Harrisville, New Hampshire

Harrisville claims to be the only industrial community of the early 19th century to endure in its original form. First known as "Twitchell's Mills", a combination sawmill and gristmill was built here in 1774. The town of Harrisville was formed in 1870 from lands ceded by Marlborough, Dublin, Hancock, Nelson, and Roxbury. The Manchester & Keene Railroad opened in 1878, helping it prosper as a textile mill town. It was named for Milan Harris, whose stone and brick Cheshire Mills operated until 1970, but look virtually unchanged since the mid-19th century. Today, the Cheshire Mills are protected as part of the Harrisville Historic District, a National Historic Landmark which includes the center of town. With its red brick buildings and mills reflected in Harrisville Pond and canal, the village is frequently photographed as an iconic example of picturesque old New England. The Harrisville Rural District includes the southern part of the town near the Dublin border. Since 1794, there has been a woolen mill in Harrisville. In 1971, after his family's Cheshire Mills business shuttered, local resident John “Chick” Colony launched Harrisville Designs. Harrisville Designs produces yarn, looms, loom parts and knitting patterns; in addition to offering weaving and other textile classes on site. It sells locally and nationwide. The Harrisville General Store, established in 1838, which opened more than 30 years before Harrisville officially formed, is intrinsically woven into the fabric of the town. The general store is part of the town’s historic district, and has been owned by Historic Harrisville since 2008. “It started as a true general store, serving the inhabitants of this small village, which were mostly workers at the textile mill across the street,” manager Laura Carden says. Each summer, the town hosts "Old Home Days," which was originally envisioned as a celebration of the agrarian way of life and the renewal of old friendships," said Steve Taylor, former N.H. Commissioner of Agriculture, Markets & Food. "These days, it offers an important opportunity to celebrate community life and meet with your neighbors." File:Harrisville, New Hampshire - 5567984123.jpg|Harrisville, NH mill File:Harris Mill (from mill pond), Harrisville, NH.jpg|Harrisville, NH canal File:Harrisville, New Hampshire - 5568553854.jpg|Community Church of Harrisville, NH File:Cheshire Mills, Harrisville, NH.jpg|Cheshire Mills File:Looking up Canal, Harrisville, NH.jpg|Looking up canal in 1914 File:Glimpse of Harrisville, NH.jpg|Town view ==Geography==

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 7.79% of the town.=== • Beaver Pond • Chesham Pond • Child's Bog • Dinsmore Pond • Harrisville Pond • Howe Reservoir • Russell Reservoir • Seaver Reservoir • Silver Lake • Skatutakee Lake File:Harrisville Pond, Harrisville NH.jpg|Harrisville Pond File:Silver Lake Harrisville New Hampshire.jpg|Silver Lake, Harrisville, NH File:Skatutakee Lake, Harrisville NH.jpg|Skatutakee Lake ==Churches==

The Community Church of Harrisville and Chesham was formed from Chesham Baptist Church and Harrisville Congregational Church. Chesham Baptist Church dates back to 1785. The church building was originally built in 1797, re-modeled in 1830, and again re-modeled in 1844. The Evangelical Congregational Church of Harrisville dates back to 1840, and the church building was erected in 1840–1843. The Community Church is a member of the United Church of Christ (UCC) and the American Baptist Association, and it retains a united congregation using only the brick church in Harrisville village. The church in Chesham is owned by the American Baptist Association of Vermont & New Hampshire and is no longer used by the Community Church of Harrisville & Chesham. Harrisville was home to St. Denis Parish of the Roman Catholic Church from 1902 to 2010, when services ended following the merger with Saint Peter Parish in Peterborough and Saint Patrick Parish in Bennington. The church building is now owned by Historic Harrisville which is working to transform the 130-year-old structure on Church Street into a community center. ==Demographics==

At the 2020 census, there were 984 people, 453 households residing in the town. The population density was 48.7 per square mile (18.8/km2). There were 680 housing units at an average density of 33.7 per square mile (13.0/km2). The racial make-up of the town was 94.3% White, 0.4 % African American, 0.1 % Native American, 0.9 % Asian, 0.7% Some other race and 3.6 % from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.52 % of the population. Of the 453 households, 17.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were married couples living together, 23.2% had a female householder with no spouse present, 14.6% had a male householder with no spouse present, and 6.6% were cohabiting couples. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals living alone and 51.0% of households included individuals who were 65 years of age or older. 15.0% of the population were under the age of 18, and 31.8% was over 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 89.6 males. According to the 2024 American Community Survey, the median household incomewas $103,036 and the median family income was $121,765. Males had a median earnings of $61,488 and females $45,179. The per capita income was $67,042. About 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.1% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over. == Education ==

The elementary school is Wells Memorial School. The town is part of School Administrative Unit 29. Adjacent municipalities • Nelson (north) • Hancock (east) • Peterborough (southeast) • Dublin (south) • Marlborough (southwest) • Roxbury(west) ==References==