Lyndeborough 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 Hillsborough 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 1,702 at the 2020 census.

History

Originally granted by the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court, formally the General Court of Massachusetts, is the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts located in the state capital of Boston. Th ...

to veterans from

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem was one ...

, of

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

's first war with

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, the area was known as "Salem-Canada". John Cram and his family were the first settlers and established a

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 ...

in the community in 1736. The name "Lyndeborough" resulted from a re-grant to a group of people that included Benjamin Lynde, who later became Chief Justice of Massachusetts. This group of proprietors never lived in Lyndeborough and may never have visited the community. For instance, while serving as a proprietor of Lyndeborough, Judge Lynde lived in Massachusetts, where he presided in Suffolk County over the trial stemming from the

Boston Massacre The Boston Massacre, known in Great Britain as the Incident on King Street, was a confrontation, on March 5, 1770, during the American Revolution in Boston in what was then the colonial-era Province of Massachusetts Bay. In the confrontati ...

. The town has been home to the Lafayette Artillery Company (founded 1804) since 1833. The town office building, Citizens' Hall (opened 1889), 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 ...

, as is the Lyndeborough Center Historic District, which consists of the

Congregational church Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...

(), town hall (1846), and remnants of the town pound (1774).

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 0.38% of the town. The central and southern portions of the town are drained by Stony Brook and Curtis Brook, southeast-flowing tributaries of the

Souhegan River The Souhegan River is a tributary of the Merrimack River in the northeastern United States. It is long, with a drainage area of , and flows north and east through southern New Hampshire to the Merrimack River. The river begins in New Ipswich, N ...

, while the northern part is drained by Cold Brook, an east-flowing tributary of the South Branch Piscataquog River. The entire town is part of the

Merrimack River The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into M ...

watershed. The highest point in Lyndeborough is just shy 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 ...

, where the east ridge of North Pack Monadnock Mountain crosses the town's western border. Notable summits in town include Winn Mountain (), Rose Mountain (), and The Pinnacle (). The town is crossed by

New Hampshire Route 31 New Hampshire Route 31 (abbreviated NH 31) is a north–south state highway in southern New Hampshire. It runs from Mason, New Hampshire, Mason on the Massachusetts border, where, as Greenville Road, the road becomes Massachusetts Route 31. It ...

, which leads northwest into Greenfield and southeast into Wilton.

Adjacent municipalities

* Francestown (north) * New Boston (northeast) * Mont Vernon (east) *

Milford Milford may refer to: Place names Canada * Milford (Annapolis), Nova Scotia * Milford (Halifax), Nova Scotia * Milford, Ontario England * Milford, Derbyshire * Milford, Devon, a place in Devon * Milford on Sea, Hampshire * Milford, Shro ...

(southeast) * Wilton (south) *

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

(southwest) * Greenfield (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 1,585 people, 560 households, and 420 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 587 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.17%

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 ...

, 0.19%

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 ...

, 0.13% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.38% from other races, and 0.82% 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 1.64% of the population. There were 560 households, out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.7% 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, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 16.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.20. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $59,688, and the median income for a family was $70,223. Males had a median income of $37,941 versus $29,327 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 $27,169. About 1.2% of families and 3.3% 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 3.0% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* William Barron (1787–1872),

United States Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The Marshals Service serves as the enforcement and security arm of the United States federal judi ...

for the District of Vermont *

Eddie Mottau Eddie Mottau (December 10, 1943 – November 3, 2024) was an American guitarist. His career has included membership in the duo Two Guys from Boston, The Bait Shop, Bo Grumpus, and Jolliver Arkansaw. He previously worked as a sought-after session m ...

, guitarist *

Willard Parker Willard Parker (born Worster Van Eps; February 5, 1912 - December 4, 1996) was an American film and television actor. He starred in the TV series ''Tales of the Texas Rangers'' (1955–1958). Biography Parker was born in New York City. Some so ...

(1800–1884), pioneering surgeon

Sites of interest

* Citizens' Hall * Hartshorn Memorial Cannon * Lafayette Artillery Company * Lyndeborough Center Historic District

References

External links

*
J. A. Tarbell Library

{{authority control Towns in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire Populated places established in 1764 Towns in New Hampshire 1764 establishments in New Hampshire