Walpole

History

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 was 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 Native 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 was 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. The Alcott family moved to Walpole temporarily beginning in the summer of 1855 after Benjamin Willis, brother-in-law of matriarch Abby May Alcott, offered the family rent-free use of his home. Louisa was the first to move there and called the town "a lovely place, high among the hills". Her father Amos Bronson Alcott was initially happy with his hardworking neighbors there and wrote, "'Tis refreshing to yoke one's idealism with this team of tug-along-the-rut of…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 3.94% of the town. The town is drained by the Connecticut River, which forms the western border of the town and is also the state border with Vermont. The northern part of Walpole is drained by the Cold River, a tributary of the Connecticut. The highest point in town is the summit of Derry Hill, at above sea level. Walpole is served by state routes 12 and 123. * Charlestown (north) * Langdon (north) * Alstead (east) * Surry (southeast) * Westmoreland (south) * Westminster, Vermont (west) * Rockingham, Vermont (northwest)

Most-observed species

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  16,438
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  15,599
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  13,124
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  13,040
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  12,977
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  12,531
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  12,441
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  11,595

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2023-12-23
  5 km SW of Chichester, New Hampshire
• M 2.8 — 2016-03-21
  4 km ESE of Warner, New Hampshire
• M 2.61 — 2013-10-11
  New Hampshire
• M 3.15 — 2010-09-26
  2 km SW of Canterbury, New Hampshire
• M 2.5 — 2007-10-19
  2 km WSW of Littleton Common, Massachusetts
• M 2.83 — 2007-05-14
  5 km ESE of Benson, Vermont