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Rindge 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, United States. The population was 6,476 at the 2020 census, up from 6,014 at the 2010 census. Rindge is home to
Franklin Pierce University Franklin Pierce University is a private university in Rindge, New Hampshire, United States. It was founded as Franklin Pierce College in 1962, combining a liberal arts foundation with coursework for professional development, professional preparat ...
, the Cathedral of the Pines and part of Annett State Forest.


History


Native American inhabitants

The land in and around Rindge was originally inhabited by ancestors of the Abenaki tribe of Native Americans. Archeological evidence from nearby Swanzey indicates that the region was inhabited as much as 11,000 years ago (coinciding with the end of the last glacial period). As much as half of the Western Abenakis were victims of a wave of epidemics that coincided with the arrival of Europeans in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Later, many of the Western Abenaki present in southwestern
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 ...
chose to relocate to
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 ...
during Colonial times, primarily due to their allegiance with the French during the French and Indian Wars.


Settlement by European colonists

In the eighteenth century,
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 ...
granted unappropriated land to veterans of Sir William Phipps' 1690 expedition against French-held Canada as compensation for services. Whole townships were granted to certain military companies and became known as "Canada" townships. Granted in 1736 by Governor Jonathan Belcher to soldiers from Rowley, Massachusetts, Rindge was first known as "Rowley-Canada". But the Masonian proprietors were making competing claims to the area, and in 1740 commissioners of
the Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...
decided that the boundary between Massachusetts and
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 ...
lay south of Rowley-Canada. Consequently, it was re-granted in 1749 by Governor Benning Wentworth as "Monadnock No. 1", or "South Monadnock". The town was incorporated in 1768 by Governor John Wentworth as "Rindge", in honor of Captain Daniel Rindge of
Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on ...
, one of the original grant holders, and the one who represented New Hampshire's claim to the land before the king. Captain Abel Platts is credited as being Rindge's first temporary settler, arriving in 1738 to take possession of his family's land grant. But disputes about the grants, combined with the outbreak in 1744 of King George's War, made it untenable to remain in Rindge, so early settlers abandoned it. Platts and others returned in 1752, and starting in 1758, settlement increased steadily. There were 1,274 residents by 1859, when water powered industries included three gristmills, thirteen
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, thirteen shingle mills, six stave mills, two planing mills, and several clapboard mills. Image:Congregational Church and Common, Rindge Center, NH.jpg, The Common in 1906 Image:View of the Square, West Rindge, NH.jpg, West Rindge in 1910 Image:Pinecroft Inn, East Rindge, NH.jpg, Pinecroft Inn Image:RindgeNH ShedsAndStables.jpg, Historic horse sheds behind the meeting house


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 6.76% of the town. Rindge is located in a hilly upland lake region. Hubbard Pond is in the northeast, Contoocook Lake on the northern boundary, Pearly Lake is in the northwest, and Lake Monomonac is on the southern boundary. The town is located on a regional watershed divide and is the headwaters for two river systems. The Contoocook River flows north to the Merrimack River, thence to the Gulf of Maine, and the North Branch of the Millers River flows southwest to the Connecticut River, thence to
Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a sound (geography), marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York (state), New York to the south. From west to east, ...
. Rindge's highest point is on its eastern border, on the lower slopes of Pratt Mountain, where the 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 ...
. Rindge is home to the villages of Rindge Center, East Rindge, Converseville, and West Rindge. The town is crossed by U.S. Route 202 and New Hampshire Route 119.


Adjacent municipalities

* Jaffrey (north) * Sharon (northeast) * New Ipswich (east) * Ashburnham, Massachusetts (southeast) * Winchendon, Massachusetts (south) * Fitzwilliam (west)


Demographics

As of the census of 2020, there were 6,476 residents and 2,031 households in Rindge. The population density was . There were 2,361 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 91.17%
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 ...
, 2.83%
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 ...
, 1.10% Asian, 0.29% American Indian and Alaskan Native, 0.08% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 0.63% from other races, and 3.91% 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 3.07% of the population. As of the census of 2010, there were 6,014 people, 1,805 households, and 1,316 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,224 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.56%
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 ...
, 1.33%
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 ...
, 0.15% Native American, 0.89% Asian, 0.00%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.45% from other races, and 1.61% 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 1.28% of the population. There were 1,805 households, of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.0% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. 19.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.11. In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.6% under the age of 20, 20.7% from 20 to 29, 8.7% from 30 to 39, 12.2% from 40 to 49, 19.3% from 50 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.7 years. For the period 2013–2017, the estimated median income for a household in the town was $68,250, and the median income for a family was $82,917. 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 $27,363. About 3.7% of families and 9.6% 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 4.0% of those under age 18 and 2.1% of those age 65 or over.


Education

Rindge belongs to the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District, which has a total of three schools. Rindge is also the home of Franklin Pierce University. Colleges and universities *
Franklin Pierce University Franklin Pierce University is a private university in Rindge, New Hampshire, United States. It was founded as Franklin Pierce College in 1962, combining a liberal arts foundation with coursework for professional development, professional preparat ...
Public secondary schools * Conant Middle High School (located in Jaffrey) Public elementary schools * Rindge Memorial School * Jaffrey Grade School (located in Jaffrey) Private schools * Hampshire Country School * Heritage Christian School


Sites of interest

* Annett State Forest, which includes Annett Wayside Park with picnic tables, toilets, and a hiking trail to Black Reservoir. * Cathedral of the Pines, a national memorial for all American war dead. The location had been selected by Lieutenant Sanderson Sloane and his wife as the place to build their home when he returned from
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. A cathedral was created by his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Douglas Sloane, after learning that their son was lost when the
bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft that utilizes air-to-ground weaponry to drop bombs, launch aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploy air-launched cruise missiles. There are two major classifications of bomber: strategic and tactical. Strateg ...
he flew was shot down over
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
on February 22, 1944. * The Rindge Meeting House, built in 1796, is one of the largest town meeting houses in northern New England and one of the few civic buildings in the region that still straddles the
separation of church and state The separation of church and state is a philosophical and Jurisprudence, jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the State (polity), state. Conceptually, the term refers to ...
. The building is owned by the town, and the second floor is leased to th
First Congregational Church
which uses it for services and other church functions. The first floor is still used for town functions such as Zoning Board meetings as well as community functions such as fairs, Scout meetings, exercise classes, and the like.


Notable people

* George P. Barker (1807–1848), state congressman from New York * Addison Gardiner (1797–1883), Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals, lieutenant governor of New York * Enoch Hale (1733–1813), militia colonel * Nathan Hale (1743–1780), military officer, Revolutionary War hero * Amasa Norcross (1824–1898), U.S. congressman * Edward Payson (1783–1827), preacher * Mary Lee Ware (1858–1937), farmer, philanthropist, patron sponsor of Harvard's Glass Flowers collection * Marshall Pickney Wilder (1798–1886), merchant, amateur horticulturalist, politician


References


External links

*
Ingalls Memorial Library

Rindge Chamber of Commerce

Rindge Historical Society

Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District


{{authority control Towns in Cheshire County, New Hampshire Towns in New Hampshire