Temple 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. Its population was 1,382 at the 2020 census. It is home to Temple Mountain State Reservation, formerly the Temple Mountain Ski Area.

History

The area was first called "Peterborough Slip", which included what is now the town of

Sharon Sharon ( 'plain'), also spelled Saron, is a given name as well as a Hebrew name. In Anglosphere, English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name, but historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In Israel, ...

. In 1758, Maj. Ephraim Heald and his wife Sarah, along with his brother Deacon Peter Heald and Oliver Heald, a cousin, were among the first settlers. Peter Heald is generally considered to be the founder of Temple, and his child, Peter, was the first male child born in the town. In 1768, it was incorporated by colonial Governor John Wentworth, who named it after his lieutenant governor, John Temple. Peter Felt, from Lynn, Massachusetts, arrived with his wife Lucy Andrews, of Concord, Massachusetts, in 1769. Temple

Glassworks Glass production involves two main methods – the float glass process that produces sheet glass, and glassblowing that produces bottles and other containers. It has been done in a variety of ways during the history of glass. Glass container p ...

was founded in 1780 by Robert Hewes of

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. Although the company is long defunct, surviving examples of Temple glass are today rare and prized collectibles. By 1859, Temple had a population of 579, with 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 a tannery. The town of Temple, Maine was named after Temple, NH. Terrain is generally uneven and rocky. It is also elevated, commanding distant views to the east and south. As John Farmer and Jacob Bailey Moore wrote in 1823, "From the highest point of elevation, twenty meetinghouses may be seen when the atmosphere is clear."John Farmer and Jacob Bailey Moore, editors; ''Collections, Topographical, Historical and Biographical, Relating Principally to New Hampshire''; Volumes 1-3; 1823
/ref> File:TempleNH CongregationalChurch.jpg, Congregational Church File:Cemetery in Temple, New Hampshire.jpg, Cemetery gate File:TempleNH BirchwoodInn.jpg, Birchwood Inn File:Pack Monadnock.jpg, View from Temple Mountain

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 is covered by water, comprising 0.98% of the town. The town is drained to the east by Blood Brook and its tributary Temple Brook, part of the Souhegan River watershed. The highest point in Temple 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 an eastern spur of South Pack Monadnock Mountain. South of Route 101, Temple Mountain forms the town's western boundary for several miles.

Adjacent municipalities

* Greenfield (north) * Lyndeborough (northeast) * Wilton (east) * Greenville (southeast) * New Ipswich (south) *

(west) *

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

(northwest)

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, 1,297 people, 440 households, and 347 families resided in the town. The population density was . The 465 housing units had an average density of 20.0 per square mile (7.7/km). The racial makeup of the town was 98.00% White, 0.31% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.54% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.69% of the population. Of the 440 households, 42.3% had children under 18 living with them, 67.5% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.1% were not families. About 16.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.24. In the town, the age distribution was 29.8% under 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.7 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 106.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $56,500, and for a family was $64,297. Males had a median income of $36,563 versus $29,545 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 $21,897. About 2.8% of families and 6.4% 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 4.2% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

*
Mansfield Public Library

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