 3.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21 years. For every 100 females there were 103.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $36,402, and the median income for a family was $50,000. Males had a median income of $36,806 versus $22,070 for females. The
per capita incomePer 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 $12,938. 25.5% of the population and 3.0% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 0.0% are under the age of 18 and 7.3% are 65 or older.
Recreation
- Fox Pond Park
- Langdon Park
- Walter-Newton Natural Area
- Sutherland Hiking Trail (on Plymouth Mountain)
Sites of interest
- Plymouth Historical Museum
- Pease Public Library
- Lamson Library
- Boy Scout Fountain on the Common (one of only two Boy Scout Fountains in the USA)
- Fox Park
- Langdon Beach
- Smith Millennium Bridge (a covered bridge over the Baker River
The Baker River, or Asquamchumauke, is a river in the White Mountains region of New Hampshire, the United States. It rises on the south side of Mount Moosilauke and runs south and east to empty into the Pemigewasset River in Plymouth. The river traverses the towns of Warren, Wentworth, and...
)
Town government and officials
Plymouth is governed in the traditional New England style, with a 5-member board of selectmen as its executive branch, and the traditional
Town MeetingA town meeting is a form of direct democratic rule, used primarily in portions of the United States since the 17th century, in which most or all the members of a community come together to legislate policy and budgets for local government....
as its legislative branch. Municipal elections and Town Meetings are customarily held in March.
| Office | Name |
| Select Board The board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms.-History:...
|
Valerie Scarborough, Chair |
| |
Charles Buhrman |
| |
William Ray Gosney |
| |
Michael Conklin |
| |
Dick Lewis |
| Town Moderator |
Quentin Blaine |
| Town Clerk |
Karen Freitas |
| Town Administrator |
Paul Freitas |
| Police Chief |
Steve Temperino |
| Fire Chief A fire department or fire brigade is a public or private organization that provides fire protection for a certain jurisdiction, which typically is a municipality, county, or fire protection district...
|
Casino Clogston |
| Parks and Recreation Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...
Director |
Larry Gibson |
Recycling ManagerRecycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
|
Paul Freitas |
Local, state and federal officials
Plymouth, like all other towns in New Hampshire, elects official representatives at the county, state and
federalThe federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
levels. These officials represent the various jurisdictions in which the town of Plymouth lies, and none of them represent the town exclusively. Each official is elected in his or her own district. Currently, Plymouth is situated in New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District, the Grafton County State House District 7, State Senate District 2, and Executive Council District 1.
| Office | Name | Political Party |
| County Commission A county commission is a group of elected officials charged with administering the county government in local government in some states of the United States. County commissions are usually made up of three or more individuals...
er |
Omer C. Ahern, Jr. |
Republican |
| County Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
|
Carol Elliott |
Republican |
| County Attorney A county attorney in many areas of the United States is the chief legal officer for a county or local judicial district. It is usually an elected position...
|
Lara Saffo |
Democratic |
| County Registrar of Deeds |
Kelley Monahan |
Democratic |
| County Registrar of Probate |
Rebecca Wyman |
Republican |
State RepresentativesThe General Court of New Hampshire is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The lower house is the New Hampshire House of Representatives with 400 members. The upper house is the New Hampshire Senate with 24 members...
|
Mary Cooney |
Democratic |
| |
Suzanne Smith |
Democratic |
State SenatorThe General Court of New Hampshire is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The lower house is the New Hampshire House of Representatives with 400 members. The upper house is the New Hampshire Senate with 24 members...
|
Jeanie Forrester Jeanie Forrester is a Republican member of the New Hampshire Senate, representing the 2nd district since 2010. A businesswoman by trade, Forrester sits on the Finance and Public/Municipal Affairs committees.-Personal:...
|
Republican |
| Executive Councilor |
Raymond S. Burton Raymond S. "Ray" Burton is a New Hampshire politician, currently serving on the Executive Council as the representative of District 1, or "The North Country". Known as the "Dean of the Council", Ray Burton, a Republican, is the longest-standing elected official in the state of New Hampshire...
|
Republican |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives |
Charles F. Bass |
Republican |
External links