Bristol, New Hampshire

Bristol is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,244 at the 2020 census.

On January 16, 1884, the town of Bristol voted to accept the gift of a library building and land from Josiah Minot and Solomon Sleeper and to manage and maintain a public library. The Minot–Sleeper Library became the first building erected to specifically house a public library in the Lakes Region at the time, when it was officially opened to the community in 1885. On August 15, 2012, a groundbreaking ceremony was held in celebration of the library's expansion. In February 2013, the new addition was ready for use.

Bristol is one of four towns with shoreline on Newfound Lake, which has been a tourist destination since the mid-19th century. Farmers at first rented rooms and provided meals, but in the 1870s, hotels including the Hotel Bristol and G. G. Brown Hotel were built. In 1874, Bristol was the terminus of the Franklin and Bristol Branch railroad. The New Hampshire Central Railroad was planned to pass through Bristol. In the 1920s, W. F. Darling created a compound of about one hundred cottages for rent, first known as Hiland Park and later as Bungalo Village. In 2004, the compound was sold to a proprietor who sold individual cottages to permanent owners.

Image:Hotel & Livery Stable, Bristol, NH.jpg|The Hotel Bristol in 1911

Image:View of Central Square, Bristol, NH.jpg|Central Square in 1906

Image:Sugar Loaf Ledges, Newfound Lake.jpg|The Ledges in 1912

Image:Minot-Sleeper Library, Bristol, NH.jpg|Minot–Sleeper Library

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In 2022, Bristol inaugurated a new solar array. Local media highlighted the array in the context of town's energy independence, which dated from the 1800s when hydropower provided all the town's energy.

Geography

thumb|1884 bird's-eye view of Bristol

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 23.60% of the town.

Bristol is served by state routes 3A and 104.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 3,054 people, 1,283 households, and 851 families residing in the town. There were 2,488 housing units, of which 1,205, or 48.4%, were vacant. 1,089 of the vacant units were for seasonal or recreational use. The racial makeup of the town was 96.9% white, 0.3% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.3% some other race, and 1.6% from two or more races. 1.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 1,283 households, 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were headed by married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36, and the average family size was 2.81.

Education

The town is within the Newfound Area School District. Schools in Bristol include Bristol Elementary School, Newfound Memorial Middle School, and Newfound Regional High School.

Notable people

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Luther Atwood (1820–1868), chemist in the oil industry
Nathaniel S. Berry (1796–1894), 28th governor of New Hampshire
John Cheever (1912–1982), writer
E. Maude Ferguson (1883–1932), first woman to serve in the New Hampshire Senate
Benjamin Flanders (1816–1896), Reconstruction governor of Louisiana; mayor of New Orleans
Luther C. Ladd (1843–1861), frequently cited as the first Union soldier killed in the American Civil War
Lenny McNab (c. 1971), Food Network chef
Fred Lewis Pattee (1863–1950), writer and professor of American literature; born and raised in Bristol

References

External links

Minot–Sleeper Library
New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile