New Ipswich, New Hampshire Facts for Kids

New Ipswich is a town located in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, in the United States. In 2020, about 5,204 people lived there. New Ipswich is right on the border with Massachusetts. It includes several smaller areas like Bank, Highbridge, and Smithville. The famous Wapack Trail, a hiking path, also goes through the town.

History of New Ipswich
- Early Education and Industry
- Changes Over Time
Geography and Nature
Population and People
- Age and Diversity
Notable People from New Ipswich
Places to Visit
Images for kids
See also

History of New Ipswich

New Ipswich was first given as land in 1735 to 60 families from Ipswich, Massachusetts. This is where the town gets its name. The first settlers arrived in 1738. In 1762, the governor officially made it a town called "Ipswich," and then in 1766, it was renamed "New Ipswich."

Early Education and Industry

New Ipswich Academy was started in 1789. It was the second oldest school of its kind in New Hampshire. Later, it was renamed Appleton Academy after a generous person named Samuel Appleton. This academy also served as the high school for nearby towns like Mason and Greenville.

The Souhegan River was very important for the town's growth. Its flowing water powered many mills. In 1801, the first factory in New Hampshire to make wool was built in New Ipswich. A few years later, in 1804, the state's first cotton mill opened there too. Other factories made things like glass and oil. Skilled workers also created beautiful furniture. The town became quite wealthy, and you can see this in its lovely buildings, like the Barrett House. This house was even used as a setting for a movie called The Europeans. Because the railroad didn't come through New Ipswich, the old mill town kept its historic look.

Changes Over Time

In 1836, some families from New Ipswich moved to the Wisconsin Territory. They started a Christian mission and founded a town called Denmark, Iowa.

Later, in 1969, Mascenic Regional High School was built. This meant Appleton Academy no longer taught high school students. It continued as an elementary and middle school. In 1989, Boynton Middle School was built. Appleton Academy then became only an elementary school until it closed in 2012 because the building was no longer safe.

In the last 50 years, many people of Finnish background have moved to New Ipswich. A lot of new residents also come from neighboring Massachusetts.

Geography and Nature

New Ipswich covers about 85.6 square kilometers (33.1 square miles). Most of this area, about 84.8 square kilometers (32.7 square miles), is land. The rest, 0.8 square kilometers (0.3 square miles), is water.

Rivers and Mountains

The eastern and central parts of New Ipswich are drained by the Souhegan River. This river flows northeast and eventually joins the Merrimack River. New Ipswich Mountain is the highest point in town. It is part of the Wapack Range and stands about 573 meters (1,881 feet) above sea level.

On the western side of the Wapack Range, the Gridley River flows northwest. It joins the Contoocook River, which also flows north to the Merrimack. The southwestern part of town has ponds like Mountain Pond and Island Pond. These are the starting points for the Millers River, which flows southwest into Massachusetts and is part of the Connecticut River system.

Forests and Landscape

Much of New Ipswich is covered by wooded hills, which are part of the Wapack Range. Many of the old farm fields that were common in New England in the early 1900s have now grown back into forests.

Neighboring Towns

New Ipswich shares its borders with these towns:

Temple (north)
Greenville (east)
Mason (southeast)
Ashby, Massachusetts (south)
Ashburnham, Massachusetts (southwest)
Rindge (west)
Sharon (northwest)

Population and People

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	1,241	—
1800	1,266	2.0%
1810	1,895	49.7%
1820	1,278	−32.6%
1830	1,673	30.9%
1840	1,578	−5.7%
1850	1,877	18.9%
1860	1,701	−9.4%
1870	1,380	−18.9%
1880	1,222	−11.4%
1890	969	−20.7%
1900	911	−6.0%
1910	927	1.8%
1920	869	−6.3%
1930	838	−3.6%
1940	940	12.2%
1950	1,147	22.0%
1960	1,455	26.9%
1970	1,803	23.9%
1980	2,433	34.9%
1990	4,014	65.0%
2000	4,289	6.9%
2010	5,099	18.9%
2020	5,204	2.1%
U.S. Decennial Census

In 2000, there were 4,289 people living in New Ipswich. There were 1,350 households, and 1,089 of those were families. The town had about 1,449 homes.

Age and Diversity

New Ipswich has a lot of young people. About 34.5% of the population was under 18 years old. This is one of the highest percentages of young residents in New Hampshire! The average age in town was 32 years.

Most people in New Ipswich are White (98.55%). Some people are also African American, Native American, or Asian. About 0.79% of the population was Hispanic or Latino. People living in New Ipswich have many different backgrounds. The largest groups include people of Finnish, French, English, Irish, French Canadian, German, and American ancestry.

Notable People from New Ipswich

Many interesting people have come from New Ipswich:

Nathan Appleton (1779–1861), a merchant and politician from Massachusetts.
Samuel Appleton (1766–1853), a merchant and generous helper; he was Nathan Appleton's brother.
Cecil Bancroft (1839–1901), an educator and principal of Phillips Academy.
Benjamin Champney (1817–1907), a famous artist.
Jonas Chickering (1798–1853), a piano maker (born nearby, but grew up in New Ipswich).
Augustus Addison Gould (1805–1866), a Harvard-educated scientist who studied shells and snails.
Isabella Batchelder James (1819–1901), a writer and activist who worked against slavery.
John Taylor Jones (1802–1851), an early Christian missionary to Thailand.
Charles Stetson (1801–1863), a politician from Maine.
Rodney Wallace (1823–1903), a politician from Massachusetts.

Places to Visit

New Ipswich has several interesting historical sites:

New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 10: This marker tells about the first textile mills in the area.
New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 101: This marker shows where Wilder's Chair Factory used to be.
New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 137: This marker is about the Barrett House.
New Ipswich Center Village Historic District: This area was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. It includes the New Ipswich Town Hall and the Barrett House.