Haverhill is a town and the seat of Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,585 at the 2020 census. The town is home to the oldest documented covered bridge in the country still standing—the Haverhill–Bath Bridge, built in 1829.

The village of Woodsville, named for John L. Woods of Wells River, Vermont, was once an important railroad center. Woods operated a sawmill on the Ammonoosuc River, and developed a railroad supply enterprise following the establishment of the Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad. The village of Pike was settled by future employees of the Pike Manufacturing Company, which was once the world's leading manufacturer of whetstones.

While the village of Haverhill Corner was historically considered to be the primary settlement in town, the town's municipal offices are currently located in the village of North Haverhill, with Grafton County's offices and courthouse located just two miles farther north along Route 10. The county seat offices were located in Woodsville until 1972, when the administrative offices relocated to rural land halfway between Woodsville and North Haverhill.

The village of Woodsville is now the commercial center of Haverhill and its smaller surrounding towns, including several in Vermont. Woodsville is home to the town's supermarkets, pharmacies, banks (including the headquarters of the regional Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank), state liquor store, and most of its restaurants and chain stores, although a few are located in North Haverhill. The town's elementary and high schools, along with Cottage Hospital, a critical-access hospital serving the area, are all located in Woodsville.

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Image:The Green Door Inn, Haverhill, NH.jpg|Green Door Inn

Image:No Man's Island.jpg|No Man's Island in 1913

Image:East Haverhill, NH.jpg|East Haverhill in 1917

Image:Court Street, Looking West, Haverhill, NH.jpg|Court Street in 1910

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Geography

thumb|right|Town municipal offices in North Haverhill

Haverhill is in northwestern New Hampshire. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 2.62% of the town.

The highest point in Haverhill, at above sea level, is on the western slope of Black Mountain, whose summit is in the neighboring town of Benton.

The town is served by six state-maintained routes. New Hampshire Route 10 is the main north–south highway through Haverhill, paralleling the Connecticut River. U.S. Route 302 enters from Vermont and passes east–west through Woodsville in the northern part of town, joining with Route 10 to head northeast to Bath and Littleton. New Hampshire Route 25 enters Haverhill from Piermont while co-signed with Route 10, splitting off by itself to the southeast in Haverhill Corner. New Hampshire Route 116 has its southern terminus at Route 10 in North Haverhill, and New Hampshire Route 135 has its southern terminus at Route 10 just south of Woodsville. A very short section of New Hampshire Route 112 passes through the northeastern part of town. Haverhill also has easy access to U.S. Route 5 via bridges in North Haverhill and Woodsville.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 4,697 people, 1,928 households, and 1,208 families residing in the town. There were 2,379 housing units, of which 451, or 19.0%, were vacant. 294 of the vacant units were for seasonal or recreational use. The racial makeup of the town was 96.7% white, 0.4% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.3% some other race, and 1.2% from two or more races. 1.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 1,928 households, 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were headed by married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29, and the average family size was 2.80.

Sites of interest

  • Bedell Bridge State Park
  • Haverhill-Bath Covered Bridge (1829)
  • Haverhill Historical Society & Museum
  • Museum of American Weather
  • Oliverian School
  • The Pike Glades

Notable people

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  • George Barstow (1824–1883), California politician
  • Samuel Brooks (–1849), merchant, politician in Lower Canada
  • Noah Davis (1818–1902), U.S. congressman
  • Henry W. Keyes (1863–1938), 56th governor of New Hampshire
  • Ebenezer Mackintosh (1737–1816), leader in Boston Stamp Act riots
  • Thomas Leverett Nelson (1827–1897), judge
  • John Page (1787–1865), governor of New Hampshire, U.S. senator
  • John A. Page (1814–1891), son of John Page, Vermont State Treasurer
  • Chad Paronto (born 1975), relief pitcher with four teams
  • Jonathan H. Rowell (1833–1908), U.S. congressman from Illinois
  • Bob Smith (1931–2013), pitcher with four teams
  • Mark Steyn (born 1959), writer, political commentator
  • Frank Stoddard, crew chief with NASCAR

References

  • New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile