Acworth 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 Sullivan County,

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a 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 to the nor ...

, United States. At the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 853.

History

Acworth Congregational Church, Acworth NH

Originally chartered by 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 ...

in 1752, it was called "Burnet" after William Burnet, a former governor of the

Province of Massachusetts Bay The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in British America which became one of the thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III and Mary II, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of ...

. In 1754, however, the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

broke out, and no settlements were made under the charter.A. J. Coolidge & J. B. Mansfield, ''A History and Description of New England;'' Boston, Massachusetts 1859
/ref> Wentworth regranted the township on September 19, 1766, naming it after Sir Jacob Acworth, a former Surveyor of the Royal Navy.''Encyclopedia of New Hampshire'' p. 441 The town was first permanently settled in 1768 by several families from

Londonderry, New Hampshire Londonderry is a town in western Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. It sits between Manchester and Derry, the largest and fourth-largest communities in the state. The population was 25,826 at the 2020 census. Londonderry is known f ...

. Acworth was incorporated in 1772 by Governor John Wentworth, but war again slowed its development. With the close of the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

, however, Acworth grew quickly. By 1859, it had 1,251 inhabitants, most of whom were occupied in

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 t ...

. The Cold River provided

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 ...

for industry, including five

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 ...

s, a

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separat ...

, a

woolen Woolen (American English) or woollen (Commonwealth English) is a type of yarn made from carded wool. Woolen yarn is soft, light, stretchy, and full of air. It is thus a good insulator, and makes a good knitting yarn. Woolen yarn is in contrast t ...

factory, a bobbin factory and a peg factory. There was also a boot and

shoe A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture ...

manufacturer. Acworth is a source for museum-quality crystals such as

beryl Beryl ( ) is a mineral composed of beryllium aluminium silicate with the chemical formula Be3Al2Si6O18. Well-known varieties of beryl include emerald and aquamarine. Naturally occurring, hexagonal crystals of beryl can be up to several ...

. The town of

Acworth, Georgia Acworth is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. The 2019 estimate for Acworth's population is 22,818. As of the 2010 census, this city had a population of 20,425, up from 13,422 in 2000. Acwor ...

, was named for this town, because this was the hometown of a railroad engineer there.

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 t ...

, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 0.65% of the town. Acworth is drained by the Cold River and its tributaries, except for the northwest corner of town, which drains north to the Little Sugar River. The town lies fully within the Connecticut River watershed. The highest point in Acworth is Gove Hill in the northeast part of town, 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 standardise ...

. The town is crossed by one numbered state highway, New Hampshire Route 123A, which follows the Cold River and passes through the village of South Acworth. Although not numbered routes, the state also maintains a handful of other roads in the town, including Cold River Road, Hill Road, and a portion of Charlestown Road.

Adjacent municipalities

* Unity, New Hampshire (north) * Lempster, New Hampshire (east) * Marlow, New Hampshire (southeast) *

Alstead, New Hampshire Alstead () is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,864 at the 2020 census. Alstead is home to Feuer State Forest. History The town was chartered by Massachusetts Governor Jonathan Belcher in 1735 as one ...

(south) * Langdon, New Hampshire (southwest) *

Charlestown, New Hampshire Charlestown is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,806 at the 2020 census, down from 5,114 at the 2010 census. The town is home to Hubbard State Forest and the headquarters of the Student Conservation A ...

(northwest)

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 in ...

of 2000, there were 836 people, 318 households, and 234 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

was 21.5 people per square mile (8.3/km). There were 512 housing units at an average density of 13.2 per square mile (5.1/km). The racial makeup of the town was 96.77%

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 o ...

, 0.84%

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 ...

, 0.84% Native American, 0.24% Asian, and 1.32% 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 forme ...

or Latino of any race were 1.08% of the population. There were 318 households, out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.06. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 30.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $37,386, and the median income for a family was $41,397. Males had a median income of $29,792 versus $26,912 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 $18,132. About 10.1% of families and 15.6% 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 26.6% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* George W. Anderson (1861–1938), federal judge * Nedom L. Angier (1814–1882), mayor of Atlanta; Georgia state treasurer *

John Graham Brooks John Graham Brooks (July 19, 1846 – February 8, 1938) was an American sociologist, political reformer, and author. A former Unitarian minister, Brooks resigned from the ministry in 1891 and became an academic specialist in the field of labor r ...

(1846–1938), sociologist, political reformer * Thomas J. Cram (1804–1883), engineer in the service of the U.S. Corps of Topographical Engineers * Adrian Dubois (born 1987), professional soccer player * Alice B. Fogel, New Hampshire Poet Laureate, 2014–2019 *

Perley Keyes Perley Keyes (February 24, 1774 in – May 13, 1834) was an American politician from New York. Life Keyes was born in Acworth, then in Cheshire County, now in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, the son of Capt. William Keyes (born 1740) and Hannah ...

(1774–1834), member of the New York Senate *

Talcott Parsons Talcott Parsons (December 13, 1902 – May 8, 1979) was an American sociologist of the classical tradition, best known for his social action theory and structural functionalism. Parsons is considered one of the most influential figures in soci ...

(1902–1979), Harvard sociologist * Fritz Wetherbee (born 1936), television personality * Hiram Wilson (1803–1864), abolitionist * Joseph Gardner Wilson (1826–1873), Oregon supreme court justice and US congressman *

Urban A. Woodbury Urban Andrain Woodbury (July 11, 1838 – April 15, 1915) was an American Civil War veteran, an entrepreneur and a U.S. politician of the Republican Party. He served as mayor of Burlington, 37th lieutenant governor, and as the 45th governor of V ...

(1838–1915), Civil War veteran and the 45th

governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of 2 years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every ...

References

External links

* * ttps://web.archive.org/web/20090610034943/http://www.historicalsocietiesnh.org/drsulli.htm Acworth Historical Society
Acworth Silsby Library

''The Acworthian''
online newsletter

* ttp://gedcomindex.com/Reference/Haywards/frame022.html ''Hayward's New England Gazetteer'' (1839) {{authority control Towns in Sullivan County, New Hampshire Populated places established in 1772 Towns in New Hampshire