Winchester, New Hampshire
Cheshire county. This pleasant town is bounded N. by Swanzey and Chesterfield, E. by Richmond, W. by Hinsdale, and S. by Massachusetts line. It lies 13 miles S.W. from Keene, 65 S.W. from Concord, 80 N. from Hartford, Ct., and 12 E. from Brattleboro, Vt. Population, 1837, 2,500. The face of this town is diversified with hills and valleys. The soil is of an excellent quality, furnishing in abundance all the agricultural products natural to this section of the country. Ashuelot river passes through the centre of this town, affording a number of mill privileges, and is bordered on each bank by extensive intervales, of a fertility rarely excelled.
There are other small streams running in various directions through the town, affording facilities for water power.
The centre village is on the S.W. bank of the Ashuelot, and the principal street, running parallel with its border, has a number of dwelling houses, with stores and shops, 3 meeting houses, an elegant district school house, saw and grist mills, shops for turning wood and iron, an extensive establishment for the manufacture of musical instruments of all kinds, and 2 organ manufactories; and, at the lower end, the street is adorned with a beautiful row of native ever-green trees which extends nearly half a mile.
Two miles west is another considerable village, containing 1 large woolen factory, 1 cotton factory, 1 satinet factory, saw, grist, and oil mills, two furnaces, together with shops, stores, meeting houses, &ammp;c.
In the S.W. part of the town there are saw mills, grist mills, clothier's works, and 1 satinet factory.
This town was sacked by the Indians, and the inhabitants taken prisoners or driven off, in 1745 or '6, and did not return under about 5 years to resume the settlement of the place. The former name of the town was Arlington, and it was incorporated by its present name in 1753.
