Wilton

History

The town was first part of a township chartered as "Salem-Canada" in 1735 by Colonial Governor Jonathan Belcher of Massachusetts, which then claimed this area. It was granted to soldiers from Salem, Massachusetts, who had served in 1690 under Sir William Phips in the war against Canada. "Salem-Canada" was one of the towns on the state's borders intended to provide protection against Indian attack. The area was regranted in 1749 by New Hampshire colonial Governor Benning Wentworth as "Number Two", before being incorporated in 1762 as "Wilton". It was either named for Wilton in England, or for Sir Joseph Wilton, a famous English sculptor. Sir Wilton's coach design for King George III's coronation was later used as a model for the Concord coach. The town of Wilton, Maine, would later be named for Wilton, New Hampshire. The first Sunday school was established in May 1816, and was connected with the Congregational church of which the Rev. Thomas Beede was pastor. It was held in the Centre schoolhouse. Two women, Phebe Abbot, the mother of Prof. Ezra Abbot of Harvard University, and Sarah White Livermore, the hymnist, were leaders in this enterprise. This school was one of the first, if not the first, in the U.S. to be devoted especially and wholly to religious instruction. Seventy children attended the first season. The only book used was the Bible. The Souhegan River originally provided water power for mills. Today, Wilton is a rural town with orchards, farms and woodlands. File:Wilton, N.H. (2675840130).jpg|Wilton in 1880 File:wiltontownhall.jpg|Town Hall File:Wilton Woolen Company Mill, Wilton, NH.jpg|Wilton Woolen Co. mill in 1912 File:Livermore Bridge Wilton New Hampshire.jpg|Livermore Bridge over Blood Brook File:Aunt Mary Ann Cottage, Wilton, NH.jpg|Aunt Mary…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.35%, is water. Wilton is drained by the Souhegan River and its tributaries, Stony Brook and Blood Brook. Via the Souhegan, the entire town is part of the Merrimack River watershed. The town's highest point is above sea level, where the east slope of Fisk Hill touches the town's western border. * Lyndeborough (north) * Milford (east) * Mason (south) * Greenville (southwest) * Temple (west)

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  15,845
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  13,260
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  11,857
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  10,334
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,876
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  9,644
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  8,767
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  8,656

Most recent

• M 3.8 — 2025-01-27
  9 km SE of York Harbor, Maine
• M 2.7 — 2023-12-23
  5 km SW of Chichester, 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
• M 3.15 — 2010-09-26
  2 km SW of Canterbury, New Hampshire