- Dummer, New Hampshire
-
Dummer, New Hampshire — Town — Pontook Reservoir in 1908
Location in Coos County, New Hampshire
Coordinates: 44°36′38″N 71°12′03″W / 44.61056°N 71.20083°WCoordinates: 44°36′38″N 71°12′03″W / 44.61056°N 71.20083°W Country United States State New Hampshire County Coos Incorporated 1848 Government – Board of Selectmen Area – Total 49.5 sq mi (128.1 km2) – Land 48.2 sq mi (124.9 km2) – Water 1.2 sq mi (3.1 km2) 2.43% Elevation 1,175 ft (358 m) Population (2010) – Total 304 – Density 6.1/sq mi (2.4/km2) Time zone Eastern (UTC-5) – Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4) ZIP code 03588 Area code(s) 603 FIPS code 33-19300 GNIS feature ID 0873582 Dummer is a town in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 304 at the 2010 census.[1] It is part of the Berlin, NH–VT micropolitan statistical area. Dummer is home to the Pontook Reservoir, popular with canoeists, kayakers and birdwatchers.
Contents
History
The town was granted on March 8, 1773 by Governor John Wentworth to a group of wealthy Portsmouth investors, including his father, Mark Hunking Wentworth, Nathaniel Haven and others.[2] He named it after Massachusetts Governor William Dummer, who successfully defended the eastern English provinces from the French and Indians in Dummer's War.[3] But the town remained unsettled until 1812, when William Leighton arrived from Farmington with his family. Dummer was incorporated by the General Court on December 19, 1848.[4]
Mountainous terrain and sterility of the soil prevented cultivation. But the region had forests, and the Upper Ammonoosuc River provided water power for mills. There were two sawmills operating by 1859, with a considerable trade in timber.[2] Log drives on the Androscoggin River supplied the papermills downstream in Berlin. Pontook Dam, which created Pontook Reservoir, was reconstructed in the mid-1980s to generate hydroelectric power.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 49.5 square miles (128 km2), of which 48.2 square miles (125 km2) is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2) is water, comprising 2.43% of the town.[5] The highest point in Dummer is the summit of Cow Mountain, at 2,289 feet (698 m) above sea level. Roughly the western third of Dummer lies within the Connecticut River watershed, where it is drained by the Upper Ammonoosuc River, with the eastern two-thirds in the Androscoggin River watershed.[6]
Dummer is crossed by New Hampshire Route 16.
Demographics
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 309 people, 128 households, and 102 families residing in the town. The population density was 6.5 people per square mile (2.5/km²). There were 252 housing units at an average density of 5.3 per square mile (2.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.71% White, 0.32% Asian, and 0.97% from two or more races.
There were 128 households out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.8% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.3% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.73.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 3.9% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 30.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 103.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,750, and the median income for a family was $42,708. Males had a median income of $29,286 versus $22,083 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,754. About 4.6% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under the age of eighteen and 10.0% of those sixty five or over.
Pontook Dam on the Androscoggin River
Sites of interest
References
- ^ United States Census Bureau, American FactFinder, 2010 Census figures. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
- ^ a b Austin J. Coolidge & John B. Mansfield, A History and Description of New England; Boston, Massachusetts 1859
- ^ New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile
- ^ http://www.nh.searchroots.com/documents/coos-history/History_Dummer_NH.txt
- ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001) - Dummer town, New Hampshire". U.S. Census Bureau American Factfinder. http://factfinder2.census.gov. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
- ^ Foster, Debra H.; Batorfalvy, Tatianna N.; and Medalie, Laura (1995). Water Use in New Hampshire: An Activities Guide for Teachers. U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Geological Survey. http://nh.water.usgs.gov/Publications/nh.intro.html.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links
- New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile
- History of Dummer at www.nh.searchroots.com
Municipalities and communities of Coös County, New Hampshire City 
Towns Carroll | Clarksville | Colebrook | Columbia | Dalton | Dummer | Errol | Gorham | Jefferson | Lancaster | Milan | Northumberland | Pittsburg | Randolph | Shelburne | Stark | Stewartstown | Stratford | Whitefield
Townships Atkinson and Gilmanton Academy Grant | Bean's Grant | Bean's Purchase | Cambridge | Chandler's Purchase | Crawford's Purchase | Cutt's Grant | Dix's Grant | Dixville | Erving's Location | Green's Grant | Hadley's Purchase | Kilkenny | Low and Burbank's Grant | Martin's Location | Millsfield | Odell | Pinkham's Grant | Sargent's Purchase | Second College Grant | Success | Thompson and Meserve's Purchase | Wentworth's Location
Villages Bretton Woods | Cascade | Dixville Notch | Groveton | Twin Mountain | West Stewartstown
Categories:- Towns in Coos County, New Hampshire
- Berlin micropolitan area
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
