Warner

History

The town was granted in 1735 as "Number One" by Massachusetts Governor Jonathan Belcher to petitioners largely from Amesbury, Massachusetts. Called "New Amesbury", it was part of a line of settlements running between the Merrimack and Connecticut rivers intended to help defend Massachusetts against New France's predations. It was regranted by the Masonian Proprietors in 1749, when it was settled with four houses and a sawmill. Called "Jennesstown", it was abandoned and destroyed during the French and Indian War. The town was granted again in 1767 to Jonathan Barnard and others, who called it "Amesbury". But on September 3, 1774, it was incorporated as "Warner", named after Jonathan Warner, a leading Portsmouth citizen, namesake of the Warner House and relative of Governor John Wentworth. It was one of the last towns established under English provincial rule prior to the Revolution. Warner developed into a prosperous farming community which produced meats, dairy goods, vegetables, hay and apples. The Warner River and its tributaries provided water power for mills, which in 1832 included twelve sawmills, six gristmills, a paper mill and two clothing factories. By 1858, there was also a cabinet manufacturer and bottle manufacturer. In 1885, industries included a bedstead factory, chain factory, woolen cloth factory, iron foundry, tannery, and glove manufacturer. On September 9, 1821, the town was hit by a tornado. It leveled houses and forests in a swath of destruction beginning west of Lake Sunapee, through New London and Sutton, over the southwest spur of Mount Kearsarge and ending at the Webster line. The storm killed four people in Warner, seriously injured others and destroyed considerable property. Each October, on Columbus Day weekend, Warner hosts the annual…

Geography

The town is in central New Hampshire, in the western part of Merrimack County. It is by road northwest of Concord, the state capital, and southeast of the Vermont border at West Lebanon. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town of Warner has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 0.45% of the town. The majority of Warner is drained by the Warner River, which flows past the center of town. Two covered bridges span the river: the Dalton Bridge and the Waterloo Bridge. The southwestern section of town is drained by Amey Brook and its tributary, Warner Brook, and the northernmost end of town, on the slopes of Mount Kearsarge, drains both east and west to the Blackwater River. The Warner River, Blackwater River, and Amey Brook are all tributaries of the Contoocook River, part of the Merrimack River watershed. Mount Kearsarge, elevation above sea level, located in the extreme north of the town, is the highest point in Warner and in Merrimack County. Two state parks are located on the mountain: Rollins State Park in Warner and Winslow State Park in Wilmot. Mount Kearsarge is a popular hiking destination, due both to its bare, rocky summit, and to the fact that a paved road climbs from Rollins State Park to within a half mile of the summit. The peak is the highest point along the Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway, a hiking trail which links ten towns and encircles the Lake Sunapee region of western New Hampshire. The town is served by Interstate 89 and New Hampshire Route 103. State routes 114 and 127 cross the extreme southwestern and southeastern corners of the town, respectively. * Andover (north) * Salisbury (northeast) * Webster (east) * Hopkinton (southeast) * Henniker (south) * Bradford (west) * Sutton (northwest) * Wilmot…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  8,531
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,855
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  6,075
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,824
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  5,641
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  5,311
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,259
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  5,156

Largest nearby schools

• Kearsarge Regional High School
  High · North Sutton · 508 students · 10.8:1 ratio
• Kearsarge Regional Middle School
  Middle · North Sutton · 410 students · 10.3:1 ratio
• Henniker Community School
  Elementary · Henniker · 400 students · 11.1:1 ratio
• Hopkinton High School
  High · Contoocook · 305 students · 12.2:1 ratio
• Maple Street Elementary School
  Middle · Contoocook · 216 students · 11.4:1 ratio
• Kearsarge Reg. Elementary School - Bradford
  Elementary · Bradford · 169 students · 10.6:1 ratio
• Simonds Elementary School
  Elementary · Warner · 157 students · 8.3:1 ratio
• Hopkinton Middle School
  Middle · Contoocook · 133 students · 10.2:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2024-06-18
  3 km SE of Haverhill, New Hampshire
• M 2.7 — 2023-12-23
  5 km SW of Chichester, New Hampshire
• M 2.9 — 2023-04-25
  4 km SW of Center Sandwich, New Hampshire
• M 2.7 — 2018-02-15
  0 km SE of East Kingston, New Hampshire
• M 2.8 — 2016-03-21
  4 km ESE of Warner, New Hampshire
• M 2.61 — 2013-10-11
  New Hampshire