Colebrook

History

First granted in 1762 by New Hampshire's colonial Governor Benning Wentworth, the territory was named "Dryden", after English poet and playwright John Dryden. Due to the inability of its original grantees to settle the remote area, however, it was regranted in 1770 by Colonial Governor John Wentworth, who renamed it "Colebrook Town" after Sir George Colebrooke, the East India Company's chairman of the board. It was settled that same year by a single family by the name of Rosebrook, but the family was driven out by the Revolutionary War, and further settlement did not occur until after the war's end. The 1790 census recorded a population of 29, and the town was incorporated as Colebrook on June 11, 1796. For many years, it was the shire town of the Northern Judicial District of Coos County. Today, it has a district branch of the Lancaster Superior Court. A conflicting account holds that the town "was originally called Coleburne and was granted to Sir George Colebrook and others. It was incorporated June 11, 1795." The first road through the town was known as River Road, taking a route that is roughly followed today by U.S. Route 3, the Daniel Webster Highway. The first surveyed lots in the town comprised about each, running from River Road to the Connecticut River. Settlement then proceeded up two new roads, Titus Hill Road and what is now Pleasant Street. Titus Hill leads southeast out of the town center up to high ground in the neighboring town of Columbia that supports farming, while Pleasant Street, now a short road in Colebrook village, led east up the valley of the Mohawk River (now the route of New Hampshire Route 26) to the area of East Colebrook, the present-day village of Kidderville, and what was known as "Factory Village", which grew about east of the…

Geography

Colebrook is the hub of northern Coos County. Roads from Maine, Vermont, and Quebec all converge in the center of town. To the north is Stewartstown, to the east is Dixville and to the south is Columbia. Lemington, Vermont, is located to the west of town, across the Connecticut River. U.S. Route 3 passes through the center of Colebrook, leading north to West Stewartstown and south through Columbia to Groveton. New Hampshire Route 145 has its southern terminus at US 3 in Colebrook and is the most direct route north to Pittsburg. New Hampshire Route 26 also runs through the center of Colebrook, leading west to its terminus in Lemington, Vermont, and east through Dixville Notch to Errol. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Colebrook has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 0.51% of the town. Colebrook has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with warm summer days and mild nights but severely cold winters with high diurnal temperature variation. Snowfall is high during winter, similar to most of Northeastern United States, but a long-lasting snow pack is formed due to the persistently cold temperatures. Average winter lows are only narrowly above 0 °F, according to NOAA's weather station normals.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  4,944
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,275
• Red-breasted Nuthatch

  Sitta canadensis Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  3,941
• White-throated Sparrow

  Zonotrichia albicollis (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  2,867
• Golden-crowned Kinglet

  Regulus satrapa Lichtenstein, 1823 · Aves
  2,660
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  2,596
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  2,517
• Yellow-rumped Warbler

  Setophaga coronata (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,401

Largest nearby schools

• Colebrook Academy and Elementary School (E)
  Elementary · Colebrook · 198 students · 9:1 ratio
• Colebrook Academy and Elementary School (H)
  High · Colebrook · 118 students · 7.9:1 ratio
• Stewartstown Community School
  Elementary · W. Stewartstown · 53 students · 8.8:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2022-02-04
  0 km SSW of Gorham, New Hampshire
• M 2.5 — 2016-02-11
  4 km S of Dallas, Maine
• M 2.59 — 2013-02-07
  11 km E of Cookshire, Canada
• M 2.51 — 2011-07-08
  4 km NE of Newbury, Vermont
• M 2.5 — 2009-11-19
  Maine