Freedom is a town located in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,689 at the 2020 census, The town's eastern boundary runs along the Maine state border. Ossipee Lake, with a resort and camps, is in the southwest of the town.

History

thumb|left|The Meadows

The town was once a part of Effingham called "North Effingham". Following an influx of new settlers from Maine, there was a conflict of culture and religion between them and people from the New Hampshire seacoast area who already populated Effingham. As a result, North Effingham separated into a town of its own. The community, incorporated in 1831, was named "Freedom" to commemorate its separation from Effingham.

Geography

thumb|right|Freedom Village Grammar School in 1911

Freedom is situated between the Lakes Region and the White Mountains. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 8.37% of the town.

Freedom is one of several sites for Nature's Classroom. It is also home to one of the permanent campsites of the Luethi-Peterson Camps and to Cragged Mountain Farm, a co-ed summer camp on Cragged Mountain started by Dr. Henry Utter in 1927, and still owned by the Utter family.

Adjacent municipalities

  • Eaton (northeast)
  • Porter, Maine (east)
  • Effingham (south)
  • Ossipee (southwest)
  • Madison (northwest)

Demographics

thumb|left|Street scene

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,489 people, 699 households, and 457 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,580 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.8% White, 0.1% African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% some other race, and 0.7% from two or more races.

The largest ancestry groups in Freedom as of 2007–2011 were:

  • 29.8% English
  • 27.2% Irish
  • 22.0% French and French Canadian
  • 9.6% Scottish
  • 7.7% Swedish
  • 7.5% German
  • 5.7% Scotch-Irish
  • 5.2% Italian

Sites of interest

thumb|Town hall

  • Allard House & Works Museum, Freedom Historical Society

Cultural references

  • The town was the setting for the children's fantasy book The Enormous Egg by Oliver Butterworth, first published in 1956 but reissued years later.
  • "House on Loon Lake", a 2001 episode of This American Life, depicted an abandoned house explored by young boys in town for summer camp at Loon Lake.

Notable person

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  • Frank S. Black (1853–1913), 32nd governor of New York

References

  • New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile
  • Freedom Public Library
  • "House on Loon Lake" episode of This American Life