Meredith is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,662 at the 2020 census. is defined as the Meredith census-designated place, and is located at the junction of U.S. Route 3 and New Hampshire Route 25 at the head of Meredith Bay on Lake Winnipesaukee.

History

thumb|left|Meredith village

thumb|Original [[MS Mount Washington|SS Mount Washington (1872–1939). Image ]]

Meredith was first known as "Palmer's Town" in honor of Samuel Palmer, a teacher of surveying and navigation who laid out much of the land surrounding Lake Winnipesaukee. In 1748, it was one of the first towns to have a charter granted by the Masonian Proprietors. Many grantees were from Salem, Massachusetts, so Palmer's Town was renamed "New Salem". It was settled in 1766 by Jacob Eaton and Colonel Ebenezer Smith, then regranted in 1768 by Governor John Wentworth and named after Sir William Meredith, 3rd Baronet, a member of Parliament who opposed taxation on the colonies.

Farmers grew corn, wheat, rye and potatoes, but the area became noted for apple orchards.

The water rights to the natural Measly Pond Brook (a.k.a. Corliss Brook) was purchased by John Jenness in 1795, and used to power a gristmill and sawmill in Meredith Village, though it was not the best local waterpower source. The brook drained Lake Waukewan into Lake Winnipesauke.

In 1800, John Bond Swasey inherited a farm which covered most of what is now Meredith Village. After his marriage in 1809, he gradually purchased land on both sides of the Measly Pond Brook, related water rights, and several mills.

From 1816 to 1818, Swasey constructed a rock-lined canal that redirected the flow from Lake Waukewan, and created a drop at a single rock-lined sluiceway at what is now the Mill Falls Marketplace. The new, more powerful waterfall ran sawmills, gristmills, cotton mills, and in 1895, the Meredith Electric Light Company.

By 1859 Meredith village had a sawmill, gristmill, shingle mill, blacksmith shop, harness-maker's shop and tannery. Situated at the outlet of Wickwas Lake, Meredith Center had a sawmill, gristmill and blacksmith shop. Connected by the Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad in March 1849, the town became a summer resort. Passengers also arrived from the Alton Bay depot aboard steamboats, the most famous of which was the original SS Mount Washington, launched in 1872. Meredith remains a popular tourist destination.

In 1974, the Swasey family donated land to create Swasey Park on Lake Waukewan near the beginning of the canal.

Geography

thumb|left|Plymouth Street

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and , or 26.37%, are water.

|source 2 = National Weather Service

Adjacent municipalities

  • Center Harbor (north)
  • Moultonborough (northeast)
  • Gilford (southeast)
  • Laconia (south)
  • Sanbornton (southwest)
  • New Hampton (west)

Demographics

thumb|left|Street scene in Meredith Center

As of the 2010 census, there were 6,241 people, 2,708 households, and 1,777 families residing in the town. There were 4,728 housing units, of which 2,020, or 42.7%, were vacant. Of the vacant units, 1,710 were for seasonal or recreational use. The racial makeup of the town was 97.3% White, 0.3% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.3% some other race, and 1.0% from two or more races. Of the population, 1.1% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 2,941 households, 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were headed by married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. Of all households, 27.5% were made up of individuals, and 11.6% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27, and the average family size was 2.71.

Government

thumb|Town hall

In the New Hampshire Senate, Meredith is in the 2nd district, represented by Republican Bob Giuda. On the New Hampshire Executive Council, Meredith is in the 1st district, represented by Republican Joseph Kenney. In the United States House of Representatives, Meredith is in New Hampshire's 1st congressional district, represented by Democrat Chris Pappas.

Education

Meredith's Inter-Lakes Middle High School is home to the Inter-Lakes Community Auditorium, which plays host to the Summer Theatre in Meredith Village (formerly the Lakes Region Summer Theater) every summer. Inter-Lakes Elementary School serves children from Meredith and neighboring Center Harbor. The high school also includes students from the town of Sandwich.

Notable people

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  • Bradford Anderson (born 1979), actor
  • Samuel Newell Bell (1829–1889), US congressman
  • Charles A. Busiel (1842–1901), US congressman and the 45th governor of New Hampshire
  • George G. Fogg (1813–1881), U.S. senator, diplomat
  • Joseph Libbey Folsom (1817–1855), army officer, real estate investor
  • Samuel Green (1796–1822), serial killer executed by hanging
  • Dudley Leavitt (1772–1851), publisher
  • Bob Montana (1920–1975), illustrator of Archie Comics
  • George Orton (1873–1958), Canadian middle-distance runner; Olympic gold medalist
  • Eben Ezra Roberts (1866–1943), architect
  • Daniel E. Somes (1815–1888), U.S. congressman
  • Annalee Thorndike (1915–2002), doll designer
  • Herb Vadney, politician

Sites of interest

thumb|Ridgefield Farm in 1917

; Museums

  • Meredith Children's Museum
  • Meredith Historical Society & Museum

; Regional theatres and summer stock

  • The Summer Theatre in Meredith Village
  • In 2008 the Winnipesaukee Playhouse purchased the former Annalee Dolls factory in Meredith. In 2013, the theatre completed construction of its new facility and moved from its former site in Weirs Beach to the site of the former Annalee gift shop.

; Islands

  • Bear Island
  • Pine Island

;Other

  • Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra
  • Hart's Turkey Farm

References

Further reading

  • History of Meredith, Belknap County, New Hampshire 1885
  • A. J. Coolidge & J. B. Mansfield, A History and Description of New England, Boston, Massachusetts 1859
  • Meredith Public Library
  • The Greater Meredith Program, a community development organization
  • Meredith Area Chamber of Commerce
  • New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile