Swanzey is a
townThe 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
Cheshire County-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 73,825 people, 28,299 households, and 18,790 families residing in the county. The population density was 104 people per square mile . There were 31,876 housing units at an average density of 45 per square mile...
,
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...
. The population was 7,230 at the 2010 census. In addition to the town center, Swanzey includes the villages of
East SwanzeyEast Swanzey is an unincorporated village in the town of Swanzey in Cheshire County, New Hampshire.The village is located in the eastern portion of Swanzey, along the South Branch Ashuelot River, between New Hampshire Route 32 to the west and New Hampshire Route 12 to the northeast.East Swanzey has...
,
West SwanzeyWest Swanzey is a census-designated place in the town of Swanzey within Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,308 at the 2010 census.-Geography:West Swanzey is located at ....
, North Swanzey, and Westport.
History
First granted in 1733 as Lower Ashuelot, Swanzey was one of the fort towns established by Governor
Jonathan BelcherJonathan Belcher was colonial governor of the British provinces of Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and New Jersey.-Early life:Jonathan Belcher was born in Cambridge, Province of Massachusetts Bay, in 1682...
of
MassachusettsThe Province of Massachusetts Bay was a crown colony in North America. It was chartered on October 7, 1691 by William and Mary, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of England and Scotland...
, which then held authority over the
province of New HampshireThe Province of New Hampshire is a name first given in 1629 to the territory between the Merrimack and Piscataqua rivers on the eastern coast of North America. It was formally organized as an English royal colony on October 7, 1691, during the period of English colonization...
. The town was the site of many battles during
King George's WarKing George's War is the name given to the operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession . It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in the British provinces of New York, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and Nova Scotia...
, and in 1747 was abandoned for three years. It was regranted to 62 proprietors on July 2, 1753 by 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...
as Swanzey, most probably because some early settlers had a connection to
SwanseaSwansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
in
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Situated on the
Ashuelot RiverThe Ashuelot River is a tributary of the Connecticut River, approximately long, in southwestern New Hampshire in the United States. It drains a mountainous area of , including much of the area known as the Monadnock Region...
and connected by the Ashuelot Railroad, West Swanzey developed as a
textileA textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
mill townA mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories .- United Kingdom:...
, and East Swanzey produced wooden
bucketA bucket, also called a pail, is typically a watertight, vertical cylinder or truncated cone, with an open top and a flat bottom, usually attached to a semicircular carrying handle called the bail. A pail can have an open top or can have a lid....
s for generations. By 1859, the population was 2,106.
The town features four
covered bridgeA covered bridge is a bridge with enclosed sides and a roof, often accommodating only a single lane of traffic. Most covered bridges are wooden; some newer ones are concrete or metal with glass sides...
s, and was the home of theatrical trouper
Denman ThompsonHenry Denman Thompson was an American playwright and theatre actor.Rufus Thompson, a carpenter, and his wife Anne Hathaway Baxter moved in 1831 from West Swanzey, New Hampshire to Girard, Pennsylvania, where their son Henry Denman Thompson was born...
, who gained a national reputation by his portrayal of the Yankee farmer, "Joshua Whitcomb", star of his stage play
The Old Homestead. Residents restage Thompson's
melodramaThe term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
every summer at a natural outdoor amphitheater called the Potash Bowl.
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 45.3 square miles (117.3 km²), of which 45 sq mi (116.5 km²) is land and 0.4 sq mi (1 km²) is water, comprising 0.79% of the town. Swanzey is drained by the
Ashuelot RiverThe Ashuelot River is a tributary of the Connecticut River, approximately long, in southwestern New Hampshire in the United States. It drains a mountainous area of , including much of the area known as the Monadnock Region...
. The town's highest point is the summit of Franklin Mountain at 1423 feet (433.7 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...
, on the border with
WinchesterWinchester is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,341 at the 2010 census. The primary settlement in the town, where 1,733 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Winchester census-designated place...
.
The town is crossed by
New Hampshire Route 10New Hampshire Route 10 is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Its southern terminus is at the Massachusetts state line in the town of Winchester. In Massachusetts the highway becomes Massachusetts Route 10. Total length of the highway is .-Route description:NH 10...
,
New Hampshire Route 12New Hampshire Route 12 is a north-south state highway running across the western portion of New Hampshire from the Massachusetts state line to the Vermont state line at the Connecticut River.-Route description:...
and New Hampshire Route 32.
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 6,800 people, 2,666 households, and 1,874 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 151.1 people per square mile (58.4/km²). There were 2,818 housing units at an average density of 62.6 per square mile (24.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.32% White, 0.18% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from
other racesRace 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 0.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.56% of the population.
There were 2,666 households out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% 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, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $44,819, and the median income for a family was $51,500. Males had a median income of $32,421 versus $25,607 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 $20,150. About 3.0% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.
Education
- Cutler Elementary School
- Mt. Caesar Elementary School
- Monadnock Regional High School
Monadnock Regional High School is a public school in Swanzey, New Hampshire. The school serves seven towns in the Monadnock region, including Fitzwilliam, Gilsum, Richmond, Roxbury, Sullivan, Swanzey, and Troy.- Scheduling :...
Sites of interest
Notable inhabitants
- Loyal B. Stearns
Loyal B. Stearns was an American politician, attorney, and jurist in Oregon. Born in New Hampshire and raised in Oregon, he became a lawyer and practiced in Portland. A Republican, he was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives and later a judge for several courts.-Early life:Loyal Stearns...
, politician and jurist
- Denman Thompson
Henry Denman Thompson was an American playwright and theatre actor.Rufus Thompson, a carpenter, and his wife Anne Hathaway Baxter moved in 1831 from West Swanzey, New Hampshire to Girard, Pennsylvania, where their son Henry Denman Thompson was born...
, playwright and actor
External links