History of Hopkinton

The town's first framed house built in 1745, as seen in 1901

The area was first given to settlers in 1735 by Governor Jonathan Belcher. It was called "Number 5." The settlers came from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, and renamed it "New Hopkinton." People started living there in 1736.

The early colonists had to build homes and farms within seven years. They also had to provide a home for a minister. In 1765, Governor Benning Wentworth officially made it a town. This was before counties were even set up in the area.

The Congregational Church was built in 1789 and has a bell made by Paul Revere. The state government of New Hampshire sometimes met in Hopkinton between 1798 and 1807. In 1808, Hopkinton wanted to be the state capital, but Concord was chosen instead. Since 1823, Hopkinton has been part of Merrimack County.

W. S. Davis Building in 1889

A large part of the town in the north was named "Contoocook Village." This name came from a tribe of Pennacook people who used to live there. Because it was next to the Contoocook River, it became a center for industries that used water power. These included making lumber and textiles.

The Contoocook covered railroad bridge is still standing in the village. It was part of the Boston & Maine Railroad. It is the oldest covered railroad bridge of its kind in the United States. Next to the bridge is the Contoocook Railroad Depot. This was one of the first train stations for the Concord and Claremont Railroad.

Since 1915, Hopkinton has hosted the Hopkinton State Fair. This big event brings thousands of visitors every year during the Labor Day weekend.

Geography and Landscape

Hopkinton covers about 116.8 square kilometers (45.1 square miles). Most of this area, about 112.1 square kilometers (43.3 square miles), is land. The rest, about 4.6 square kilometers (1.8 square miles), is water. Water makes up almost 4% of the town's total area.

The town gets its water from the Contoocook River and a smaller river called the Warner River. However, the southeast part of town drains into the Turkey River. The highest point in Hopkinton is Shaker Hill. It is about 923 feet (281 meters) above sea level. Hopkinton is entirely within the Merrimack River watershed.

Neighboring Towns

Hopkinton shares borders with these towns:

Webster (north)
Concord (east)
Bow (southeast)
Dunbarton (southeast)
Weare (south)
Henniker (west)
Warner (northwest)

People of Hopkinton

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	1,715	—
1800	2,015	17.5%
1810	2,216	10.0%
1820	2,437	10.0%
1830	2,474	1.5%
1840	2,454	−0.8%
1850	2,169	−11.6%
1860	2,178	0.4%
1870	1,814	−16.7%
1880	1,836	1.2%
1890	1,817	−1.0%
1900	1,652	−9.1%
1910	1,578	−4.5%
1920	1,438	−8.9%
1930	1,485	3.3%
1940	1,587	6.9%
1950	1,831	15.4%
1960	2,225	21.5%
1970	3,007	35.1%
1980	3,861	28.4%
1990	4,806	24.5%
2000	5,399	12.3%
2010	5,589	3.5%
2020	5,914	5.8%
U.S. Decennial Census

Oldest part of Hopkinton village cemetery, as seen in 1901

In 2010, there were 5,589 people living in Hopkinton. They lived in 2,204 households, and 1,631 of these were families. Most people in Hopkinton (97.7%) were White.

About 32.8% of households had children under 18 living with them. Most households (63.1%) were married couples living together. The average household had 2.54 people.

Old Parsonage in 1901

The population included people of all ages. About 25.3% were under 20 years old. About 35.2% were between 45 and 64 years old. The average age in town was 45.8 years.

The average income for a household in Hopkinton was about $84,911. For families, it was about $88,796.

Education in Hopkinton

The Hopkinton School District manages public education.

Students in kindergarten through third grade go to Harold Martin School in Hopkinton village.
Fourth through sixth graders attend Maple Street School in Contoocook village.
The middle school and Hopkinton High School are together in Contoocook village. They serve students from seventh to twelfth grade. The high school sports teams are called the Hawks.

Hopkinton also has The Beech Hill School. This is a private middle school for grades 6 through 8.

Notable People from Hopkinton

Rose Flanders Bascom (1880–1915), the first American female lion tamer.
Carlton Chase (1794–1870), a bishop.
Alvan Flanders (1825–1894), a delegate from the Territory of Washington.
John Williams Gunnison (1812–1853), a captain and surveyor.
Matthew Harvey (1781–1866), a lawyer and the 13th Governor of New Hampshire.
Otto Heino (1915–2009), a famous ceramics artist.
Vivika Heino (1910–1995), also a famous ceramics artist.
John S.C. Knowlton (1798–1871), a newspaper editor and politician.
Annie Kuster (born 1956), a current U.S. congresswoman.
Mary Greenleaf Clement Leavitt (1830–1912), the first round-the-world missionary for the Woman's Christian Temperance Union.
Stephen Harriman Long (1784–1864), an engineer, explorer, and inventor.
David Luneau (born 1965), a politician and inventor.
John Lynch (born 1952), the 80th Governor of New Hampshire.
Susan Lynch, First Lady of New Hampshire.
George H. Perkins (1836–1899), a Commodore in the United States Navy.
Isabel Weld Perkins (1876–1948), an author and heiress.
Elizabeth Wentworth Roberts (1871–1927), a painter.
Tina Satter, a playwright and director.
Irene Shepard (1922–2014), an educator and politician.
David Souter (born 1939), a former justice of the US Supreme Court.
Richard Sylla, a writer and professor.
Susan Ware (born 1950), a writer and editor.

Historic Places in Hopkinton

Many places in Hopkinton are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are important historical sites.

	Name on the Register	Date listed	Location	City or town	Description
1	Contoocook Railroad Depot	March 16, 2006 (#06000131)	896 Main St. 43°13′21″N 71°42′47″W / 43.2225°N 71.7131°W / 43.2225; -71.7131 (Contoocook Railroad Depot)	Contoocook Village	Owned by the Contoocook Riverway Association
2	Hopkinton Railroad Covered Bridge	January 11, 1980 (#80000294)	Off NH 103 and NH 127 43°13′23″N 71°42′51″W / 43.2231°N 71.7142°W / 43.2231; -71.7142 (Hopkinton Railroad Covered Bridge)	Contoocook Village	Over Contoocook River in village of Contoocook
3	Howe-Quimby House	June 27, 1980 (#80000295)	862 Sugar Hill Rd. 43°09′29″N 71°42′03″W / 43.1581°N 71.7008°W / 43.1581; -71.7008 (Howe-Quimby House)	Hopkinton
4	William H. Long Memorial	July 15, 1977 (#77000092)	300 Main St. 43°11′27″N 71°40′19″W / 43.1908°N 71.6719°W / 43.1908; -71.6719 (William H. Long Memorial)	Hopkinton Village	Now houses the Hopkinton Historical Society.
5	Rowell's Covered Bridge	November 21, 1976 (#76000129)	Clement Hill Rd. 43°11′33″N 71°44′54″W / 43.1925°N 71.7483°W / 43.1925; -71.7483 (Rowell's Covered Bridge)	West Hopkinton	Over Contoocook River
6	Stanley Tavern	September 7, 2005 (#05000970)	371 Main St. 43°11′29″N 71°40′27″W / 43.1914°N 71.6742°W / 43.1914; -71.6742 (Stanley Tavern)	Hopkinton Village