Madbury, New Hampshire Facts for Kids

Madbury was first settled in 1699. It was originally part of Dover and was called "Barbadoes." This name came from the island of Barbados in the West Indies. Settlers traded wood and lumber for sugar and other goods from Barbados. You can still find the name at Barbadoes Pond today.

To protect themselves from Native Americans, settlers built strong homes called garrison houses. Later, Madbury became part of Durham, which was a parish of Dover.

The area was once a farm owned by Sir Francis Champernowne. He named it after his family's home, Modbury, in England. The name "Madbury Parish" was first used in 1755. It became a full town in 1768 and was officially incorporated in 1775.

Madbury was mainly a place for farming and cutting down trees for wood. In 1778, some people from Madbury moved and started a new settlement called "New Madbury," which is now Jackson. Today, many people who live in Madbury work in other towns. Some teachers and staff from the nearby University of New Hampshire also live here.

Geography and Nature

Madbury is shaped a bit like a wedge. It stretches from Cedar Point on Little Bay all the way to the border with Barrington. The town covers about 31.6 square kilometers (12.2 square miles). Most of this area is land, with about 1.5 square kilometers (0.6 square miles) being water.

The highest point in Madbury is Hicks Hill, which is about 101 meters (331 feet) above sea level. Even though a small part of the Oyster River starts in Madbury, the Bellamy River is the main river in town.

Bellamy Reservoir

The Bellamy Reservoir is a large body of water in Madbury. It gets its water from the Bellamy River and Mallego Brook. This reservoir is very important because it provides 60% of the drinking water for the city of Portsmouth. It was created in 1960 when the Army Corps of Engineers built a dam.

Neighboring Towns

Madbury shares its borders with several other towns:

Dover (to the northeast)
Durham (to the south)
Lee (to the southwest)
Barrington (to the west)

Transportation

Madbury is connected by several state roads: Route 9, Route 108, and Route 155.

A railway line, now part of CSX Transportation, runs through the middle of Madbury. It reached the town between 1840 and 1843. Madbury even had its own train station for passengers, built in 1881. This station was near the W. H. Elliot Rose Greenhouses.

The Elliot greenhouses, built in 1901, were a big employer in Madbury. They received glass, greenhouse supplies, and coal by train. Fresh roses were then shipped from Madbury to many places in the northeastern United States.

Population Facts

In 2000, Madbury had 1,509 residents living in 534 households. About 42% of these households had children under 18. Most households (63%) were married couples living together. The average age of people in Madbury was 36 years old.

Schools in Madbury

Madbury is part of the Oyster River Cooperative School District. This district also includes the towns of Durham and Lee. One of the elementary schools in the district, Moharimet Elementary School, is located right in Madbury on Route 155. It was named after a Native American chief from the 1600s.

Madbury Day Celebration

Madbury Day is a special town celebration. It used to be held on the second Saturday in June. After a break in 2020 and 2021, it returned in 2022 and is now held on the Saturday after Labor Day.

The day is full of fun activities! There's a parade, a community yard sale, a BBQ, and face-painting. The parade starts at noon and features cool antique cars, fire engines, the Oyster River Middle School Jazz Band, and even clowns on unicycles. Kids on bicycles also join in the parade!

Images for kids

Mill Hill Road Bridge around 1905
Dam at the Bellamy Reservoir

Madbury, New Hampshire facts for kids

Contents

History of Madbury