Chesterfield, New Hampshire
Cheshire county, is 11 miles S.W. from Keene and 65 S.W. from Concord. Few towns on Connecticut river have so little intervale land. For the whole six miles that it lies upon the river, the hills approach near the river's side. There is much good upland, well adapted for grazing and the production of Indian corn. The chief articles carried to market are beef, pork, butter and cheese. Cat's Bane brook is a stream of great importance, as it furnishes many mill seats. Spafford's lake is a beautiful collection of water, situated about one mile N. from the meeting-house. It contains a surface of about 526 acres. It is fed by springs in its bosom. Its waters are remarkably clear and pure, its bed being a white sand. In this lake there is an island of about six acres, which forms a delightful retreat. On its E. side issues a stream called Partridge's brook, sufficiently large to carry the machinery of a cotton factory, saw-mills, &c. West river mountain lies in this town and Hinsdale. It is supposed to have been once subject to volcanic eruption, and there is at present a great quantity of lava near its crater. It is said by those who live near the mountain that it frequently trembles, and a rumbling noise is heard in its bowels. Chesterfield has 3 villages. The principal one, leading from Hartford to Hanover, is situated near the centre of the town, and 3 miles E. from Connecticut river. Here are several dwelling-houses, the meeting-house, and a flourishing academy, which was opened Aug. 14, 1794. The first settlement was made Nov. 25, 1761, on the banks of the Connecticut, by Moses Smith and William Thomas, with their families. At that period, the river afforded abundance of shad and salmon, and the forests were well stocked with deer, bears and other game, so that the inhabitants did not experience those privations so common in new settlements. Population, 1830, 2,040.
