Ellsworth is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Grafton County,

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders 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. The population was 93 at the 2020 census. Ellsworth is the only

dry town In the United States, a dry county is a county whose local government forbids the sale of any kind of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. The vast majority of counties no ...

in New Hampshire.

History

The town was originally known as "Trecothick", after

Barlow Trecothick Barlow Trecothick ( – 28 May 1775) was a City of London merchant brought up in the colonial Province of Massachusetts Bay who became one of the Members of Parliament for the City of London and was Lord Mayor of London in 1770. Early life Tr ...

, a

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

ian who moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He was an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

, a Member of Parliament (MP), and a

Lord Mayor of the City of London Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

. He had a country estate at

Addington, London Addington is a village and area in south London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon. It is south of Spring Park, west of Coney Hall, north of New Addington and east of Forestdale and Selsdon, and is south of Charing Cross and ...

, now called

Addington Palace Addington Palace is an 18th-century mansion in Addington located within the London Borough of Croydon. It was built close to the site of an earlier manor house belonging to the Leigh family. It is particularly known for having been, between ...

. The name of the town was changed to "Ellsworth" in 1802, in honor of Chief Justice

Oliver Ellsworth Oliver Ellsworth (April 29, 1745 – November 26, 1807) was a Founding Father of the United States, Attorney at law, attorney, jurist, politician, and diplomat. Ellsworth was a framer of the United States Constitution, United States senator fr ...

. The first census of the town, in 1800, reported 47 residents.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 0.58% of the town. The town is drained in the north by Hubbard Brook and in the south by West Branch Brook, except for the southwestern corner, which is drained by Sucker Brook, a tributary of

Stinson Lake Stinson Lake is a water body located in the town of Rumney in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The lake is in the southern part of the White Mountains and is the largest lake in the White Mountain National Forest. Water from Sti ...

in neighboring Rumney. Hubbard and West Branch brooks flow east to the

Pemigewasset River The Pemigewasset River , known locally as "The Pemi", is a river in the state of New Hampshire, the United States. It is in length and (with its tributaries) drains approximately . The name "Pemigewasset" comes from the Abenaki word ''bemijijoas ...

, while Stinson Lake drains south to the Baker River, a tributary of the Pemigewasset. Ellsworth lies fully within the

Merrimack River The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) 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 M ...

watershed Watershed may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage) Music * Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...

. The highest point in Ellsworth is the summit of Mount Kineo in the northern part of town, at above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

. The entire town is within the

White Mountain National Forest The White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) 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 alre ...

, though with numerous private inholdings. The

Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest is an area of land in the towns of Woodstock, Ellsworth and Thornton in the White Mountains of New Hampshire that functions as an outdoor laboratory for ecological studies. It was established in 1955 by the Un ...

occupies the northern part of the town, on the northern side of Mount Kineo.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 87 people in 32 households, including 19 families, in the town. The population density was 4.1 people per square mile (1.6/km). There were 72 housing units at an average density of 3.4 per square mile (1.3/km). The racial makeup of the town was 96.55% White, and 3.45% Native American. Of the 32 households 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, none had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. 18.8% of households were one person and 12.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.37. The age distribution was 29.9% under the age of 18, 3.4% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 28.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.3 males. The median household income was $33,750 and the median family income was $34,750. Males had a median income of $26,500 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,705. None of the population and none of the families 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 ...

References

External links

New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile
{{authority control Towns in Grafton County, New Hampshire Towns in New Hampshire