Sullivan 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 Cheshire 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 658 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of East Sullivan and Ellisville.

History

Named for General John Sullivan and incorporated on September 27, 1787, Sullivan was formed from parts of Gilsum, Keene,

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

and Stoddard. Farming became the chief occupation. By 1859, the population was 468. In 1867, Sullivan was the first town in New Hampshire to dedicate a monument to its soldiers lost in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. The monument sits across from the Sullivan Congregational Church.

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 a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 1.01% of the town. It is drained by Ferry Brook, Meetinghouse Brook, Spaulding Brook and Otter Brook, all part of the

Ashuelot River The 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. It is the longest tr ...

watershed flowing to the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...

. The highest point in Sullivan is the summit of Boynton Hill at , in the northern part of town. The town is served by

New Hampshire Route 9 New Hampshire Route 9 (abbreviated NH 9 and also known as the Franklin Pierce Highwayhttp://franklinpierce.ws/highway.pdf ) is a state highway located in southern New Hampshire. It runs across the state from west to east and is a multi-state rout ...

Adjacent municipalities

* Gilsum (northwest) * Stoddard (northeast) *

(east) * Roxbury (south) * Keene (southwest)

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 2000, there were 746 people, 282 households, and 208 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 40.3 people per square mile (15.6/km). There were 299 housing units at an average density of 16.2 per square mile (6.2/km). The racial makeup of the town was 98.39%

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 ...

, 0.13%

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 ...

, 0.94% Native American, 0.27%

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 ...

, and 0.27% 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 ...

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 0.40% of the population. There were 282 households, out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% 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 t ...

living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.00. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $51,058, and the median income for a family was $52,386. Males had a median income of $30,900 versus $24,896 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 $21,143. About 0.9% of families and 4.5% 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 3.5% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Education

The town of Sullivan operates its own independent school district and school administrative unit, governed by a five-member elected school board. Students in Sullivan attend neighboring

Elementary School for kindergarten through grade six, Keene Middle School for grades seven and eight, and Keene High School. From 1960 to 2013, Sullivan had been a member of the cooperative Monadnock Regional School District. Its elementary-aged students attended school at the Sullivan Central School on Centre Street (until its closure in 2012) and neighboring Gilsum Elementary School. Middle and high school students attended Monadnock Regional High School in Swanzey. At the March 2012 annual

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 ...

, residents of Sullivan voted to begin the process of withdrawing from the cooperative school district. A withdrawal plan was passed by a district study committee and approved by school district voters on November 27, 2012. On July 1, 2013, the town began operating its own independent school district. By law, the former Sullivan Central School building has been reacquired by the new school district, but is not intended to be reopened.Report of Sullivan Withdrawal Committee

, September 5, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2013.

Notable people

* Charles C. Comstock (1818–1900), businessman, US congressman from

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

* David H. Mason (1818–1873), US congressman from Massachusetts, US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts *

Rufus Osgood Mason Rufus Osgood Mason (January 22, 1830, in Sullivan, New Hampshire – May 11, 1903, in New York City) was a physician, surgeon, and teacher and an early researcher in parapsychology and hypnotherapy.Carlos S. Alvarado, "Rufus Osgood Mason (1830– ...

(1830–1903), physician, surgeon, teacher, early researcher in

parapsychology Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena (extrasensory perception, telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis (also called telekinesis), and psychometry) and other paranormal claims, for example, those related to near ...

and

hypnotherapy Hypnotherapy is a type of mind–body intervention in which hypnosis is used to create a state of focused attention and increased suggestibility in the treatment of a medical or psychological disorder or concern. Popularized by 17th and 18th cen ...

John Morressy John Morressy (December 8, 1930 – March 20, 2006) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer and a professor of English at Franklin Pierce College. He died at Sullivan, New Hampshire where he lived. Bibliography Novels * ''The Bla ...

(1930–2006), science fiction and fantasy writer; professor of English at

Franklin Pierce College Franklin Pierce University is a private university in Rindge, New Hampshire. It was founded as Franklin Pierce College in 1962, combining a liberal arts foundation with coursework for professional development, professional preparation. The scho ...

References

External links

*
Sullivan Public Library

{{authority control Towns in Cheshire County, New Hampshire Towns in New Hampshire Populated places established in 1787 1787 establishments in New Hampshire