Only a short part of the history of our hilly section of the Monadnock region we call New Ipswich has been recorded. Original inhabitants were attracted to the dense forests of white pine, chestnut and oak, flowing brooks and streams, and abundant deer and salmon. European settlers arrived in the 1730s while Native Americans were still traveling through, but without leaving evidence of permanent settlement. What we see today are the effects of the last three hundred years by relative newcomers.
In 1737, proprietors of recently founded towns of Keene, NH (1735) and Townsend, MA (1732) needed a connecting road. The most direct route was through the future New Ipswich. New roads had to consider travel by horse, oxen or foot. Obstacles, such as steep hills and rivers were to be avoided. A turnpike was eventually built, opening the area to new settlement.
The borders of New Ipswich were changed several times, sometimes due to surveying or drafting errors. The boundary between New Hampshire and Massachusetts finalized in 1741, had New Ipswich changing from the Massachusetts side, to the New Hampshire side of the colonial border.
The earliest settlers came in the late 1730s, but were often evacuated due to Native uprisings. The town of New Ipswich was officially established in 1750. Early farms were mostly subsistence affairs due to the rocky New Hampshire soil.
The first church/meeting house was established near the old cemetery in 1760 with Rev. Stephan Farrar as minister. The first of 14 schoolhouses was built in 1762. As roads improved, the population grew. Many residents were “Patriots,” while some were “Tories.” The town had a company of Minutemen, 98 of whom marched to Concord, Mass., on 20 April 1775, and fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Due to its location, it became a convenient stopping place for coaches traveling from Boston to Walpole, New Hampshire. Several inns and taverns competed for trade from the mail coaches and travelers.
At first, New Ipswich was more of a township. Transportation was limited to foot and horse traffic, with trips to the mills, work, stores, church and schools. Life centered around the villages of Central Village, Bank Village, Wilder Village and Davis Village. Each had its own schools, blacksmith shops and mills. Three had their own post offices and fire departments.
In about 1804, the first water-powered spinning mill in New Hampshire was built on the Souhegan River; later Brown’s mill and the mill at High Bridge were constructed. Energy available from the drop and flow of the Souhegan River allowed saw, carding, wood-turning and grist mills to dot its banks.
During the Civil War, New Ipswich supplied some of the highest numbers, per capita in the state, for volunteers to the Sixth and 13th Union regiments.
New Ipswich became known for the New Ipswich Academy, later renamed Appleton Academy, and the second-oldest academy in the state. From 1789, it sent graduates on to Yale, Harvard and Dartmouth College.
New Ipswich was the birthplace of notable residents Samuel and Nathan Appleton. Samuel became a wealthy merchant in Boston. Nathan partnered with Francis Cabot Lowell and Paul Moody, establishing cotton mills in Waltham, Lowell and Lawrence Mass. Jonas Chickering made fine furniture in town and later relocated to Boston, where he manufactured pianos. Peter Wilder and his son-in-law, Abijah Wetherbee, made over 25,000 chairs in New Ipswich.
The town was taken up in the “Sheep Boom” of the 1820s when much of the land was cleared for sheep pasture, and miles of stone walls were erected. Wool and later cotton mills prospered during the middle of the century, attracting French-Canadian immigrant workers. French was spoken in many homes, and some residents attended the Catholic Church in Greenville. The Catholic cemetery on the town line has mostly French family headstones. Another means of employment was the processing of tobacco, grown further south.
The town population grew, with ups and downs: 1,895 in 1810 and 1,877 in 1850. After the Civil War, the population declined steadily until the 1930s (pop. 838).
The failure to extend the railroad from Greenville to New Ipswich put New Ipswich mills at a disadvantage. Two large cotton mills closed before 1900, contributing to population decline.
Another reduction in population occurred when better farming and opportunities “out West” in Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio were realized. After the turn of the last century, abandoned Yankee farms attracted many Finnish immigrants, willing to work the rocky soil.
In the late 1800s, New Ipswich became home for several artists, including William and Lee Kaula and Benjamin Champney. Wealthy people wishing to escape the summer heat in the Boston area created summer homes. The Homestead Inn provided two-week retreats for “weary shop girls.”
Enterprising Finns started the building trades in New Ipswich mid-20th century. The Seppala and Aho Company grew from residential home builders to a large regional construction company, employing many in town. As with many large companies, several spinoff companies were spawned, which now employ many tradespeople.
Many people are still employed in industries. The Tricnit Mill (now gone) made knitted fabric, Vanguard Manufacturing makes construction staging, A.F. Walker and Son (also gone) created wood turnings, and Warwick Mill manufactures high-tech fabrics such as Kevlar and sailcloth.
Currently, the town has several thriving construction companies, including Hutter Construction and S&S Concrete. Smaller businesses include a Mexican restaurant, pizza shop, auto repair businesses, greenhouse, trucking companies, blueberry farm, independent architects, masons and builders and many who work from home.
As a recreational area, the town was home to Windblown Cross-Country Ski Area, and is bisected by the Wapack hiking trail. It also has several scenic ponds for paddling and fishing.
The town supports active churches, including the Apostolic Lutheran Church, New Ipswich
Congregational Church (home of the Children’s Fair) and some smaller congregations.
Today, the population tops 5,200. The town replaced its older school facilities with Highbridge Hill Elementary, Boynton Middle School and Mascenic Regional High School.
New Ipswich is celebrating its 275th anniversary. The town values its history and contributions to New England and American history. The New Ipswich Historical Society is attempting to record events of the 20th and 21st centuries to add to that history.
John Rosenfelder is the president of the New Ipswich Historical Society.