Walpole, New Hampshire
| Walpole, New Hampshire | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
Town Hall in 1906
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 Location in Cheshire County, New Hampshire |
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| Coordinates: 43°04′46″N 72°25′33″W / 43.07944°N 72.42583°WCoordinates: 43°04′46″N 72°25′33″W / 43.07944°N 72.42583°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Hampshire |
| County | Cheshire |
| Incorporated | 1756 |
| Villages | North Walpole, Drewsville |
| Government | |
| • Board of Selectmen | Steve Dalessio, Chair Peggy Pschirrer Joe Aldrich |
| Area | |
| • Total | 36.7 sq mi (95.1 km2) |
| • Land | 35.2 sq mi (91.1 km2) |
| • Water | 1.5 sq mi (4.0 km2) 4.16% |
| Elevation | 400 ft (122 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 3,734 |
| • Density | 100/sq mi (39/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 03608 |
| Area code(s) | 603 |
| FIPS code | 33-78420 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0873744 |
| Website | www.walpolenh.us |
Walpole is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,734 at the 2010 census.
The town's central settlement, where 605 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Walpole census-designated place (CDP), and is east of New Hampshire Route 12. The town also includes the villages of North Walpole and Drewsville.
The town was first granted in 1736 by Colonial Governor Jonathan Belcher of Massachusetts as Number 3, third in a line of Connecticut River fort towns. It would be settled as early as 1736, and called Great Falls or Lunenburg. Colonel Benjamin Bellows, for whom Bellows Falls, Vermont, is named, built a large fort here for defense against Indian attack. After the border between Massachusetts and New Hampshire was fixed (with Number 3 on the New Hampshire side of the line), the town was regranted by Governor Benning Wentworth as Bellowstown, after its founder. It would be incorporated in 1756. The grant was renewed in 1761, when the town was renamed Walpole, in honor of Sir Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, and first Prime Minister of Great Britain.
The first bridge across the Connecticut River, an engineering feat in its day, was built at Walpole in 1785, and is regarded as one of the most famous early spans in the United States. The town contains many architecturally significant old houses, including several associated with Colonel Bellows and members of his family. Walpole Academy, built in 1831 and attributed to master-builder Aaron Prentiss Howland, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The abundant lilacs in the town inspired Louisa May Alcott to write the 1878 book Under the Lilacs.
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