Chatham is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Carroll County,

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders 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 341 at the 2020 census. It is located in the White Mountains, and except for the southeastern corner, all of Chatham is in the

White Mountain National Forest The White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) is a federally managed forest contained within the White Mountains in the northeastern United States. It was established in 1918 as a result of the Weeks Act of 1911; federal acquisition of land had alre ...

. The town is home to the Cold River national forest campgrounds.

History

Chatham was granted to Peter Livins and others on February 7, 1767, by colonial Governor

Benning Wentworth Benning Wentworth (July 24, 1696 – October 14, 1770) was an American merchant, landowner and colonial administrator who served as the List of colonial governors of New Hampshire, governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766. He is best known ...

. The town was named in honor of William Pitt,

Earl of Chatham Earl of Chatham, of Chatham in the County of Kent, was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1766 for William Pitt the Elder on his appointment as Lord Privy Seal, along with the subsidiary title of Viscount Pitt, of Burton ...

and

Prime Minister of Great Britain The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet, and selects its ministers. Modern pr ...

, who had recently led Britain to victory in the Seven Years War. Chatham was regranted in 1770 by his nephew, Governor John Wentworth, to a group including Samuel Langdon, president of

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

and creator of the "Blanchard Map" of the North Country. Part of

Conway Conway may refer to: Places United States * Conway, Arkansas * Conway County, Arkansas * Lake Conway, Arkansas * Conway, Florida * Conway, Iowa * Conway, Kansas * Conway, Louisiana * Conway, Massachusetts * Conway, Michigan * Conway Townshi ...

was annexed in 1829.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.96%, are water. The highest point in Chatham is the summit of South Baldface, with an elevation of above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

. Sable Mountain, elevation , is in the west, and Robbins Ridge crosses the center of Chatham from east to west. Upper Kimball Pond is in the southeast, and Basin Pond is in the northeast. Chatham lies fully within the Saco River watershed. An article in ''Statistics and Gazetteer of New-Hampshire'' (1875) stated,

" Carter's Mountain rises so high between this town and
Jackson Jackson may refer to: Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson oil field in Durham, ...
as to prevent the opening of a highway, and the people of the respective towns, in their intercourse, are obliged to pass through a portion of
Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
. Kiarsarge ic in the south-west corner of the town, has...upon the summit...a commodious house for the accommodation of visitors. The views from this mountain are grand and very extensive. In the north-west corner is Baldface
Mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...
. Teams can be driven nearly to its summit. From the crest of this mountain the Tip-Top House on Mount Washington can be seen, also the ocean."Article i
''Statistics and Gazetteer of New-Hampshire'' (1875)
/ref>

"Kiarsarge" (now Kearsarge North) and Baldface are now accessible only by hiking trails, and the summit of Kearsarge North has a lookout tower but no other structures. The views are still as extensive as before. Access to the town of Jackson continues to be partially through Maine by taking Maine State Route 113 south to the Fryeburg area, then traveling west through

. Route 113, leading north, crosses into New Hampshire in the North Chatham part of town, then curves back into Maine to cross the mountains in Evans Notch and descend north to

U.S. Route 2 U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected ...

Gilead, Maine Gilead is a New England town, town in Oxford County, Maine, Oxford County, Maine, United States. Upon incorporation in 1804, it was named for the large quantity of Balsam poplar, Balm of Gilead trees in the town center. The population was 195 ...

. North Chatham is a pene-

enclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is so ...

in the winter, functionally accessible to neighboring New Hampshire towns only by traveling through Maine first.

Adjacent municipalities

* Bean's Purchase (north) * South Oxford, Maine (northeast) * Stow, Maine (east) * Fryeburg, Maine (southeast) *

(south) * Bartlett (southwest) *

Jackson Jackson may refer to: Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson oil field in Durham, ...

(west)

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 260 people, 107 households, and 71 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 253 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.08%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.15% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. There were 107 households, of which 29.0% had children under 18 living with them, 57.0% were

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

living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 27.1% of all households comprised individuals, and 8.4% had someone who was 65 or older living alone. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.94. The town's population was spread out, with 24.6% under 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 30.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $37,188, and the median income for a family was $40,156. Males had a median income of $22,188 versus $20,313 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $15,317. About 13.3% of families and 15.4% 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 23.9% of those under eighteen and none of those 65 or over.

References

External links

*
New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile
{{authority control Populated places established in 1767 Towns in Carroll County, New Hampshire Towns in New Hampshire 1767 establishments in New Hampshire William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham