Newport is a town in and the county seat of Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. It is west-northwest of Concord, the state capital. The population of Newport was 6,299 at the 2020 census. A covered bridge is in the northwest. The area is noted for maple sugar and apple orchards. Prior to county division in 1827, Newport was in Cheshire County. The central part of town, where 4,735 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined as the Newport census-designated place (CDP) and is located next to the Sugar River at the junction of New Hampshire routes 10 and 11. The town also includes the villages of Kelleyville, Guild, and North Newport.

History

Granted in 1753 by colonial governor Benning Wentworth, the town was named "Grenville" after George Grenville, Prime Minister of Great Britain and brother-in-law of William Pitt. But ongoing hostilities during the French and Indian War, as close as the Fort at Number 4 at Charlestown, delayed settlement. Nevertheless, in 1761 the town was incorporated as "Newport", for Henry Newport, a distinguished English soldier and statesman.

It was first settled in 1763 by pioneers from North Killingworth, Connecticut. Absalom Kelsey was one of the earliest settlers, on what became later the D.F. Pike farm at the foot of Claremont Hill. At that time, the Connecticut River was the only route for travel, until a road was cut through the wilderness to Charlestown in 1767. The following year, the first gristmill was established. But dissatisfied with treatment by the state government far beyond the mountains, Newport in 1781 joined 33 other towns along the Connecticut River and seceded from New Hampshire to join Vermont. George Washington, however, dissolved their union with Vermont in 1782, and the towns rejoined New Hampshire.

With excellent soil for farming, and abundant water power from the Sugar River and its South Branch to run mills, Newport grew prosperous. The first cotton mill was established by Colonel James D. Wolcott in 1813. Local cabinet making flourished, producing much fine furniture. In 1817, perhaps inspired by the Erie Canal, businessmen proposed digging a canal to connect the Connecticut and Merrimack rivers—beginning with the Sugar River, and using its source, Lake Sunapee, as a reservoir. The plan was abandoned before it got started. In 1871, the Sugar River Railroad connected to Newport from Bradford.

But the Sugar River was recognized as central to industrial development, and in 1820, mill owners from Claremont, Sunapee and Newport united to create the Sunapee Dam Corporation, which built a dam to regulate the river's flow, running mill machinery even during drought. This plan worked, and over 120 water wheels would turn along the stream's course. By 1859, when the population was 2,020, Newport had three woolen mills and two tanneries.

The following were among the earliest settlers, the first five having families.

  • Zepheniah Clark
  • Ebenezer Merrit
  • Benjamin Bragg
  • Samuel Hurd
  • Jesse Wilcox
  • James Church
  • William Stanard
  • Ezra Parmelee
  • Jesse Lane
  • Jesse Kelsey
  • Benjamin Giles
  • Nathan Hurd
  • Charles Avery
  • Ephraim Towner
  • Absalom Kelsey
  • Amos Hall
  • Roswell Hull
  • Daniel Dudley

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 0.16% of the town.

|source 2 = National Weather Service

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 6,507 people, 2,629 households, and 1,706 families residing in the town. There were 2,938 housing units, of which 309, or 10.5%, were vacant. The racial makeup of the town was 97.2% white, 0.3% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.4% 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 2,629 households, 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were headed by married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43, and the average family size was 2.89.

Infrastructure

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File:Newport_NH_Post_Office.jpg|US Post Office

File:Newport_NH_District_Court.jpg|District Court building

File:Newport_NH_Health_Ctr.jpg|Newport Health Center

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Education

Newport's public schools are within the Newport School District. Richards Elementary School educates children from kindergarten through 5th grade. Newport Middle and High Schools educates students from 6th through 12th grades. In fall 2016, 5th and 6th grade students at Towle Elementary were transferred to the other schools. The building is still used for athletics. Within the western region of the town, located is the Newport Montessori School, which is a private school that harbors pre-kindergarten through 8th grade students.

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File:Newport_NH_Towle_Elem_School.jpg|Towle Elementary School

File:Newport_NH_Richards_Library.jpg|Richards Free Library

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Notable people

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  • Henry Albert Baker (1848–1934), 19th-century orthodontist
  • George Belknap (1832–1903), US Navy rear admiral
  • Edmund Burke (1809–1882), US congressman
  • Harry Morrison Cheney (1860–1937), Speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
  • Austin Corbin (1827–1896), 19th-century banking and railroad entrepreneur
  • Horatio Hale (1817–1896), businessman, ethnologist
  • Sarah Josepha Hale (1788–1879), editor, writer
  • Evan Hill (1919–2010), journalist, University of Connecticut professor
  • Henry Harrison Metcalf (1841–1932), editor, politician, author
  • David Sargent (born 1931), president of Suffolk University
  • Edwin Obed Stanard (1832–1914), US congressman
  • Mason Weare Tappan (1817–1886), US congressman, state attorney general
  • Billy B. Van (1870–1950), vaudeville entertainer

References

Further reading

  • Richards Free Library
  • New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile
  • Newport Historical Society & Museum
  • Newport Opera House
  • Sugar River Recreational Trail