Originally the southern part of
Sanbornton, the present area of Tilton was known as "Sanbornton Bridge" and "Bridge Village". These two names refer to the bridge, built in 1763, that crossed the
Winnipesaukee River from
Canterbury to Sanbornton and onto what is now Main Street in Tilton. In 1869, Sanbornton Bridge was set off and incorporated as Tilton, named in honor of Nathaniel Tilton (1726–1814), whose great-grandson Charles E. Tilton (1827–1901) was the owner of
textile mills and the community's wealthiest citizen. Nathaniel Tilton established an
iron foundry and the area's first hotel, the Dexter House. Charles E. Tilton donated many statues to the town, a unique feature, and his estate is now part of the
Tilton School. Tilton Hall, his former mansion built in 1861, houses the
Lucian Hunt Library. The attached carriage house was renovated in 1980 to become the Helene Grant Daly Art Center. Charles E. Tilton also donated what is perhaps the most notable landmark in the area, the hilltop
Memorial Arch, located in the neighboring town of
Northfield, across the
Winnipesaukee River from the center of Tilton. The
Roman arch replica was built in the late 1800s as a memorial to his ancestors. It is built of
Concord granite, high and wide. Image:View of Main Street, Tilton, NH.jpg|Main Street in 1909 Image:Winnipesaukee River, Tilton, NH.jpg|Tilton Island Park Image:View on the Winnipesaukee, Tilton, NH.jpg|View of the mills in 1908 Image:View of Tilton, NH from Arch Hill.jpg|View from Arch Hill in 1906 Image:Tilton Memorial Arch.jpg|
Memorial Arch (Northfield) in 1909 ==Geography==