Exeter 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
Rockingham County is a county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the population was 314,176, making it New Hampshire's second-most populous county. The county seat is Brentwood. Rockingham County is part of the Boston-Cam ...
, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census,
up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was 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 ...
until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring
Brentwood. Home to
Phillips Exeter Academy
(not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God)
, location = 20 Main Street
, city = Exeter, New Hampshire
, zipcode ...
, a private
university-preparatory school
A college-preparatory school (usually shortened to preparatory school or prep school) is a type of secondary school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where t ...
, Exeter is situated where 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 ...
becomes the tidal
Squamscott River
The Squamscott River is a tidal river in Rockingham County, southeastern New Hampshire, in the United States. It rises at Exeter, fed by the Exeter River. The Squamscott runs north between Newfields and Stratham to Great Bay, a tidal estuar ...
.
The urban center of town, where 10,109 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the
Exeter census-designated place.
History
The area was once the domain of the Squamscott
people
A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...
, a sub-tribe of 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 ...
nation, which fished at the falls where 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 ...
becomes the tidal
Squamscott, the site around which the future town of Exeter would grow. On April 3, 1638, the Reverend
John Wheelwright
John Wheelwright (c. 1592–1679) was a Puritan clergyman in England and America, noted for being banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony during the Antinomian Controversy, and for subsequently establishing the town of Exeter, New Hamps ...
and others purchased the land from Wehanownowit, the
sagamore. Wheelwright had been exiled by the
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...
, a
Puritan
The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Catholic Church, Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become m ...
theocracy
Theocracy is a form of government in which one or more deity, deities are recognized as supreme ruling authorities, giving divine guidance to human intermediaries who manage the government's daily affairs.
Etymology
The word theocracy origina ...
, for sharing the dissident religious views of his sister-in-law,
Anne Hutchinson
Anne Hutchinson (née Marbury; July 1591 – August 1643) was a Puritan spiritual advisor, religious reformer, and an important participant in the Antinomian Controversy which shook the infant Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1636 to 1638. Her ...
. The minister took with him about 175 individuals to found the town he named after
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 ...
in
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
, England. Local government was linked with Massachusetts until New Hampshire became a separate colony in 1679, but counties weren't introduced until 1769.
One of the four original townships in the province, Exeter originally included
Newmarket,
Newfields,
Brentwood,
Epping Epping may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Epping, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
** Epping railway station, Sydney
* Electoral district of Epping, the corresponding seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
* Epping Forest, Kearns, a he ...
and
Fremont. On July 4, 1639, 35 freemen of Exeter signed the ''Exeter Combination'', a document written by Reverend Wheelwright to establish their own government. The settlers hunted, planted and fished. Others tended cattle and swine, or made
shakes and
barrel
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, ...
staves.
Thomas Wilson established the town's first
grist mill
A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...
on the eastern side of the island in the lower falls. This mill was established within the first season of settling in Exeter, and his son Humphrey assumed control of the mill in 1643, when Thomas died.
Some early Exeter settlers came from
Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham ( ) is a town in metropolitan Greater Boston on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts in northern Plymouth County. At the 2020 census, the population was 24,284. Hingham is known for its colonial history and location on B ...
, including the Gilman, Folsom and Leavitt families. In 1647, Edward Gilman, Jr. established the first
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 ...
, and by 1651 Gilman had his own 50-ton
sloop
A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...
with which to conduct his burgeoning business in lumber, staves and masts. Although he was lost at sea in 1653 while traveling to England to purchase equipment for his mills, his family later became prominent as
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 ...
men, shipbuilders, merchants and statesmen.
The
Gilman Garrison House
The Gilman Garrison House is a historic house museum at 12 Water Street in Exeter, New Hampshire. Built in 1709, it is a rare surviving example of a garrison house or fortified structure. It is owned by Historic New England, which operates the ...
, a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
, and the
American Independence Museum
The American Independence Museum is a historic house museum located in Exeter, New Hampshire. Its campus includes two buildings: the Ladd-Gilman House, a registered National Historic Landmark built in 1721 by Nathaniel Ladd, and the Folsom Tavern ...
were both former homes of the Gilman family. The Gilman family also donated the land on which Phillips Exeter Academy stands, including the academy's original Yard, the oldest part of campus. The Gilmans of Exeter also furnished America with one of its founding fathers,
Nicholas Gilman
Nicholas Gilman Jr. (August 3, 1755May 2, 1814) was an American Founding Father, a soldier in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, a delegate to the Continental Congress, and a signer of the U.S. Constitution, represent ...
, and the state of
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 ...
with treasurers, a governor, representatives to the General Assembly and judges to the General Court.
![Declaration of Rights New Hampshire](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Declaration_of_Rights_New_Hampshire.jpg)
The Gilman family began trading as far as the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
with ships they owned out of
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
. It was a high-stakes business. In an 1803 voyage, for instance, the 180-ton
clipper
A clipper was a type of mid-19th-century merchant sailing vessel, designed for speed. Clippers were generally narrow for their length, small by later 19th century standards, could carry limited bulk freight, and had a large total sail area. "C ...
''Oliver Peabody'', owned by Gov.
John Taylor Gilman
John Taylor Gilman (December 19, 1753September 1, 1828) was a farmer, shipbuilder and statesman from Exeter, New Hampshire. He represented New Hampshire in the Continental Congress in 1782–1783 and was the fifth governor of New Hampshire for 1 ...
, Oliver Peabody, Col. Gilman Leavitt and others, was boarded by brigs belonging to the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
under command of Admiral
Horatio Nelson
Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought abo ...
. Enforcing a blockade against the French, Nelson offered ship Captain Stephen Gilman of Exeter a glass of wine and paid him for his cargo in Spanish dollars. The trip demonstrates how far afield the ambitious merchants of Exeter reached in their trading forays.
Exeter suffered its last Indian raid in August 1723, and by 1725 the tribes had left the area. In 1774 the rebellious
Provincial Congress
The Provincial Congresses were extra-legal legislative bodies established in ten of the Thirteen Colonies early in the American Revolution. Some were referred to as congresses while others used different terms for a similar type body. These bodies ...
began to meet in the Exeter Town House after colonial Governor
John Wentworth banned it from the colonial capitol at Portsmouth. In July 1775, the Provincial Congress had the provincial records seized from royal officials in Portsmouth and brought to Exeter as well. And so Exeter became New Hampshire's capital, an honor it held for 14 years.
![Jude hall grave Winter St cem Exeter NH 2018](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Jude_hall_grave_Winter_St_cem_Exeter_NH_2018.jpg)
Exeter had a significant
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
community at this time. In 1790, at the first census, Exeter had a community of 81 free Blacks (in 14 households, 11 of which they owned), and two enslaved Blacks. This was the highest percentage of Blacks in the state at 4.7%. Many Blacks, such as
Jude Hall
Jude (Judas) Hall was an African-American soldier in the American Revolutionary War. He served from 1775 to 1783, thus earning his freedom from slavery. After the war, he married and settled in Exeter, New Hampshire, where his homestead is still ...
(namesake of Jude's Pond on Drinkwater Road), earned their freedom fighting in the
Revolutionary War, and many settled near the west bank of the Squamscott River after the war. Jude Hall is buried in the Winter Street cemetery. Reverend
Thomas Paul of the
African Meeting House
The African Meeting House, also known variously as First African Baptist Church, First Independent Baptist Church and the Belknap Street Church, was built in 1806 and is now the oldest black church edifice still standing in the United States. It ...
in Boston was born in Exeter near this time, and later in 1822 the abolitionist poet
James Monroe Whitfield
James Monroe Whitfield (c. April 10, 1822 – April 23, 1871) was an African-American poet, abolitionist, and political activist. He was a notable writer and activist in abolitionism and African emigration during the antebellum era. He published th ...
, a nephew of Jude Hall. In the late 1800s, two men had two dry goods stores on Water Street,
John Garrison Cutler and George Harris. The net worth of both men were in the top tiers of Exeter at the time.
In 1827, the Exeter Manufacturing Company was established beside the river, using
water power
Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of a wa ...
to produce
cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...
textiles. Other businesses would manufacture shoes,
saddle
The saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not kno ...
s,
harness
A harness is a looped restraint or support. Specifically, it may refer to one of the following harness types:
* Bondage harness
* Child harness
* Climbing harness
* Dog harness
* Pet harness
* Five-point harness
* Horse harness
* Parrot harness
* ...
es, lumber, boxes,
bricks
A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...
,
carriage
A carriage is a private four-wheeled vehicle for people and is most commonly horse-drawn. Second-hand private carriages were common public transport, the equivalent of modern cars used as taxis. Carriage suspensions are by leather strapping an ...
s and bicycles. In 1836, the last
schooner
A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
was launched at Exeter. In 1840, the
Boston & Maine Railroad
The Boston and Maine Railroad was a U.S. Class I railroad in northern New England. Originally chartered in 1835, it became part of what was the Pan Am Railways network in 1983 (most of which was purchased by CSX in 2022).
At the end of 1970, B ...
entered the town.
According to former governor
Hugh Gregg
Hugh Gregg (November 22, 1917September 24, 2003) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 68th governor of New Hampshire from 1953 to 1955, and was the youngest person ever elected to that office. He is the father of former U ...
, the
United States Republican Party
The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP ("Grand Old Party"), is one of the Two-party system, two Major party, major contemporary political parties in the United States. The GOP was founded in 1854 by Abolitionism in the United Stat ...
was born in Exeter on October 12, 1853, at the Squamscott Hotel at a secret meeting of
Amos Tuck
Amos Tuck (August 2, 1810 – December 11, 1879) was an American attorney and politician in New Hampshire and a founder of the Republican Party.
Early life and education
Born in Parsonsfield, Maine, August 2, 1810, the son of John Tuck, a ...
with other
abolitionist
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people.
The British ...
s. At this meeting, Tuck proposed forming a new political party to be called Republican. Upon learning of Tuck's meeting, in December 1853
Horace Greeley
Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872) was an American newspaper editor and publisher who was the founder and newspaper editor, editor of the ''New-York Tribune''. Long active in politics, he served briefly as a congressm ...
said, "I think 'Republican' would be the best name, it will sound both Jeffersonian and Madisonian, and for that reason will take well."
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
, the first Republican president, visited Exeter in 1860. His son,
Robert Todd Lincoln
Robert Todd Lincoln (August 1, 1843 – July 26, 1926) was an American lawyer, businessman, and politician. He was the eldest son of President Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln. Robert Lincoln became a business lawyer and company presid ...
, was attending Phillips Exeter Academy, the college preparatory school founded in 1781 by
Dr. John Phillips. The town was also once home to the
Robinson Female Seminary
Robinson Female Seminary was an American girl's day and boarding school in Exeter, New Hampshire. It was founded by the benefactor, William Robinson, a native and early resident of that town. By his last will, he bequeathed the residue of his larg ...
, established in 1867 and previously known as the Exeter Female Academy (established in 1826). Its landmark
Second Empire Second Empire may refer to:
* Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783
* Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396)
* Second French Empire (1852–1870)
** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...
schoolhouse, completed in 1869, burned in 1961.
In September 1965, Exeter earned a place in
UFO
An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...
history when local teenager Norman Muscarello and two Exeter police officers, Eugene Bertrand and David Hunt, witnessed a bright red UFO at close range. Their sighting attracted national publicity and became the focus of a bestselling book, ''
Incident at Exeter'', by journalist
John G. Fuller
John Grant Fuller, Jr. (November 30, 1913 – November 7, 1990) was a New England-based American author of several nonfiction books and newspaper articles, mainly focusing on the theme of extraterrestrials and the supernatural. For many years ...
. The Air Force eventually admitted that it had been unable to identify the strange object, and it is still considered by many UFO buffs to be one of the most impressive UFO sightings on record.
Exeter has a considerable inventory of structures by prominent
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
s.
Arthur Gilman
Arthur Delevan Gilman (November 5, 1821, Newburyport, Massachusetts – July 11, 1882, Syracuse, New York) was an American architect, designer of many Boston neighborhoods, and member of the American Institute of Architects.
Life and career
Gi ...
, descendant of one of Exeter's founding families, designed the Old Town Hall of 1855. The Old Public Library of 1894, which now is home to the Exeter Historical Society, was designed by the
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
firm of
Rotch & Tilden
Rotch & Tilden was an American architectural firm active in Boston, Massachusetts from 1880 through 1895.
The firm was organized by partners Arthur Rotch and George Thomas Tilden. Both had studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology an ...
.
Ralph Adams Cram
Ralph Adams Cram (December 16, 1863 – September 22, 1942) was a prolific and influential American architect of collegiate and ecclesiastical buildings, often in the Gothic Revival style. Cram & Ferguson and Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson are partner ...
, who trained with Rotch & Tilden, designed both Phillips Church, built in 1897, and Tuck High School, built in 1911. His firm of Cram & Ferguson designed the entire Phillips Exeter Academy campus between 1908 and 1950. More recent is the noted
Academy Library, built in 1971 to the design of
Louis I. Kahn
Louis Isadore Kahn (born Itze-Leib Schmuilowsky; – March 17, 1974) was an Estonian-born American architect based in Philadelphia. After working in various capacities for several firms in Philadelphia, he founded his own atelier in 1935. Whi ...
.
Daniel Chester French
Daniel Chester French (April 20, 1850 – October 7, 1931) was an American sculptor of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, best known for his 1874 sculpture ''The Minute Man'' in Concord, Massachusetts, and his 1920 monume ...
, sculptor and Exeter native, created the town's war memorial in 1922. He is best known for his statue of Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C. at the
Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial is a U.S. national memorial built to honor the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is on the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., across from the Washington Monument, and is in the ...
, which was designed by
Henry Bacon
Henry Bacon (November 28, 1866February 16, 1924) was an American Beaux-Arts architect who is best remembered for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. (built 1915–1922), which was his final project.
Education and early career
Henr ...
, who also designed in 1916 the Swasey Pavilion at Exeter's town square.
Other features of the town include the Swasey Parkway, which replaced
wharves
A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths (mooring location ...
and
warehouse
A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of cities ...
s along the Squamscott River, and the Ioka Theatre of 1915 on Water Street. The latter was built by Edward Mayer, an Exeter judge and resident. Mayer's opening feature was ''
The Birth of a Nation
''The Birth of a Nation'', originally called ''The Clansman'', is a 1915 American silent epic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. The screenplay is adapted from Thomas Dixon Jr.'s 1905 novel and play ''The Cla ...
'', by
D. W. Griffith
David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the na ...
. The theatre's curious name was proposed in a contest by a young woman with an enthusiasm for
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...
. ''Ioka'' was a
Native American word meaning "playground".
Image:Town Offices, Exeter, NH.jpg, Town Offices
Image:Falls, Exeter, NH.jpg, Squamscott Falls in 1907
Image:View from Tower of Phillips Church, Exeter, NH.jpg, Phillips Exeter in 1910
Image:Linden Street, from Front Street, Exeter, NH.jpg, Linden Street
Image:Exeter Town Hall.jpg, Exeter Town Hall, September 2008
File:Powder House Exeter New Hampshire.jpg, Powder House, 1936
File:Giddings Tavern Exeter New Hampshire.jpg, ''Giddings Tavern'', 1935
File:Liberty Emery House Exeter New Hampshire.jpg, ''Liberty Emery House'', 1935
File:Simeon Folsom House Exeter New Hampshire.jpg, ''Simeon Folsom House'', 1935
File:First_Congregational_Church_Exeter.jpeg, First Congregational Church,
File:Lower_Falls_Exeter_winter.jpeg, Lower falls in winter,
File:Town_Hall_Exeter_1870.jpeg, Town Hall,
File:Bellows_House_Front_Street_Exeter.jpeg, Bellows House, Front Street,
File:Robinson_Female_Seminary_Exeter.jpeg, Robinson Female Seminary
Robinson Female Seminary was an American girl's day and boarding school in Exeter, New Hampshire. It was founded by the benefactor, William Robinson, a native and early resident of that town. By his last will, he bequeathed the residue of his larg ...
, now defunct,
File:Front_Street_view_Exeter_New_Hampshire.jpeg, Front Street,
File:View_Phillips_Exeter_Academy_Exeter_1870.jpeg, Phillips Exeter Academy,
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the town has an area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 1.80% of the town.
Exeter 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 ...
, which feeds the tidal
Squamscott River
The Squamscott River is a tidal river in Rockingham County, southeastern New Hampshire, in the United States. It rises at Exeter, fed by the Exeter River. The Squamscott runs north between Newfields and Stratham to Great Bay, a tidal estuar ...
in the center of town. Exeter's highest point is above sea level, on Great Hill at the town's southwest corner. Exeter 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
Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to:
Hydrology
* Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins
* Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...
.
Adjacent municipalities
*
Newfields, New Hampshire
Newfields is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,769 at the 2020 census. The primary village in town, where 378 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined as the Newfields census-designated place (C ...
(north)
*
Stratham, New Hampshire
Stratham is a New England town, town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town had a population of 7,669 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is bounded on the west by the Squamscott ...
(east)
*
Hampton, New Hampshire
Hampton is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 census. On the Atlantic Ocean coast, Hampton is home to Hampton Beach, a summer tourist destination.
The densely populated central part ...
(southeast)
*
Hampton Falls, New Hampshire
Hampton Falls (formerly the "Third Parish and Hampton Falls") is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,403 at the 2020 census.
History
The land of Hampton Falls was first settled by Europeans in 1638, ...
(southeast)
*
Kensington, New Hampshire
Kensington is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,095 at the 2020 census.
History
Once a parish of Hampton, Kensington was incorporated in 1737 by New Hampshire governor Jonathan Belcher. Of the 27 town ...
(south)
*
East Kingston, New Hampshire
East Kingston is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,441 at the 2020 census.
History
East Kingston was once a part of Kingston called "Kingston East Parish", but was granted a separate charter in 1 ...
(southwest)
*
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. ...
(southwest)
*
Brentwood, New Hampshire
Brentwood is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census, its population was 4,490. Brentwood has been the county seat of Rockingham County since 1997.
History
An Abenaki tribe called the Pennacook farmed, fish ...
(west)
*
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 ...
(northwest)
Demographics
![Exeter High School (New Hampshire)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Exeter_High_School_%28New_Hampshire%29.jpg)
As of the 2010 census, there were 14,306 people, 6,114 households, and 3,729 families residing in the town. The population density was 729.9 people per square mile (281.1/km). There were 6,496 housing units at an average density of 331.4 per square mile (127.6/km). The racial makeup of the town was 95.5%
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 ...
, 0.6%
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, 2.0%
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 ...
, 0.2%
some other race, and 1.6% 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 1.77% of the population.
There were 6,114 households, out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were headed by married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28, and the average family size was 2.92.
In the town, the age distribution of the population was 22.6% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 30.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.
For the period 2007–2011, the estimated median annual income for a household in the town was $68,777, and the median income for a family was $95,435. Male full-time workers had a median income of $64,632 versus $41,088 for females. The per capita income for the town was $38,018. About 2.5% of families and 5.7% 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 7.2% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
The Amtrak ''
Downeaster'' stops at
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 ...
, providing passenger rail service to
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
and
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
.
Exeter is served by four exits (9–12) from
Route 101, and
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...
is about to the east. Routes
27,
85,
108 108 may refer to:
* 108 (number)
* AD 108, a year
* 108 BC, a year
* 108 (artist) (born 1978), Italian street artist
* 108 (band), an American hardcore band
* 108 (emergency telephone number), an emergency telephone number in several states in Ind ...
,
111, and
111A meet at the town's center, and
Route 88 is on the east side of the town.
Economy
In 1990 the
SIGARMS, Inc. company moved to Exeter. When it was bought by Michael Lüke and Thomas Ortmeier in October 2000, the name was changed to
SIG Sauer Inc. Today, SIG Sauer is one of the world's largest firearms manufacturing entities.
Bauer Hockey
Bauer Hockey LLC (renamed Nike Bauer from 2005 to 2008) is a manufacturer of ice hockey equipment, fitness and recreational skates and apparel. Bauer produces helmets, gloves, sticks, skates, shin guards, pants, shoulder pads, elbow pads, hockey ...
's global headquarters is in Exeter.
Notable people
Sites of interest
American Independence MuseumCongregational Church in Exeter founded 1638
Exeter Historical Society & MuseumPhillips Exeter Academy
See also
*
List of newspapers in New Hampshire: Exeter
*
Exeter Inn
The Exeter Inn (also known as The Inn at Exeter) is an inn in Exeter, New Hampshire, United States. Located on Front Street on the campus of Phillips Exeter Academy, the Georgian style complex was built in 1932 and mirrors the school's architectu ...
References
Further reading
* ''Cross-Grained & Wiley Waters: A Guide to the Piscataqua Maritime Region,'' Jeffrey W. Bolster, Editor; Peter Randall Publisher, Portsmouth, 2001
* ''Exeter New Hampshire 1888–1988,'' Nancy C. Merrill; Peter E. Randall, Publisher, Exeter, NH 1988
* ''History of Exeter, New Hampshire,'' Charles H. Bell, Exeter, NH 1888; Reprinted by Heritage Books, 1990
* ''Images of America: Exeter,'' Carol Walker Aten; Arcadia Publishers, Dover, NH, 1996, reprint 1998
* ''Ports of Piscataqua: Soundings in the Maritime History of the Portsmouth, N.H., Customs District from the Days of Queen Elizabeth and the Planting of Strawberry Banke to the Times of Abraham Lincoln and the Waning of the American Clipper,'' William Gurdon Saltonstall, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1941
* ''Postcards from Exeter,'' Carol Walker Aten; Arcadia Publishers, Dover, NH, 2003
* ''The Exeter-Squamscott: River of Many Uses,'' Olive Tardiff; Peter E. Randall, Publisher, Exeter, NH 1986, 2004
External links
*
Exeter Historical SocietySAU 16, Exeter Area School DistrictExeter Public Library
*
ttps://www.exeterlitfest.com/walking-tour Exeter LitFest: Literary Trail Walking Maps
{{Authority control
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 ...
Towns in Rockingham County, New Hampshire
Towns in New Hampshire
1638 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies
Populated places established in 1638