Errol 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 Coös 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 298 at the 2020 census. It is located north of the White Mountains along Route 16 at its intersection of Route 26. It has a municipal airport with a single, unpaved runway ( airport code ERR). Errol is part of the

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, NH-VT micropolitan statistical area.

History

Errol was granted by Governor John Wentworth to Timothy Ruggles and others in 1774, the name taken from

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

James Hay, 15th Earl of Erroll James Hay, 15th Earl of Erroll (20 April 1726 – 3 June 1778 (Chester Courant, 16 June 1778)) styled Lord Boyd from 1728 to 1746, was a Scottish nobleman and the son of William Boyd, 4th Earl of Kilmarnock. After his father was attainted in 1 ...

. In 1789, proprietors of the Errol grant petitioned the General Court that towns between

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 ...

and Errol be required to pay for "a good connecting road". The legislature approved the measure in 1781, mandating what is today Route 16. A winter

trade route A trade route is a logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo. The term can also be used to refer to trade over land or water. Allowing goods to reach distant markets, a singl ...

to Andover, Maine was built in 1804, connecting Errol to

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

via what is now Route 26. The first settlers arrived at Errol in 1806, and by 1820 the population was 36. It was incorporated in 1836. Although the soil was considered generally poor, it proved suitable for

hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticate ...

oat The oat (''Avena sativa''), sometimes called the common oat, is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name (usually in the plural). Oats appear to have been domesticated as a secondary crop, as their seeds ...

s and

potato The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...

es. With vast forests, the town's chief occupation was

lumbering Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks

. By 1859, when the population was 130, the town had two

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, 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 ...

s, one

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

and one

clapboard Clapboard (), also called bevel siding, lap siding, and weatherboard, with regional variation in the definition of those terms, is wooden siding of a building in the form of horizontal boards, often overlapping. ''Clapboard'', in modern Am ...

machine.

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 are water, comprising 13.09% of the town. The

Androscoggin River The Androscoggin River (Abenaki: ''Ammoscongon'') is a river in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data''The National Map'', a ...

begins in Errol, where the Magalloway River joins the outlet of Umbagog Lake. The town's elevation reaches 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 ...

atop a bump above Signal Pond near the town's western boundary. Errol lies fully within the

watershed. The town is served by state routes 16 and 26. NH Route 16 extends north towards the township of Wentworth Location, and it extends south through Dummer and

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

into the city of

. NH Route 26 extends east towards the township of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

and eventually into

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 ...

. It extends west through Dixville Notch to the town of Colebrook.

Adjacent municipalities

* Wentworth Location (north) * North Oxford, Maine (northeast) * Upton, Maine (southeast) *

(south) * Dummer (southwest) * Millsfield (west) * Dixville (northwest)

Climate

This climatic region has large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Errol has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Errol, New Hampshire
/ref>

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 298 people, 137 households, and 90 families living in the town. The population density was 4.9 people per square mile (1.9/km). There were 447 housing units at an average density of 7.3 per square mile (2.8/km). The racial makeup of the town was 98.66% White, 0.34% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from other races, and 0.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.01%. Of the 137 households 19.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 2.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 24.8% of households were one person and 9.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.56. The age distribution was 16.4% under the age of 18, 3.4% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 35.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% 65 or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.7 males. The median household income was $35,625 and the median family income was $47,500. Males had a median income of $37,250 versus $20,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,440. About 9.8% of families and 13.1% 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 24.2% of those under the age of eighteen and 15.2% of those sixty five or over.

Education

Errol students in grades 7–12 are bused to Berlin Middle High School in

Sites of interest

* Androscoggin Wayside Park * Mollidgewock State Park * Umbagog Lake State Park * L. L. Cote Sports Center

References

External links

*
Errol Public Library

Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge

{{authority control Towns in Coös County, New Hampshire Berlin, New Hampshire micropolitan area Towns in New Hampshire