Peterborough 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 Hillsborough 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. The population was 6,418 at the 2020 census. The main village, with 3,090 people at the 2020 census, is defined as the Peterborough census-designated place (CDP) and is located along the Contoocook River at the junction of U.S. Route 202 and New Hampshire Route 101. Peterborough is west of

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

and northwest of

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 ...

History

Granted by

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

in 1737, it was first permanently settled in 1749. The town suffered several attacks during 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 ...

. Nevertheless, by 1759, there were fifty families settled. Incorporated on January 17, 1760, by 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 ...

, it was named after Lieutenant Peter Prescott (1709–1784) of Concord, Massachusetts, a prominent land speculator. Main St

The Contoocook River and Nubanusit Brook offered numerous sites for

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of ...

s, and Peterborough became a prosperous mill town. In 1810, the first

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 pe ...

factory was established. By 1859, when the population was 2,222, there were four additional cotton factories, plus 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 ...

mill. Other industries included two paper mills, an

iron Iron () is a chemical element with Symbol (chemistry), symbol Fe (from la, Wikt:ferrum, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 element, group 8 of the periodic table. It is, Abundanc ...

foundry, a machine shop, a carriage factory, a

basket A basket is a container that is traditionally constructed from stiff fibers and can be made from a range of materials, including wood splints, runners, and cane. While most baskets are made from plant materials, other materials such as horsehai ...

manufacturer, a maker of

truss A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure. In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembl ...

es and supporters, 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 ...

factory, seven sawmills, and three gristmills. Reverend Abiel Abbot, after being charged with

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...

by the

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

religious establishment, came to Peterborough as minister to the Peterborough Unitarian Church in 1827. Reverend Abbot founded the town's first prep school, the Monadnock Summer Lyceum, and the first free library in the US, all in Peterborough. Peterborough established the first tax-supported free public library in the United States in 1833. Its success led the New Hampshire State Legislature to pass legislation in 1849 authorizing towns to raise money to establish and maintain their own libraries. The library was located in the town's general store and post office, and the postmaster served as librarian. The library moved to the town hall in 1873. Other early cultural institutions include Mariarden, a summer theatre where

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, stage and film actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplish ...

played in Eugene O'Neill's '' The Emperor Jones'' at a time when roles for black Americans were scarce. Bette Davis performed there as a teen. Performance blossomed again in 1976, when Widdie and Jonathon Hall founded the Peterborough Folkway. "Within a few years, it became a 'must play' on the East Coast for folk musicians and continued to be a popular stop" for two decades. Regular performers included Tom Paxton,

Mary Chapin Carpenter Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also call ...

Shawn Colvin Shawn Colvin (born Shawna Lee Colvin, January 10, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. While Colvin has been a solo recording artist for decades, she is best known for her 1998 Grammy Award-winning song " Sunny Came Home". Early ...

, and Suzanne Vega. In the 1980s, thanks to publisher

Wayne Green Wayne Sanger Green II (September 3, 1922 – September 13, 2013) was an American publisher, writer, and consultant. Green was editor of '' CQ'' magazine before he went on to found '' 73'', ''80 Micro'', ''Byte'', '' CD Review'', ''Cold Fusion'', ...

, "Peterborough was clearly the per capita magazine production capital of the world." Over 100 magazines, mostly about computers and technology, were published there; these included '' Byte'' and ''MacComputing''. Peterborough's leadership in environmental protection began in the 1990s, when its Earth Day USA office supported the US Air Force's annual Earth Day events around the world.

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 1.06% of the town. Peterborough is drained by the Contoocook River and its tributaries, Nubanusit Brook and Otter Brook. The entire town is part of the Merrimack River watershed. The highest point in Peterborough as well as in Hillsborough County is the summit of South Pack Monadnock ( 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 ...

), in Miller State Park in the southeast corner of town. Peterborough is also home to Edward MacDowell Dam and Lake recreation area, where visitors can walk across the dam, hike, cross-country ski, swim, boat, picnic, play Frisbee golf, horseshoes or other recreational opportunities, many of them disabilities accessible. The town is crossed by U.S. Route 202 and Route 101.

Demographics

As of the

2010 United States census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...

, there were 6,284 people, 2,713 households, and 1,629 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 167.0 people per square mile (64.3/km). There were 2,956 housing units at an average density of 78.4 per square mile (30.3/km). The racial makeup of the town was 96.1% White, 1.8% Asian, 0.7%

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 ...

or African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.4% some other race, and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population. There were 2,713 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were headed by married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. Of all households 33.6% 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 2.24, and the average family size was 2.85. In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.5% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 19.9% from 25 to 44, 30.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.7 males. For the period 2009–2013, the estimated median annual income for a household in the town was $66,026, and the median income for a family was $89,401. Male full-time workers had a median income of $66,314 versus $34,707 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 $40,385.

Economy

Peterborough is a global village and entrepreneurial seedbed. Start-ups based in Peterborough include New Hampshire Ball Bearing, Microspec, Pure Flow, Peterboro Basket Company, Borrego Solar, MobileRobots Inc., Toadstool Bookstores, Froling Energy, Brookstone, SoClean and Hyndsight Vision Systems. Approximately a third of Peterborough workers are home-based entrepreneurs or remote workers. Like the rest of New Hampshire and the

Monadnock region The Monadnock Region is a region in southwestern New Hampshire. It is named after Mount Monadnock, a 3,165 foot isolated mountain, which is the dominant geographic landmark in the region. Although it has no specific borders, the Monadnock Region i ...

, Peterborough's third largest industry is

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

. Its cultural attractions include the Monadnock Center for History and Culture, the exhibition gallery and craft gallery of the Sharon Arts Center, the Peterborough Players theatre, Peterborough Community Theater cinema, Monadnock Music concerts, the Monadnock Summer Lyceum, MAXT Makerspace and Mariposa Children's Museum. Peterborough's First Saturday contradances are a place for singles and dance enthusiasts to enjoy live music in the spacious Peterborough Town Hall.

Arts and culture

Many artists' introduction to the town comes as fellows to the

MacDowell Colony MacDowell is an artist's residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire, United States, founded in 1907 by composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell. Prior to July 2020, it was known as the MacDowel ...

, a wooded creative retreat that provides grants to about 300 artists per year. The town celebrates First Friday monthly with presentations by MacDowell artists, gallery openings, shopping, live music, and local pubs. The Peterborough Diner, a Worcester railway lunch car in the center of the village square, attracts many presidential hopefuls every four years. Peterborough hosts the Snow Ball in January, Children and the Arts Day in May, Thing in the Spring music festival in June, and Greenerborough, a summer festival promoting the town's sustainability. The Moses Cheney house in Peterborough served as a stop on the Underground Railroad in the mid-19th century. The Peterborough Players have performed since 1933. New Hampshire's oldest continuously active state militia unit, the Lafayette Artillery Company, was founded in Peterborough in 1804. It is now based in nearby Lyndeborough. Since the early 20th century, Peterborough has been home to the Amoskeag Veterans, founded in

in 1855. The Mariposa Museum houses a collection of marionettes and puppets.

Parks and recreation

The town's outdoor amenities include hiking trails, wild flowers, cross-country skiing, kayaking, cycling and small lakes for swimming, sailing, fishing and ice-skating. It is a popular bird-watching area, one of two sites of the NH Audubon autumn migratory raptor count.

Education

The public schools are part of Contoocook Valley school district (SAU 1) which has a total of 11 schools and one applied technology center. * Contoocook Valley Regional High School, built in 1970, serves approximately 700 students. * South Meadow School, founded in 1989, serves approximately 400 students. The school began as Peterborough Middle School. * Peterborough Elementary School, locally known as PES, serves approximately 250 students. * While the area has many private kindergartens, pre-schools and elementaries, The Well School, founded in 1967, is the only Pre-8 school within the town. The Well is a day school that serves approximately 160 students on an extensive rural campus. * Clay Mathematics Institute, a foundation supporting mathematics research.

Media

The ''

Monadnock Ledger-Transcript The ''Monadnock Ledger-Transcript'' is a twice-weekly newspaper based in Peterborough, New Hampshire, and covering the Monadnock Region. It was formed in September 2006, when the 50-year-old ''Monadnock Ledger'' bought the 150-year-old ''Peterboro ...

'' is published twice-weekly.

Infrastructure

The town wants to achiever 100 percent reliance on sustainable energy, and built the largest solar facility in New Hampshire, next to its wastewater treatment plant.

Notable people

* Abiel Abbot (1765–1859), minister, educator and founder of the first free library *

Charles Bass Charles Foster Bass (born January 8, 1952) is an American politician and member of the Republican Party who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for from 1995 to 2007 and 2011 to 2013. He is the son of Perkins Bass, ...

(born 1952), US congressman *

Perkins Bass Perkins Bass (October 6, 1912 – October 25, 2011) was an American elected official from the state of New Hampshire, including four terms as a U.S. representative from 1955 to 1963. Biography Bass was born on October 6, 1912, in East Walpole, ...

(1912–2011), US congressman * Robert P. Bass (1873–1960), farmer, forestry expert, 53rd Governor of New Hampshire * Jotham Blanchard (1800–1839), lawyer, newspaper editor, Canadian politician *

Ingrid Chavez Ingrid Julia Chavez (born 1965) is an American singer-songwriter, poet, actress, and visual artist. Early life Chavez was born on January 21, 1965, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and raised in Marietta, Georgia. She is of Mexican-American descent. ...

(born 1965), actress, musician * Moses Cheney (1793–1875), abolitionist, legislator, and founder of

Bates College Bates College () is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of the dormitories. It maintains of nature p ...

* Person Colby Cheney (1828–1901), manufacturer, abolitionist, US senator, 35th Governor of New Hampshire * Francis Joseph Christian (born 1942), retired auxiliary bishop, Diocese of Manchester * Frank Gay Clarke (1850–1901), US congressman * Landon T. Clay (1926–2017), businessman, philanthropist, art collector, founder of Clay Mathematics Institute *

Matt Deis Matt Deis is an American bass guitarist. Originally from West Springfield, Massachusetts, he is best known as the bassist of the rock band CKY with whom he performed with between 2005 and 2010, returning in 2015 and departing again in 2019, an ...

(born 1983), musician * Jeanne Dietsch (born 1952), state senator * Richard Despard Estes (born 1928), author *

(1922–2013), publisher * Joanne Head (1930–2021), member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives * Sam Huntington (born 1982), actor * Beth Krommes (born 1956), illustrator, winner of 2009 Caldecott Medal * Edward MacDowell (1860–1908), composer * Marian MacDowell (1857–1956), founder of the

* Bob "Mr. Mac" McQuillen (1923–2014), teacher, musician, prolific composer of contra dance tunes; recognized as a National Heritage Fellow * James Miller (1776–1851), US congressman, general * Luke Miller (1815-1881), physician, businessman, and Minnesota state senator *

Elting E. Morison Elting Elmore Morison (December 14, 1909, Milwaukee, Wisconsin – April 20, 1995, Peterborough, New Hampshire) was an American historian of technology, military biographer, author of nonfiction books, and essayist. He was an MIT professor and th ...

(1909–1995), US historian, professor emeritus at

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

, founder of the MIT's Program in Science, Technology and Society (known as STS), lived and died in Peterborough * Eddie Mottau, guitarist * George Swinnerton Parker (1866–1952), originator of the Parker Brothers game and toy company; his house in Peterborough was the basis for the murder mystery game ''

Clue Clue may refer to: People with the name * DJ Clue (born 1975), mixtape DJ * Arthur Clues (1924–1998), Australian rugby league footballer * Ivan Clues * Tim Cluess Arts, entertainment, and media ''Clue'' entertainment franchise * ''Cluedo ...

'', known outside North America as ''

Cluedo ''Cluedo'' (), known as ''Clue'' in North America, is a murder mystery game for three to six players (depending on editions) that was devised in 1943 by British board game designer Anthony E. Pratt. The game was first manufactured by Waddin ...

'' * Walter R. Peterson, Jr. (1922–2011), realtor, educator, 72nd Governor of New Hampshire * Jeremiah Smith (1759–1842), jurist, US congressman, 9th Governor of New Hampshire * Robert Smith (1802–1867), US congressman * Samuel Smith (1765–1842), manufacturer, US congressman *

John Hardy Steele John Hardy Steele (January 4, 1789 – July 3, 1865) served as the 19th governor of New Hampshire from 1844 to 1846. Early life John H. Steele was born in Salisbury, North Carolina, on January 4, 1789. His mother, Elizabeth Taylor, was unmarrie ...

(1789–1865), mechanic, manufacturer, 19th Governor of New Hampshire * Elizabeth Marshall Thomas (born 1931), author *

George Walker George Walker may refer to: Arts and letters * George Walker (chess player) (1803–1879), English chess player and writer *George Walker (composer) (1922–2018), American composer * George Walker (illustrator) (1781–1856), author of ''The Co ...

(1824–1888), attorney, state congressman, banker, corporate executive, political adviser, prominent advocate for bimetallism and U.S. Consul-General in Paris * Isaac Davis White (1901–1990), commanded the U.S. Army, Pacific (USARPAC) from July 1957 to March 1961 * James Wilson I (1766–1839), US congressman *

James Wilson II James Wilson II (March 18, 1797 – May 29, 1881) was a U.S. Representative from New Hampshire, son of James Wilson (1766–1839). Life Born in Peterborough, New Hampshire, James Wilson II attended New Ipswich Academy and the academies at ...

(1797–1881), US congressman * John Wilson (1777–1848), US congressman * Elizabeth Yates (1905–2001), Newbury medalist, author of 26 books including '' Amos Fortune, Free Man''

In popular culture

The town was a model for the play '' Our Town'', written by Thornton Wilder while in residence at the MacDowell Colony. His fictional town of Grovers Corners appears to have been named for Peterborough's Grove Street. The film '' The Sensation of Sight'' was shot entirely in Peterborough.

References

External links

*
Greater Keene and Peterborough Chamber of Commerce

{{Authority control Populated places on the Underground Railroad Towns in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire Towns in New Hampshire