1 history
1.1 pre-colonial native populations
1.2 colonial settlement
1.3 industry
1.4 education history
1.5 namesakes
history
pre-colonial native populations
before colonial settlement, upper connecticut river valley home pennacook , western abenaki (sokoki) peoples, later merging members of other algonquin tribes displaced wars , famines accompanied european settling of region. hunter archeological site, located near bridge connecting claremont ascutney, vermont, significant prehistoric native american site includes 7 levels of occupational evidence, including evidence of @ least 3 longhouses. oldest dates recorded evidence gathered during excavations in 1967 ad 1300.
ashley s ferry c. 1906
colonial settlement
the city named after claremont, country mansion of thomas pelham-holles, earl of clare. on october 26, 1764, colonial governor benning wentworth granted township josiah willard, samuel ashley , 67 others. although first settled in 1762 moses spafford , david lynde, many of proprietors arrived in 1767, large number farmington, hebron , colchester, connecticut. undulating surface of rich, gravelly loam made agriculture occupation. spafford deeded land col. samuel ashley, given charter establish ferry across connecticut river in 1784, location of still known ashley s ferry landing. spafford first man marry in claremont, , son, elijah, first white child born in town.
the union episcopal church in west claremont built in 1773, , oldest surviving episcopal church building in new hampshire , state s oldest surviving building built exclusively religious purposes. parish organized in 1771 , chartered new hampshire legislature in 1794 union church parish. located across street, old st. mary s church, built in 1823 in federalist style, first roman catholic church in new hampshire. discontinued in 1870 in favor of new st. mary s church in lower village district.
during american revolution, claremont had large number of loyalists, used small wooded valley in west claremont called tory hole hide patriots. in 1777, when new hampshire grants declared own sovereignty vermont republic, claremont 1 of sixteen new hampshire towns inclined join them, , made multiple attempts so.
industry
claremont s first millwright col. benjamin tyler, arrived in area farmington, connecticut, in spring of 1767. tyler built mills using stone quarried land on nearby mount ascutney, , built claremont s first mill on sugar river on site of coy paper mill. tyler invented wry-fly water wheel, subject of supreme court case tyler v. tuel. grandson john tyler evolved technology create tyler water wheel , tyler turbine. tyler s grandson benjamin tyler henry, inventor of henry repeating rifle, manufactured in neighboring windsor, vermont, , used in civil war.
the water power harnessed sugar river brought town prosperity during industrial revolution. large brick factories built along stream, including sunapee mills, monadnock mills, claremont machine works, home mills, sanford & rossiter, , claremont manufacturing company. principal products cotton , woolen textiles, lathes , planers, , paper. although other new england mill towns, industry moved away or closed in 20th century, city s former prosperity evident in fine victorian architecture, including 1897 city hall , opera house.
in 1874, businesses in claremont included monadnock mills, manufacturing cotton cloths 1 3 yards wide, marseilles quilts, union flannels, , lumber, , employing 125 males , 225 females; home mill (a. briggs & co.) producing cotton cloth , employing 8 males , 20 females; sullivan machine co., manufacturing steam dimond drill machinery quarrying rock, turbine water wheels, cloth measuring machines, , doing general machine , mill work, employing 56 males; sugar river paper mill co., manufacturing printing paper , employing 30 males , 20 females; claremont manufacturing co., manufacturing paper , books, , doing stereotyping , book , job printing, employing 34 males , 34 females; russell jarvis, manufacturing hanging paper , employing 7 males , 2 females; john s. farrington, manufacturing straw wrapping paper , employing 5 males , 1 female; sullivan mills (george l. balcom), manufacturing black doeskins , employing 20 males , 18 females; charles h. eastman, in leather business , employing 4 males; sugar river mill co., manufacturing flour, feed, , doing custom grinding, , employing 8 males; 3 saw mills employing part of year, 10 males; blood & woodcock, in business of monuments , grave stones , employing 8 males; , houghton, bucknam & co., in business of sashes, doors , blinds, employing 8 males.
the monadnock mills co. , sullivan mills co. responsible 2 prominent collections of manufacturing structures in lower village district. monadnock mills textile operations began founding in 1842, , lasted through 1932, shuttering operations following decline of textile industry in new england during 1920s. 1920s, sullivan mills co. had become new hampshire s largest machining company, claremont s largest employer. sullivan s machinery division merged joy mining machinery in 1946, becoming joy manufacturing co. founder, inventor joseph francis joy, stayed on general manager of facility. remained dominant employer in claremont through 1970s, when manufacturing technology had advanced sufficiently hamper sales , productivity. parts of campus suffered fires in 1979 , 1981, , branch closed in 1983 , sold in 1984.
education history
in 1850s, city of claremont approached state legislature asking permission build public high school. @ time, public high schools did not exist in new hampshire. state agreed, , decided offer permission every town in state every town establish public high schools. claremont native , hotelier paran stevens made offer fund 50% of $20,000 cost of development, resulting in stevens high school.
in march 1989, claremont school board voted initiate lawsuit against state of new hampshire, claiming state s primary reliance upon local property taxes funding education resulted in inequitable educational opportunities among children around state , violation of constitutional rights. following lawsuit , series of landmark decisions, new hampshire supreme court agreed. known claremont decision , suit continues drive statewide debate on equitable funding education, , claremont continues play primary role in legal challenge.
namesakes
the cities of claremont, california, claremont, minnesota, , claremont township, minnesota, named claremont, new hampshire.
downtown claremont west, july 2016
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