Benton, New Hampshire
| Benton, New Hampshire | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
Mount Moosilauke in 1912
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 Location in Grafton County, New Hampshire |
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| Coordinates: 44°06′11″N 71°54′06″W / 44.10306°N 71.90167°WCoordinates: 44°06′11″N 71°54′06″W / 44.10306°N 71.90167°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Hampshire |
| County | Grafton |
| Incorporated | 1764 |
| Government | |
| • Board of Selectmen | Aaron Goodwin, Chair Paula Boutin Regina Elliott |
| Area | |
| • Total | 48.4 sq mi (125.3 km2) |
| • Land | 48.2 sq mi (124.7 km2) |
| • Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2) 0.48% |
| Elevation | 1,272 ft (388 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 364 |
| • Density | 7.5/sq mi (2.9/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 03785 |
| Area code(s) | 603 |
| FIPS code | 33-05060 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0873544 |
| Website | www |
Benton is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 364 at the 2010 census. Located in the White Mountains, Benton is largely surrounded by the White Mountain National Forest. The town is crossed by the Appalachian Trail.
The town was granted by Governor Benning Wentworth on January 31, 1764 to Theophilus Fitch and others. It was named Coventry after Coventry, Connecticut, hometown to many of the settlers, who arrived shortly after the beginning of the Revolution. At the suggestion of Governor Isaac Hill, the name was changed on December 4, 1840 to Benton, in honor of Thomas Hart Benton, the Missouri senator who championed American westward expansion.
With a rough and mountainous terrain, the town was not suited for agriculture. But Benton had water power sites and abundant forests. By 1859, when the population was 478, there were five sawmills producing a large quantity of lumber. The Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad ran through the town, which once included the village of Glencliff.
Atop Mount Moosilauke in 1860 was built The Prospect House, later renamed The Tip Top House, a stone hotel with accommodations for 35 hikers. A carriage road was built to the summit in 1870, so the hotel was enlarged in 1872 to accommodate 50 guests. In 1920, the hotel and land were given to Dartmouth College, but in 1942, The Tip Top House burned.
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