Brentwood, New Hampshire
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Brentwood is a
town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...
in Rockingham County,
New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
, United States. At the 2020 census, its population was 4,490. Brentwood has been the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of Rockingham County since 1997.


History

An
Abenaki The Abenaki (Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was predom ...
tribe called the
Pennacook The Pennacook, also known by the names Penacook and Pennacock, were an Algonquian-speaking Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands who lived in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and southern Maine. They were not a united tribe but a netwo ...
farmed, fished and hunted in what is now Brentwood. Two main foot trails ran through the town, one along the
Exeter River The Exeter River is a river located in Rockingham County in southeastern New Hampshire, United States. It rises in the town of Chester, southeast of Manchester. It follows a winding course east and northeast to Exeter, where it becomes the Squa ...
, where
arrowhead An arrowhead or point is the usually sharpened and hardened tip of an arrow, which contributes a majority of the projectile mass and is responsible for impacting and penetrating a target, as well as to fulfill some special purposes such as sign ...
s and other stone and wooden artifacts have been found. At Pickpocket Dam, this pathway joined with the Pentucket Trail leading south to Pentucket (now
Haverhill, Massachusetts Haverhill ( ) is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Haverhill is located 35 miles north of Boston on the New Hampshire border and about 17 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The population was 67,787 at the 2020 United States Cen ...
) and north further into Pennacook territory. The first non-native settlers came in 1652 to start a
sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...
powered by a waterfall on the Exeter River.


Division and redivision

The town was once a part of
Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
known as Brentwood (or Brintwood) Parish. It was named after Brentwood,
Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
, originally called "Burnt Wood", where, in 1177, King Henry II granted permission for of the king's forest to be cut, burned and cultivated. Beginning in 1738, residents living in the southwestern portion of Exeter, now Brentwood and Fremont, petitioned to be set off, but were denied. They cited difficulty of getting to the Exeter church/meetinghouse, where weekly attendance was obligatory, and the requirement to pay Exeter taxes. Eighteen people wrote in dissent, saying that even the proposed new town would require travel more than two miles to a new meetinghouse. On 26 June 1742, colonial governor
Benning Wentworth Benning Wentworth (July 24, 1696 – October 14, 1770) was an American merchant and colonial administrator who served as the governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766. While serving as governor, Wentworth is best known for issuing several l ...
set Brentwood off from Exeter and incorporated it. The meetinghouse was planned at "the west side of the 'Gully'", but those living south of the Exeter River said it was hard to reach in spring and fall. For a while, church was held at two venues, north and south of the river. Residents petitioned for a dividing line between the midpoints of the northern and southern boundaries. In 1744, Gov. Wentworth issued a King's Patent to establish a new town called "Keeneborough Parish", named after his friend, Sir Benjamin Keene (1697–1757), English minister to
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
. Brentwood continued to tax the residents of Keeneborough; one resident was imprisoned for failing to pay, and the
General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presb ...
called Wentworth's action a "usurpation." Minister Nathaniel Trask reconciled the factions and Keeneborough reunited with Brentwood in 1750. The westerners petitioned again for separation in 1757 and 1763. In 1764, Brentwood did divide, the western half calling itself "Poplin" (now Fremont). After Rev. Trask's death in 1789, the Congregationalists lamented the decline of religion and morality in favor of alcohol. The town licensed its first "
dram shop A dram shop (or dramshop) is a bar, tavern or similar commercial establishment where alcoholic beverages are sold. Traditionally, it is a shop where spirits were sold by the dram, a small unit of liquid. Dram shop liability refers to the body of ...
" in 1792 and licensed 28 of them over eleven years. A handful of slaves were held in Brentwood, but none at the 1800 or subsequent censuses.


Development

Mills Mills is the plural form of mill, but may also refer to: As a name * Mills (surname), a common family name of English or Gaelic origin * Mills (given name) *Mills, a fictional British secret agent in a trilogy by writer Manning O'Brine Places Uni ...
along the rivers produced
lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...
and manufactured goods in the early days. The economy later shifted towards
agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
. The town is now predominantly residential. The Rockingham County Complex on North Road (the only road owned by the county) traces its history to 1916. It was called the "poor farm" or the "county farm", but the only current farming is hay. It has administrative offices, a
nursing home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms have slightly different meanings to in ...
, and the county jail. In 1997, when the courthouse moved from Exeter to a former industrial headquarters off Calef Road, Brentwood became known as the seat of Rockingham County. Retail development is focused along Calef Road, though home businesses exist elsewhere for historical reasons. There is an industrial zone in the northeast, along Pine Road, which spans Brentwood and Exeter. In 2012, Exeter, resenting the wear on its part of the road from heavy vehicles from the businesses in Brentwood, posted a weight limit on its part, which led to lengthy detours and a lawsuit and counter-suit. These were settled in 2014, as the judge ruled that Exeter's posting was illegal. Brentwood had to reimburse Exeter, but only the amounts for upgrading Pine Road to handle the heavy vehicles. The 2014 fatal shooting of police officer Stephen Arkell, who arrived at a condominium to investigate a domestic disturbance, led to many memorials and continuing events in his name, such as an annual 5K run. In 2021, the section of Route 125 within Brentwood was officially named the Officer Stephen Arkell Memorial Highway.


Geography

Brentwood is a nearly square quadrangle, except that the town line follows the Exeter River in the southeast corner. Brentwood has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 0.93% of the town. The highest point in Brentwood is Great Hill, at above
sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...
, whose summit is in the southeast corner of the town. The town is drained by the
Exeter River The Exeter River is a river located in Rockingham County in southeastern New Hampshire, United States. It rises in the town of Chester, southeast of Manchester. It follows a winding course east and northeast to Exeter, where it becomes the Squa ...
and its tributary Dudley Brook. The
Piscassic River The Piscassic River is a river located in southeastern New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Lamprey River, part of the Great Bay and Piscataqua River watershed leading to the Atlantic Ocean.Lamprey River The Lamprey River is a river in southeastern New Hampshire, the United States. It rises in Meadow Lake in Northwood, and flows south, then generally east through Raymond, Epping, Lee, Durham and finally Newmarket. Here, it meets Great Bay, ...
, crosses the northwest corner of the town. Brentwood lies fully within the
Piscataqua River The Piscataqua River (Abenaki: ''Pskehtekwis'') is a tidal river forming the boundary of the U.S. states of New Hampshire and Maine from its origin at the confluence of the Salmon Falls River and Cochecho River. The drainage basin of the river ...
(Coastal) watershed.


Adjacent municipalities

*
Epping, New Hampshire Epping is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 7,125 at the 2020 census, up from 6,411 at the 2010 census.United States Census BureauU.S. Census website 2010 Census figures. Retrieved March 23, 2011. The ...
(north) *
Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. ...
(east) *
Kingston, New Hampshire Kingston is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population at the 2020 census was 6,202. History Kingston was the fifth town to be established in New Hampshire. Originally, it was a part of Hampton, New Hampshire. ...
(south) *
Fremont, New Hampshire Fremont is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,739 at the 2020 census, up from 4,283 at the 2010 census. Fremont is crossed by the Rockingham Recreation Trail (a rail trail) and NH Route 107. History ...
(west)


Government

Brentwood's executive is a five-person board of selectmen, serving staggered three-year terms and meeting weekly (biweekly in spring and summer). Brentwood's legislature is a
town meeting Town meeting is a form of local government in which most or all of the members of a community are eligible to legislate policy and budgets for local government. It is a town- or city-level meeting in which decisions are made, in contrast with ...
, held in March, at which every registered voter can vote on the annual town budget and amendments to it. The Swasey Elementary School has a separate town meeting. Classes above Grade 6 travel to regional schools in School Administrative Unit (SAU) 16. SAU 16 is governed by official ballot referendum (SB 2), in which there is a "deliberative" town meeting but the final vote is by secret ballot in all participating towns, at the same annual election at which voters elect town and school officials. Every town in SAU 16 votes on the representative(s) of it and of all other towns in SAU 16. Citizen petitions have sought to change Brentwood's two town meetings to SB 2, but have always fallen short of the 60% vote required.


Transportation

Middle Road ( Route 111A) runs east/west and bisects the town. Other east/west roads are North Road and South Road. Calef Road ( Route 125) is the principal north/south road. The expressway Route 101 approximately follows Brentwood's northern boundary. It provides access to
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
and to the Seacoast. Route 101 crosses into northeast Brentwood, as does
Route 27 Route 27, or Highway 27, may refer to: Australia * Burke Developmental Road (Queensland) * Zeehan Highway (Tasmania) Canada * Alberta Highway 27 * British Columbia Highway 27 * Manitoba Highway 27 * Prince Edward Island Route 27 * Saskatchew ...
(old 101) beyond it. Part of
New England Dragway New England Dragway is a mile NHRA dragway in Epping, New Hampshire, Rockingham County, United States. The track hosts the New England Nationals event as part of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. The track also hosts a regional event ...
is in Brentwood. Route 111A east to
Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
gains access to Route 7 of the COAST bus system, and to a train station served by the
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
'' Downeaster.'' At the
park and ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuting, commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail t ...
lot off Calef Road just north of Brentwood, there is bus service to Boston, Massachusetts and its
Logan Airport General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport , also known as Boston Logan International Airport and commonly as Boston Logan, Logan Airport or simply Logan, is an international airport that is located mostly in East Boston and partiall ...
. Shuttle bus service can be arranged to Manchester Boston Regional Airport.


Religion

The original church, on Route 111A, is now known as the Pilgrim United Church of Christ, Brentwood-Kingston. In addition, Brentwood First Baptist Church has been at the same location since 1771. Grace Ministries holds religious services and a Christian grade school in a former industrial building on Calef Road.


Demographics

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2010, there were 4,486 people, 1,319 households, and 1,087 families residing in the town. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 267.0 people per square mile (103.4/km2). There were 1,350 housing units at an average density of 80.4 per square mile (31.1/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.3%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.7%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.1% Native American, 1.0%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.1%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 0.5% some other race, and 1.3% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race were 1.5% of the population. There were 1,319 households, out of which 46.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.6% were headed by married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.6% were non-families. 14.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.9% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02, and the average family size was 3.33. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.6% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.6 males. For the period 2007–2011, the estimated median annual income for a household in the town was $110,250, and the median income for a family was $111,650. Male full-time workers had a median income of $69,565 versus $55,000 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the town was $37,385. About 1.0% of families and 2.2% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 0.4% of those age 65 or over.


Notable people

* Ted King (born 1983), professional cyclist * Joshua Smith (1760–1795), author, minister * William Morrill Wadley (1813–1882), railroad superintendent


References


External links

*
Brentwood Historical Society


* ttps://archives-manuscripts.dartmouth.edu/repositories/2/resources/1618 Brentwood, NH Records of Court of Common Pleasat Dartmouth College Library {{authority control Towns in Rockingham County, New Hampshire County seats in New Hampshire Towns in New Hampshire