Monroe, New Hampshire facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Monroe, New Hampshire
Town
Location in Grafton County, New Hampshire
Country	United States
State	New Hampshire
County	Grafton
Incorporated	1854
Area
• Total	61.7 km2 (23.8 sq mi)
• Land	57.8 km2 (22.3 sq mi)
• Water	3.9 km2 (1.5 sq mi)  6.26%
Elevation	165 m (541 ft)
Population  (2020)
• Total	864
• Density	14.9/km2 (39/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code	03771
Area code(s)	603
FIPS code	33-48980
GNIS feature ID	0873669

Monroe is a small town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. It's located right along the Connecticut River. This river forms the border with Barnet, Vermont. In 2020, about 864 people lived in Monroe. This was a bit more than the 788 people who lived there in 2010.

Monroe was once part of a larger area called Lyman.

Monroe's Early History

In 1762, Governor John Wentworth gave a special permission, called a grant, for land in this area. Sixty-four people received parts of this land. They had to clear and farm a small part of their land or lose the grant. Only two people tried to do this at first. So, the grant was extended for five more years in 1769.

Some of the land was also given to Colonel John Hurd. This area was called "Hurd's Location." It included five small islands in the Connecticut River, known as "Deer Islands." It also had land stretching from the present-day Village Bridge down to a place called Fifteen Mile Falls.

The first known settlers in the "West Lyman" part of the town were John Hyndman, his wife, and son. They built a log cabin on the largest of the Deer Islands in 1784. The first permanent settlers, the Olmstead families, arrived in the 1780s. The first baby born in this area was Ethan Smith in 1784.

Becoming a Separate Town

It was hard for people in the western part of Lyman to travel to the eastern part. This was because of a steep hill called "Gardner's Mountain." Because of these difficulties, the western settlers had different needs. So, in 1854, Monroe became its own separate town. It was named after President James Monroe.

In 1860, Monroe had 619 residents. By 1880, the population had gone down to 504 people.

Bridges and Mills

"Captain" Phillip Paddleford was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. He settled in Monroe in 1790. He built the town's first sawmill and gristmill on what is now called Smith Brook.

His relative, Peter Paddleford (1785–1859), was famous for inventing a special wooden design for covered bridges. This design is called the Paddleford Truss. Many of his original bridges are still standing today. He built the "third Lyman Bridge" in 1833. This covered bridge connected Monroe to McIndoes, Vermont. It was over 300 feet (91 meters) long and stood for more than 96 years. This made it one of the oldest bridges on the Connecticut River.

Geology and the Comerford Dam

Monroe is home to parts of the Ammonoosuc Gold Fields. However, people have never been able to successfully mine gold here. The Connecticut River is very narrow in some places within the town. It is only about 82 feet (25 meters) wide in one spot. Several copper mines were also dug along what is now called Coppermine Road.

The Frank D. Comerford Dam was built on the Connecticut River between 1928 and 1930. This dam is now used to control floods and generate electricity for nearby states. When it was built, it was one of the largest "retaining walls" in the United States. It used a huge amount of concrete. Before the dams were built, the river dropped 367 feet (112 meters) over 15 miles (24 kilometers) in this area.

Geography of Monroe

Monroe covers about 23.8 square miles (61.7 square kilometers) in total. Most of this area is land, about 22.3 square miles (57.8 square kilometers). The rest, about 1.5 square miles (3.9 square kilometers), is water.

The town is bordered by the Connecticut River to the west. This river also marks the state line with Vermont. To the east, there is a long ridge called Gardner Mountain. The highest point in Monroe is Signal Mountain, which is part of Gardner Mountain. It stands 2,299 feet (701 meters) above sea level. This mountain has been an important reference point for making maps of the area for a long time.

NH 135 is a main road that runs through the town. It goes mostly parallel to the river. This road connects Monroe to Littleton to the north and Bath to the south.

Population Changes Over Time

Monroe's population has changed quite a bit over the years. Here's a look at how many people have lived there:

In 2000, there were 759 people living in Monroe. About 27.7% of households had children under 18. Most households (65.8%) were married couples. The average household had about 2.45 people. The median age in town was 44 years old. This means half the people were older than 44, and half were younger.

The median income for a household in Monroe was about $42,411. This is the middle income for all households. For families, the median income was about $46,346.

Notable Person

• Jean Harris (1923–2012) lived in Monroe.

See also

In Spanish: Monroe (Nuevo Hampshire) para niños