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Windham, New Hampshire

Windham, New Hampshire
Town
Official seal of Windham, New Hampshire
Seal
Motto: Old Values, New Horizons
Location in Rockingham County and the state of New Hampshire.
Location in Rockingham County and the state of New Hampshire.
Coordinates: 42°48′02″N 71°18′15″W / 42.80056°N 71.30417°W / 42.80056; -71.30417Coordinates: 42°48′02″N 71°18′15″W / 42.80056°N 71.30417°W / 42.80056; -71.30417
Country United States
State New Hampshire
County Rockingham
Incorporated 1742
Government
 • Board of Selectmen Joel Desilets, Chair
Ross McLeod
Bruce Breton
Roger Hohenberger
Jennifer Simmons
 • Town Administrator David Sullivan
Area
 • Total 27.9 sq mi (72.2 km2)
 • Land 26.8 sq mi (69.4 km2)
 • Water 1.1 sq mi (2.7 km2)  3.80%
Elevation 194 ft (59 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 13,592
 • Density 490/sq mi (190/km2)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 03087
Area code(s) 603
FIPS code 33-85780
GNIS feature ID 0873758
Website www.windhamnh.gov

Windham is a suburban town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 13,592 at the 2010 census. The estimated population in 2015 was 14,439.

The area was initially home to the Pawtucket Native Americans. Scottish immigrants began to settle in the area in 1719. The region was known as “Nutfield” and included what are now the neighboring towns of Derry and Londonderry. By 1721 some of the original settlers petitioned to form a separate independent community. Governor Benning Wentworth granted this request in 1742. One published theory holds that the community's name refers to Windham, Ireland, harkening back to the petitioners' homeland. However, it has been alternatively postulated that the town was named after Sir Charles Wyndham, 2nd Earl of Egremont, a member of Parliament from 1734 to 1750, Secretary of State for the Southern Department from 1761 to 1763, and a good friend of Governor Wentworth. The town of Windham was originally a parish of Londonderry. Windham was the second town designated by Governor Benning Wentworth following the establishment of the New Hampshire-Massachusetts border. Windham was the birthplace of Samuel Dinsmoor, Governor of New Hampshire from 1831 to 1834. The first census ever taken in Windham totaled at 663 residents in the year 1790.

Historic landmarks in Windham include the Searles School, Searles Castle, the town center, and the Armstrong Memorial Building. Searles Castle is one of Windham’s most prominent landmarks. Edward F. Searles, an interior decorator and antique collector, built the castle. The architect, Henry Vaughn, modeled the castle’s architecture after the style of the Stanton Harcourt Manor in Oxfordshire, England. The building was completed in 1915 at a cost of over $1,250,000. The castle contains over 20 rooms and is available to the public to be rented out for functions and events. In July 1909, Mr. Searles erected a commemorative plaque honoring governor Samuel Dinsmoor "a few rods" from his birthplace on Jenny's Hill, which stands today as a designated historic landmark.


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