Mont Vernon, New Hampshire

"Mont Vernon" redirects here. Not to be confused with Mount Vernon. For uses of Mount Vernon, see Mount Vernon (disambiguation).

Mont Vernon, New Hampshire
Town
Town hall
Location in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
Coordinates: 42°53′40″N71°40′27″W / 42.89444°N 71.67417°W / 42.89444; -71.67417
Country	United States
State	New Hampshire
County	Hillsborough
Incorporated	1803
Government
•  Board of Selectmen	John M. Esposito, Chair John F. Quinlan Jr. Mike Fimbel
• Town Administrator	Joan Cleary
Area [1]
• Total	16.9 sq mi (43.8 km2)
• Land	16.8 sq mi (43.6 km2)
• Water	0.08 sq mi (0.2 km2)  0.49%
Elevation	820 ft (250 m)
Population  (2020) [2]
• Total	2,584
• Density	154/sq mi (59.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code	03057
Area code	603
FIPS code	33-49140
GNIS feature ID	0873670
Website	www.montvernonnh.us

Mont Vernon is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,584 at the 2020 census, ^[2] up from 2,409 at the 2010 census. ^[3]

Spelling

It is not clear why the name of the community is spelled differently from the many other towns in the United States named after Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. It was spelled without a "u" from the start, written that way in the town charter of 1803. Local hotel owner George Kittredge convinced the U.S. Post Office to reinstate the "U" in the late 1800's, apparently in hopes of boosting business, but the spelling was reverted after his death. ^[4]

History

Mont Vernon broke away from neighboring Amherst in 1803, following a dispute over the town parish. It later added a small portion of neighboring Lyndeborough. ^[5]

Mont Vernon's general history follows that of many towns in this region. Originally settled for agriculture, its farms were hard hit after the Civil War when railroads opened up better farming land in the Midwest. The town's population peaked in 1870 and began to decline.

By the late 1890s, it had become a tourist town, drawing summer visitors from points south, notably Boston, who escaped the heat in Mont Vernon's hills. At one point, it had five large summer hotels, including the Grand Hotel located on top of Grand Hill, and a number of boarding houses. The hotel business began to wither with the development of the automobile, which allowed tourists to reach places like the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and it was killed by the Great Depression. The town's population bottomed out at barely 300 in 1930 and by World War II all the hotels were demolished or destroyed by fire, as happened to the Grand Hotel.

Since the war, Mont Vernon has slowly become a suburban community. This was significantly accelerated in 1962–1963 when engineers and technicians employed at Sanders Associates in Nashua found homes in Mont Vernon attractive. It wasn't until the 1970 census that the town's official population passed mid-19th century highs.

Agriculture, including a 1940s and 1950s boom in chicken and egg farming, has all but disappeared. As of 2024, the town has one dairy farm. The town has one general store that except for a two-year period from 2010–2012 has operated for more than 120 years in the same location. ^[6]

Mont Vernon made national news in March 2012 due to debate during the annual town meeting over whether to rename a small fishing hole called Jew Pond. ^[7] The town eventually renamed it Carleton Pond, after the family which donated the surrounding property to the town. ^[8]

• 
  The Appleton Academy (now McCollom Building) c. 1875
• 
  North from Town Hall c. 1915
• 
  Congregational Church c. 1910
• 
  The Grand Hotel in 1909

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 16.9 square miles (43.8 km²), of which 16.8 square miles (43.6 km²) are land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) are water, comprising 0.49% of the town. ^[1] Mont Vernon is drained by Beaver Brook, Hartshorn Brook, and Purgatory Brook, south-flowing tributaries of the Souhegan River. The northwestern corner of town is drained by Lords Brook, a northward-flowing tributary of the South Branch Piscataquog River. The entire town is part of the Merrimack River watershed. The town's highest point is on its northern border, at 1,015 feet (309 m) above sea level, near the summit of Storey Hill.

Mont Vernon is served by one state highway, New Hampshire Route 13, which runs north-south through the center of town connecting Milford and New Boston.

Adjacent municipalities

• New Boston (north)
• Amherst (east)
• Milford (south)
• Lyndeborough (west)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1800	680		—
1810	762		12.1%
1820	729		−4.3%
1830	763		4.7%
1840	720		−5.6%
1850	722		0.3%
1860	725		0.4%
1870	601		−17.1%
1880	517		−14.0%
1890	479		−7.4%
1900	453		−5.4%
1910	413		−8.8%
1920	308		−25.4%
1930	302		−1.9%
1940	340		12.6%
1950	405		19.1%
1960	585		44.4%
1970	906		54.9%
1980	1,444		59.4%
1990	1,812		25.5%
2000	2,034		12.3%
2010	2,409		18.4%
2020	2,584		7.3%
U.S. Decennial Census [2] [9]

As of the census of 2020, ^[10] there were 2,584 people and 945 households residing in the town. The population density was 154 inhabitants per square mile (59.3/km²). There were 974 housing units, of which 29, or 2.98%, were vacant. The racial makeup of the town was 89.7% White, 0.7% African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 1.4% some other race, and 6.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.5% of the population.

Of the 945 households in 2020, 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.0% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 10.7% had a male householder with no spouse present. 14.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. 23.0% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.3% were from 18 to 24, 20.0% from 25 to 44, 34.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.5 years. Females comprised 50.12% of the population. ^[10]

As of the period 2018-22, the median income for a household in the town was $156,667, the median income for a family was $171,429, and the median income for a nonfamily household was $84,167. ^[11] The per capita income for the town was $63,344. ^[12]

Mont Vernon presidential election results ^[13]

Year	Democratic	Republican	Third parties	Total Votes	Difference
2020	56.86%1,011	41.06% 730	2.08% 37	1,778	15.80%
2016	50.00%757	45.31% 686	4.69% 71	1,514	4.69%
2012	46.47% 691	52.12%775	1.41% 21	1,487	5.65%
2008	49.56%739	49.50% 738	0.94% 14	1,491	0.07%
2004	48.23% 653	51.11%692	0.66% 9	1,354	2.88%
2000	42.65% 476	51.25%572	6.09% 68	1,116	8.60%
1996	42.13% 407	45.34%438	12.53% 121	966	3.21%
1992	30.92% 312	39.44%398	29.63% 299	1,009	8.52%
1988	30.63% 261	67.49%575	1.88% 16	852	36.85%
1988	24.07% 168	75.64%528	0.29% 2	698	51.58%
1980	18.08% 115	62.58%398	19.34% 123	636	44.50%
1976	34.18% 161	62.42%294	3.40% 16	471	28.24%
1972	30.21% 142	67.45%317	2.34% 11	470	37.23%
1968	23.14% 81	70.29%246	6.57% 23	350	47.14%
1964	40.45% 125	59.55%184	0.00% 0	309	19.09%
1960	16.88% 54	83.13%266	0.00% 0	320	66.25%
1956	13.68% 39	85.96%245	0.35% 1	285	72.28%
1952	13.23% 34	86.77%223	0.00% 0	257	73.54%
1948	12.33% 27	87.21%191	0.46% 1	219	74.89%
1944	26.29% 51	73.71%143	0.00% 0	194	47.42%
1940	23.16% 41	76.84%136	0.00% 0	177	53.67%
1936	21.43% 33	75.97%117	2.60% 4	154	54.55%
1932	26.82% 48	72.63%130	0.56% 1	179	45.81%

Education

The only public school in town is the Mont Vernon Village School. It is an elementary school, with grades kindergarten to six. For seventh and eighth grades, Mont Vernon sends its students to Amherst Middle School. For ninth through 12th grades, the students are sent to Souhegan High School, which is in Amherst but jointly owned by Amherst and Mont Vernon. Mont Vernon and Amherst comprise the school administrative unit SAU 39. ^[14]

Mont Vernon had a private school that started as the Appleton Academy in 1853 and was renamed the McCollom Institute in 1871, which closed shortly before the turn of the century. The building was used as a public high school for a few years, and later became the private Stearns School, which operated from 1906 to 1937, when it closed its doors due to low enrollment during the Great Depression. The building was later used for a public elementary school and as of 2024 houses the police department and town offices. ^[15]

Fire department

The former two-story Mont Vernon Fire Station, built in 1947, was located on North Main Street next to the Town Hall. This station had 6 apparatus bays. In March 2007 the town voted to raze the deteriorating building and replace it with a new fire station on the same lot. The new station has 5 apparatus bays facing North Main Street, and 1 bay facing Pinkham Avenue. The Fire Chief has his office in the station, along with a radio and report room, a meeting room, and an office for the Emergency Management Director. The station also contains maintenance, storage, and work rooms. Emergency medical services are provided by Amherst. ^[16]

Crime

Mont Vernon made national news on October 4, 2009, when a home invasion in the town resulted in the murder of Kimberly Cates. The case received significant coverage due to the crime’s brutality, since both victims were assaulted with a machete, the randomness by which the home was chosen with intent to murder (the victims and perpetrators did not know each other), the apparent lack of remorse, and the attackers ages of 19 and 17. ^[17] The case also led to changes to New Hampshire's capital punishment laws. ^[18]

Culture

Outbuilding at town-owned Lamson Farm

The town has two major annual celebrations: On the last Saturday in September, it hosts "Lamson Farm Day" at a town-owned farm to celebrate its agricultural past. In late April or early May, it has a celebration of spring called the "Mont Vernon Spring Gala". Both feature games, food and local entertainers.

Sports

The town has two sports teams that compete regionally. They are the Mont Vernon Falcons basketball team and the Mont Vernon Acers volleyball team. Both teams are for girls age 9–12. The Mont Vernon Village School (grades K–6) has a basketball court and volleyball court. Adult volleyball has been playing on Monday nights at the school since the early 1990s. The town owns land near the school that has a baseball field with bases, fencing and two dugouts. The adjacent field is also used for many other sports. Golf was played behind what is now the site of the post office is in the early 1900s.

There is a gun range in town (the Purgatory Falls Fish & Game Club). There was a ski hill with a rope tow that disbanded in the middle of the 20th century. Mont Vernon is known for views over the Souhegan Valley and has hiking trails, especially in town-owned Lamson Farm and along Purgatory Brook, which forms most of its western border. The Morrissette Trail, opened in May 2012, goes from the lowest to the highest points in Mont Vernon for an elevation gain of 700 feet (210 m) (315 to 1,015 feet (96 to 309 m)). It is sponsored by Summit for a Cure. ^[19]

Notable people

• Doc Adams (1814–1899), baseball pioneer, New York Knickerbockers player and executive
• George Wilkins Kendall (1809–1867), journalist, Mexican–American War correspondent, and founder of The New Orleans Picayune
• Erland Van Lidth De Jeude (1983–1987), actor and amateur wrestler ^[20]
• Ryan M. Pitts (born 1985), Congressional Medal of Honor recipient
• Alex Preston (born 1993), musician, American Idol (season 13) top 3 finalist

References

• New Hampshire portal

1. "2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files – New Hampshire". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
2. "Mont Vernon town, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
3. United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census website, 2010 Census figures. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
4. Mont Vernon Historical Society: "Mont Vernon's Missing U"
5. Coolidge, Austin J.; John B. Mansfield (1859). A History and Description of New England. Boston, Massachusetts: A.J. Coolidge. pp.  583. coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.
6. Only in your state: Mont Vernon General Store
7. "Mont Vernon Residents Vote to Rename NH Fishing Spot Called Jew Pond" ^{[ dead link ]}, Washington Post (March 14, 2012).
8. Michael Cleveland and Kathy Cleveland (April 20, 2012). "Mont Vernon selectmen choose Carleton Pond as new name for Jew Pond". The Telegraph. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
9. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
10. "2020 Census: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics (DP1), Mont Vernon town, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
11. "American Community Survey 5-year data: Income in the Past 12 Months (S1901), Mont Vernon town, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
12. "American Community Survey 5-year data: Mean Income in the Past 12 Months (S1902), Mont Vernon town, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
13. "Election Results". sos.nh.gov.
14. Website for SU 39, school administrative unit
15. Mont Vernon Historical Society: Timeline of school in McCollom Building.
16. Amherst EMS Archived May 11, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
17. "Suspect in machete attack regrets girl's survival". NBC News. January 5, 2010. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
18. "Cates Testifies For Death Penalty Bill". WMUR. February 1, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
19. Summit For A Cure, The Morrissette Trail
20. Concannon, Joe. "Extraordinary young giant hulking about MIT campus", The Boston Globe , December 9, 1973. Accessed November 9, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "'We moved to Mount Vernon, N.H. after my freshman year (in Ridgefield, Conn.). (He attended Milford Area High). Wrestling never occurred to me.'"

External links

• Official website
• Daland Memorial Library
• New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile