Chesterfield, New Hampshire
| Chesterfield, New Hampshire | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
Main Street in 1909
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 Location in Cheshire County, New Hampshire |
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| Coordinates: 42°53′14″N 72°28′13″W / 42.88722°N 72.47028°WCoordinates: 42°53′14″N 72°28′13″W / 42.88722°N 72.47028°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Hampshire |
| County | Cheshire |
| Incorporated | 1752 |
| Government | |
| • Board of Selectmen | Jon McKeon, Chairman Brad Roscoe Norman VanCor |
| Area | |
| • Total | 47.6 sq mi (123.2 km2) |
| • Land | 45.6 sq mi (118.0 km2) |
| • Water | 2.0 sq mi (5.2 km2) 4.21% |
| Elevation | 853 ft (260 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 3,604 |
| • Density | 76/sq mi (29/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 03443 |
| Area code(s) | 603 |
| FIPS code | 33-12260 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0873565 |
| Website | www.nhchesterfield.com |
Chesterfield is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,604 at the 2010 census. It includes the villages of Spofford and West Chesterfield. Chesterfield is home to Spofford Lake, Chesterfield Gorge Natural Area, and parts of Pisgah State Park and Wantastiquet Mountain State Forest.
Granted in 1735 by Governor Jonathan Belcher of Massachusetts, this town was the site of Fort Number 1, first in the line of forts bordering the Connecticut River. After the border between Massachusetts and New Hampshire was fixed, the town was incorporated on 11 February 1752 by Governor Benning Wentworth as Chesterfield, named for Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield. The first settlers were Moses Smith and William Thomas, who, with their families, came up the Connecticut in canoes, in the fall of 1761. Their chief subsistence through the winter and spring of their first year in the wilderness consisted of salmon and shad, of which there was a great abundance in the river, and deer, which were numerous in the forests. The town contains some of the finest farmland in Cheshire County, yet once was home to small manufacturing, notably spinning wheel parts and handtools.
In 1772, Philip Embury conducted the first Methodist religious services in New Hampshire at the James Robertson farm in Chesterfield, and in 1803, Francis Asbury preached here. Asbury Church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is recognized for its historic puritan design. Asbury Church is considered the "Mother Church of Methodism" in New Hampshire, and is the oldest Methodist church in New Hampshire. The town has had continual Methodist Sunday services for over 225 years.
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