New Hampton, New Hampshire
Strafford county, lies 30 miles N. by W. from Concord and about 20 N.W. from Gilmanton. Population, 1830, 1,904. Pemigewasset river, which washes the W. boundary, is the only stream of magnitude; and over it is thrown the bridge which unites the town with Bristol.
There is a remarkable spring on the W. side of Kelly's hill in this town, from which issues a stream sufficient to supply several mills. This stream is never affected by rains or droughts, and falls into the river after running about a mile. Pemigewasset pond lies on the border of Meredith. There are 4 other ponds in this town. The soil of New Hampton, though the surface is broken and uneven, is remarkably fertile, producing in abundance most kinds of grain and grass. The industry of the inhabitants has enabled them in years of scarcity to supply the wants of other towns. In the S. part of the town there is a high hill of a conical form, which may be seen in almost any direction from 10 to 50 miles; the prospect from the summit of which is very pleasant.
In 1763, Gen. John Moulton, of Hampton, having an ox weighing 1,400 pounds, fattened for the purpose, hoisted a flag upon his horns and drove him to Portsmouth as a present to Gov. Wentworth. He refused to receive any compensation for the ox, but merely as a token of the governor's friendship and esteem, he would like to have a charter of a small gore of land he had discovered adjoining the town of Moultonborough, of which he was one of the principal proprietors. It was granted, and he called it New Hampton, in honor of his native town. This small gore of land contained 19,422 acres, a part of which now constitutes the town of Centre Harbor. It was incorporated, Nov. 27, 1777.
