Rumney 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 Grafton 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 1,498 at the 2020 census. The town is located at the southern edge of 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 ...

History

Rumney was named after Robert Marsham, 2nd Baron Romney (pronounced Rumney). The town was originally granted in 1761 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 ...

to settlers from

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''. Colchester occupies the ...

and East Haddam,

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. It was first settled in 1765; however, some grantees failed to comply with the charter, so Rumney was regranted to another group of settlers in 1767. Farmers found the town's soil fertile. By 1859, when the population was 1,109, other industries included fifteen

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, a large

tannery Tanning, or hide tanning, is the process of treating skins and hides of animals to produce leather. A tannery is the place where the skins are processed. Historically, vegetable based tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound derived fr ...

, and a ladder factory. The

Boston, Concord and Montreal Railroad The Concord and Montreal Railroad was a railroad incorporated in 1889 out of a merger between the Boston, Concord and Montreal Railroad and the Concord Railroad. Ownership The Boston, Concord and Montreal had previously become the Northern Di ...

commenced service to West Rumney in 1850–1851. On December 22, 1954 the

Automobile License Plate Collectors Association The Automobile License Plate Collectors Association (ALPCA) is the largest such organization in the world. Founded in Rumney, New Hampshire, Rumney Depot, New Hampshire, United States, in 1954 and holding its first meeting/convention in North At ...

(ALPCA) was founded at Rumney. The ALPCA has since expanded into an international organization with members in all 50 states and in 19 countries.

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 2.15% of the town. The highest point in Rumney is 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 ...

on the southern slope of Carr Mountain. The Baker River flows from west to east through the center of the town, roughly paralleled by

New Hampshire Route 25 New Hampshire Route 25 is a long east–west state highway in New Hampshire. It runs completely across the state from Vermont to Maine. The western terminus of Route 25 is at the Vermont state line on the Connecticut River in Piermont, New Ham ...

. The town is part of the

Pemigewasset River The Pemigewasset River , known locally as "The Pemi", is a river in the state of New Hampshire, the United States. It is in length and (with its tributaries) drains approximately . The name "Pemigewasset" comes from the Abenaki word ''bemijijoas ...

watershed, leading to 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 ...

. The town of Rumney contains several smaller villages. Rumney village, the town's central settlement, lies just north of the Baker River. Directly to the south, across the Baker River and adjacent to Route 25, is the village of Rumney Depot. The village of

Stinson Lake Stinson Lake is a water body located in the town of Rumney in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The lake is in the southern part of the White Mountains and is the largest lake in the White Mountain National Forest. Water from Sti ...

, comprising development around the lake of the same name and at the foot of adjacent Stinson Mountain, is in the northern corner of the town, and West Rumney is located along Route 25 near the town's western border. Rumney is home to Polar Caves Park, which is well known for its geological views and glowing rock formations. It is located along Route 25 near the town's eastern border.

Rumney Rocks

Rumney Rocks, located between Rumney village and West Rumney, is a

rock climbing Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending climbing routes, routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in c ...

destination renowned for its

sport climbing Sport climbing (or bolted climbing) is a type of free climbing in the sport of rock climbing where the Lead climbing, lead climber clips their climbing rope, rope — via a quickdraw — into pre-drilled in-situ bolt (climbing), bolts for their ...

routes. The majority of the climbing is found on the numerous small cliff faces on the south face of Rattlesnake Mountain, much of which lies within the

. These cliffs are mostly made of

schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock generally derived from fine-grained sedimentary rock, like shale. It shows pronounced ''schistosity'' (named for the rock). This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a l ...

, with some being

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

, and vary from long smooth slabs to wildly overhung roofs and

aretes Aretes () or Aretas () was a Macedonian general. At the Battle of Gaugamela The Battle of Gaugamela ( ; ), also called the Battle of Arbela (), took place in 331 BC between the forces of the Ancient Macedonian army, Army of Macedon under ...

. They range in height, with most falling between , but a few reach over . Most climbs are well bolted, with a few requiring additional protection. The climbs

range Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to i ...

from 5.0 to 5.15a, with the majority of routes falling between 5.10 and 5.12.

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 1,480 people, 569 households, and 393 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 879 housing units at an average density of 21.0 per square mile (8.1/km). The racial makeup of the town was 98.04%

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 ...

, 0.41%

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 ...

, 0.54% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.07%

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 ...

, 0.20% from other races, and 0.34% 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 0.61% of the population. There were 569 households, out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% 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, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. Of all households, 23.2% were made up of individuals, and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.00. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $38,125, and the median income for a family was $42,895. Males had a median income of $26,594 versus $21,705 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 $17,169. About 4.9% of families and 9.5% 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 15.0% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Stereographic cards (c. 1880)

File:Saw Mill, Rumney, N.H, by Clifford, D. A., d. 1889.jpg, Sawmill File:Baker's River, Rumney, N.H., near Rattlesnake Mtn, by Clifford, D. A., d. 1889.jpg, Baker River File:'Have this next,' on slope of Rattlesnake Mt., Rumney, N.H, by Clifford, D. A., d. 1889.jpg, Rattlesnake Mountain File:Rumney, N.H., from the Boston, Concord & Montreal Rail Road, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views.jpg, General view from train

Notable people

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

(1792–1866), US congressman *

Nathan Clifford Nathan Clifford (August 18, 1803 – July 25, 1881) was an American statesman, diplomat and jurist. Clifford is one of the few people who have held a constitutional office in each of the three branches of the U.S. federal government. He ...

(1803–1881), diplomat, 19th

US Attorney General The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government. The attorney general acts as the principal legal advisor to the president of the ...

, and

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court An associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States is a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, other than the chief justice of the United States. The number of associate justices is eight, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1 ...

J. J. Donovan John Joseph Donovan (September 8, 1858 – January 9, 1937) was a Washington (state), Washington State pioneer and the president of the state Chamber of commerce, Chamber of Commerce, as well as one of the key founders of the City Council of Be ...

(1858–1937), Washington state businessman, politician *

Mary Baker Eddy Mary Baker Eddy (née Baker; July 16, 1821 – December 3, 1910) was an American religious leader and author, who in 1879 founded The Church of Christ, Scientist, the ''Mother Church'' of the Christian Science movement. She also founded ''The C ...

(1821–1910), founder of

Christian Science Christian Science is a set of beliefs and practices which are associated with members of the Church of Christ, Scientist. Adherents are commonly known as Christian Scientists or students of Christian Science, and the church is sometimes in ...

(1879) *

Thom Hartmann Thomas Carl Hartmann (born May 7, 1951) is an American radio personality, author, businessman, and progressivism, progressive pundit, political commentator. Hartmann has been hosting a nationally syndicated radio show, ''The Thom Hartmann Progr ...

(born 1951), author, herbalist and pundit * Jonathan Myles (born 1982), Olympic

luge A luge () is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds Supine position, supine (face-up) and feet-first. A luger begins seated, propelling themselves initially from handles on either side of the start ramp, then steers by using the Ca ...

Sites of interest

* Mary Baker Eddy House * Polar Caves Park * Rumney Bible ConferenceRumney Bible Conference
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References

External links

*
Byron G. Merrill Library

Rumney Historical Society

* ttp://www.climbrumney.com Rumney Climbers Association
Rockclimbing in Rumney – Dartmouth Outing Club
{{authority control Towns in Grafton County, New Hampshire Towns in New Hampshire 1767 establishments in New Hampshire Climbing areas of the United States