Chesterfield 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 Cheshire 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 3,552 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Spofford and West Chesterfield. Chesterfield is home to Spofford Lake,

Chesterfield Gorge Natural Area Chesterfield Gorge Natural Area, also known as Chesterfield Gorge State Wayside, is a state park on Route 9 in Chesterfield, New Hampshire. The park conserves a rocky gorge with waterfalls on Wilde Brook. There is picnicking, a seasonal visito ...

, and parts of Pisgah State Park and Wantastiquet Mountain State Forest.

History

Granted in 1735 by Governor

Jonathan Belcher Jonathan Belcher (8 January 1681/8231 August 1757) was a merchant, politician, and slave trader from colonial Massachusetts who served as both governor of Massachusetts Bay and governor of New Hampshire from 1730 to 1741 and governor of New ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, this town was the site of Fort Number 1, first in the line of forts bordering 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 into Long Isl ...

. After the border between Massachusetts and

was fixed, the town was incorporated on February 11, 1752Article i
''Statistics and Gazetteer of New-Hampshire'' (1875)
/ref> by 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 ...

as Chesterfield, named for Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield. The first settlers were Moses Smith and William Thomas, who, with their families, came up the Connecticut in canoes, in the fall of 1761. Their chief subsistence through the winter and spring of their first year in the wilderness consisted of

salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...

and

shad The Alosidae, or the shads, are a family (biology), family of clupeiform fishes. The family currently comprises four genera worldwide, and about 32 species. The shads are Pelagic fish, pelagic (open water) schooling fish, of which many are anadr ...

, of which there was a great abundance in the river, and deer, which were numerous in the forests. The town contains some of the finest farmland in Cheshire County, yet once was also home to small manufacturing, notably

spinning wheel A spinning wheel is a device for spinning thread or yarn from fibres. It was fundamental to the textile industry prior to the Industrial Revolution. It laid the foundations for later machinery such as the spinning jenny and spinning frame, ...

parts and hand tools. In 1772, Philip Embury conducted the first

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

religious services in New Hampshire at the James Robertson farm in Chesterfield, and in 1803,

Francis Asbury Francis Asbury (August 20 or 21, 1745 – March 31, 1816) was a British-American Methodist minister who became one of the first two bishop (Methodist), bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. During his 45 years in the col ...

preached here. Asbury Church is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

and is recognized for its historic

puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

design. Asbury Church is considered the "Mother Church of Methodism" in New Hampshire, and is the oldest Methodist church in the state. The town has had continual Methodist Sunday services for over 225 years. Chesterfield Academy, established in 1794, was for decades one of the most celebrated in the state.History of Chesterfield, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
/ref> Spofford Lake is one of the region's largest and oldest resorts. Image:Granite Cottage, Spofford Lake, Chesterfield, NH.jpg, Granite Cottage in 1907, Spofford Lake Image:Old Cabin Home & Fairview Cottage.jpg, Summer cottages on Spofford Lake in 1917 Image:Pine Grove Springs Hotel, Spofford Lake, Chesterfield, NH.jpg, Pine Grove Springs Hotel, Spofford Lake in 1913

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 4.17%, are water. Chesterfield is bounded on the west by the

. The highest point in the town is near its southern border, atop Davis Hill, at 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 ...

. Chesterfield lies fully within the

watershed Watershed may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage) Music * Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...

. The town is served by state routes 9 and 63.

Adjacent municipalities

* Westmoreland (north) * Keene (northeast) * Swanzey (east) *

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

(south) * Hinsdale (south) *

Brattleboro, Vermont Brattleboro (), originally Brattleborough, is a New England town, town in Windham County, Vermont, United States, located about north of the Massachusetts state line at the confluence of Vermont's West River (Vermont), West River and the Connec ...

(southwest) *

Dummerston, Vermont Dummerston is a New England town, town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,865 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is home to the longest covered bridge still in use in Vermont. Its borders include three m ...

(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 3,542 people, 1,366 households, and 1,005 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,632 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.80%

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 ...

, 0.23%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.56% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.08% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.56% of the population. There were 1,366 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.5% 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, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.01. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 30.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $51,351, and the median income for a family was $58,516. Males had a median income of $44,087 versus $26,547 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 $25,051. About 4.9% 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 ...

, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.

Sites of interest

Asbury Church (1844)

Chesterfield Gorge Natural Area

Pisgah State Park

Madam Sherri Forest

Notable people

* Helen Field Comstock (1840–1930), poet, philanthropist * Theodore Davis (–1841), merchant, surveyor, politician * William H. Haile (1833–1901), businessman, politician * Broughton Harris (1822–1899),

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

newspaper editor, businessman who was one of the Runaway Officials of 1851 as Secretary of the

Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th st ...

Larkin Goldsmith Mead Larkin Goldsmith Mead, Jr. (January 3, 1835 – October 15, 1910) was an American sculpture, sculptor who worked in a Neoclassicism, neoclassical style. Career He was born at Chesterfield, New Hampshire, the son of a prominent lawyer. A coloss ...

(1835–1910), sculptor who worked in a neoclassical style * John Davis Pierce (1797–1882), educator * George Randall (1832–1908), business owner, politician in Canadian province of

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Harlan Fiske Stone Harlan is a given name and a surname which may refer to: Surname * Abram D. Harlan (1833–1908), American politician from Pennsylvania * Bob Harlan (born 1936 Robert E. Harlan), American football executive * Bruce Harlan (1926–1959), America ...

(1872–1946), 52nd

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

and 12th

Chief Justice of the United States The chief justice of the United States is the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States and is the highest-ranking officer of the U.S. federal judiciary. Appointments Clause, Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution g ...

* Winthrop E. Stone (1862–1921), professor, college president *

Charles Tazewell Charles Tazewell (June 2, 1900 – June 26, 1972) was an American actor, radio playwright, and children's book author, whose work has been adapted multiple times for film. Life Charles Tazewell was born in 1900 in Des Moines, Iowa, and began ac ...

(1900–1972), actor, radio playwright, children's book author * Hoyt Henry Wheeler (1833–1906), judge

References

External links

*
Chesterfield Public Library

Chesterfield Historical Society

{{authority control Towns in Cheshire County, New Hampshire New Hampshire populated places on the Connecticut River Towns in New Hampshire