Shelburne 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 o ...

in Coös 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. The population was 353 at the 2020 census. It is located in the White Mountains, and part of the White Mountain National Forest is in the south. Shelburne is home to Leadmine State Forest. The

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian ...

crosses the town. Shelburne is part of the

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

, NH– VT Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

First granted in 1769 by Governor John Wentworth, the town was named for William Petty Fitzmaurice, Earl of Shelburne. He was a supporter of independence for the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

colonies, and at his insistence, King

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

recognized the independence of the United States. The town was first settled in 1771, and incorporated on December 13, 1820, when Shelburne voters chose to keep the name. It included "Shelburne Addition", that was set off and incorporated in 1836 as Gorham.Austin J. Coolidge & John B. Mansfield, ''A History and Description of New England;'' Boston, Massachusetts 1859
/ref> On August 3, 1781, the town was attacked by a party of six Indians, who had earlier raided

Bethel Bethel ( he, בֵּית אֵל, translit=Bēṯ 'Ēl, "House of El" or "House of God",Bleeker and Widegren, 1988, p. 257. also transliterated ''Beth El'', ''Beth-El'', ''Beit El''; el, Βαιθήλ; la, Bethel) was an ancient Israelite sanc ...

and Gilead, Maine. They killed one man and took another into captivity. The rest of the inhabitants fled to Hark Hill, where they spent the night before sheltering in Fryeburg. Shelburne provided excellent soil for farming on either side of the

Androscoggin River The Androscoggin River (Abenaki: ''Aləssíkαntekʷ'') is a river in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Ma ...

, but not far from the stream it becomes mountainous. The Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad, which opened to Gorham on July 23, 1851, and later became the

Grand Trunk Railway The Grand Trunk Railway (; french: Grand Tronc) was a railway system that operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The rail ...

, passed through the southern part of the town. In 1859, the population was 480. Located at the northern end of the Mount Washington Valley, Shelburne has a beautiful grove of

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' cont ...

trees, popular with artists and photographers, dedicated to the town's soldiers who served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

.New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau profile
/ref>

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 th ...

, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 1.73% of the town. Shelburne is drained by the

. Part of the

Mahoosuc Range The Mahoosuc Range, a northern extension of the White Mountains, straddles the border between New Hampshire and Maine. The range's highest peak, Old Speck Mountain, is the fourth-highest peak in Maine. Substantial parts of the range are publicly ...

is in the north, while the northern end of the

Carter-Moriah Range The Carter-Moriah Range of mountains is located in the White Mountains, in Coos County, New Hampshire. The range forms the northern east side of Pinkham Notch, opposite the northern Presidential Range. The range is also referred to as the Carter ...

is to the south. The highest point in Shelburne is on the town's southern boundary 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 standardis ...

, just a few steps north of the summit of Mount Moriah. The town is crossed by U.S. Route 2.

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 inc ...

of 2000, there were 379 people, 156 households, and 114 families living 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 RosenberPopu ...

was 7.9 people per square mile (3.1/km). There were 197 housing units at an average density of 4.1 per square mile (1.6/km). The racial makeup of the town was 97.36%

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 ...

, 0.26% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.26% from other races, and 1.85% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 1.06% of the population. There were 156 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 2.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.85. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 34.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $44,375, and the median income for a family was $59,375. Males had a median income of $36,000 versus $22,188 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 $24,899. About 2.9% of families and 3.7% 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 ...

, including none of those under age 18 and 13.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Matt Bevin (born 1967), businessperson, governor of Kentucky (R; 2015–2019) *

John N. Philbrook John M. Philbrook (1840–1923) was an American politician from Maine. A Republican, Philbrook served a term in the Maine House of Representatives (1893–1894) and in the Maine Senate (1903–1904) from Bethel, Maine. He also served as an Oxf ...

(1840–1923), Maine legislator *

Anne Whitney Anne Whitney (September 2, 1821 – January 23, 1915) was an American sculptor and poet. She made full-length and bust sculptures of prominent political and historical figures, and her works are in major museums in the United States. She received ...

(1821–1915), American sculptor, poet

References

External links