Milford, New Hampshire

Milford is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States, on the Souhegan River. The population was 16,131 at the 2020 census, It is the retail and manufacturing center of a multi-town area known informally as the Souhegan Valley.

The town center, where 9,212 people lived at the 2020 census, is defined as the Milford census-designated place (CDP), and is located at the junction of New Hampshire routes 13 and 101A. It also contains part of the census-designated place of Wilton.

History

thumb|[[Lithograph of Milford from 1886 by L.R. Burleigh with list of landmarks]]

Milford separated from neighboring Amherst in 1794. Like most towns named Milford in the United States, its name comes from the fact that it grew around a mill built on a ford—in this case on the Souhegan River.

Milford was once home to numerous granite quarries, which produced a stone that was used, among other things, to make the pillars for the U.S. Treasury in Washington, D.C. —as seen on the back of the American $10 bill. Its nickname remains "The Granite Town", although only one small quarry is in operation as of 2017.

Like many New England riverside towns, Milford developed several thriving textile mills in the 19th century. That industry left New England by World War II, but Milford remains the commercial and retail center for surrounding towns. Major employers included casting company Hitchiner Manufacturing Co., a metal cable manufacturer, Hendrix Wire and Cable Inc., and a contract manufacturing solutions company, Cirtronics Corporation. In 2018, local firm Alene Candles became one of the first companies in the state to implement a "conscious leadership" program in a manufacturing production setting.

Milford is home to the Milford State Fish Hatchery. The town also holds the Souhegan Valley Boys & Girls Club, built on the former home of the now-bankrupt private theater American Stage Festival.

Milford was a stop on the Underground Railroad for escaped slaves. It was also the home of Harriet E. Wilson, who published the semi-autobiographical novel Our Nig: Or, Sketches in the Life of a Free Black in 1859, making it the first novel by an African-American woman published in the country.

Officially designated "Union Square", the Milford Oval is neither square nor oval in shape, but rather triangular. The "square" name in American parlance denotes a town common irrespective of geometry, and the "oval" name dates from the 19th century, when it was oval in shape. The Oval is the town center, with the Pillsbury Bandstand as its centerpiece and the Souhegan River as the backdrop. The Oval is formed by a modified traffic rotary in which State Highways 13 and 101A intersect, with northbound 13 and eastbound 101A passing straight through and crossing each other at a right angle with a stop sign for traffic on Route 13.

File:Downtown Milford park.JPG|Centennial Park

File:MilfordNH WilliamPeabodyHouse.jpg|William Peabody House

File:Union Square, Milford, NH.jpg|Union Square

File:Milford NH Bandstand.JPG|Union Square in 2006

File:Stone Bridge, Milford, NH.jpg|Stone Bridge

File:Elm Street, Milford, NH.jpg|Elm Street

File:High School, Milford, NH.jpg|Centennial High School

</gallery>

Geography

Milford is in southern New Hampshire and south-central Hillsborough County. It is southwest of Manchester, the largest city in the state, and northwest of Nashua.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 0.22% of the town.

|source 2 = National Weather Service

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 15,115 people, 5,929 households, and 4,004 families residing in the town. There were 6,295 housing units, of which 366, or 5.8%, were vacant. The racial makeup of the town was 94.8% white, 1.3% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.01% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.6% some other race, and 1.7% from two or more races. 2.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 5,929 households, 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were headed by married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53, and the average family size was 3.04.

Education

thumb|[[Milford High School & Applied Technology Center]]

The Milford School District operates Jacques Memorial School (K-1), Heron Pond Elementary School (2–5), Milford Middle School (6–8), and Milford High School & Applied Technology Center (9–12).

Culture

The town is known for its "Pumpkin Festival", which is normally held in early October. It is held over a three-day weekend (Friday-Sunday) and attracts more than 35,000 people. The festival has many attractions including food vendors, music stages, craft fair, carved pumpkin lighting, a haunted trail, a beer and wine tasting and a fireworks display around the Oval.

Notable people

Linda Kasabian (1949–2023), former Manson Family member
John McLane (1852–1911), 50th governor of New Hampshire, from 1905 to 1907
Lizette Emma Orth (1858–1913), composer of children's music and operas
Abby Hutchinson Patton (1829–1892), 19th-century singer, poet
Bernice Blake Perry (1905–1996), the first woman in New Hampshire to earn a pilot's license
George A. Ramsdell (1834–1900), 46th governor of New Hampshire
Fritz Wetherbee (born 1936), television host and journalist; raised in Milford
Harriet E. Wilson (1825–1900), considered the first female African-American novelist

References

External links

Wadleigh Memorial Library
Milford History Online
Milford Historical Society