Towns in our Neighborhood
Merrimack
FOUNDED: 1746
CURRENT POPULATION: 26652
POPULATION AT FOUNDING: 819 residents in 1790
TOWN ZIP CODES: 03054
DESCRIPTION: Merrimack is a sprawling bedroom community, located in between Nashua and Manchester, the two largest cities in the state. The town is home to about 26,500 people, with residential subdivisions mixed with some commercial development and a rural feel remaining in some of the lightly populated residential areas. The Merrimack River is the town's eastern border, the Souhegan River runs through the middle of the town, and Naticook Lake is a popular recreation spot in the southern part of town.
The town celebrated its 250th anniversary in 1996, and a committee of local volunteers raised money to fund the construction of a bandstand and small park adjoining Town Hall in the center of town. Matthew Thornton, a signer of Declaration of Independence, lived in town and operated a ferry on the Merrimack River for part of his life. He is buried in a cemetery on Daniel Webster Highway, and a monument marks the site in his honor.
HISTORY: The Town of Merrimack was eventually chartered in 1750, after several changes of name and territory. The town was part of the original Dunstable grant, which encompassed several area communities. In 1734, Massachusetts granted the town organization as Naticook, which included Litchfield, as well as part of Merrimack.
In 1746, the people of Naticook west of the Merrimack River, between Pennichuck Pond and the Souhegan River, petitioned to be called Merrimack. Although the 1746 charter was lost, that is the year the town marks as its beginning. In 1750 the town took its current shape with the addition of a portion called Souhegan East, the land north of the Souhegan River.
Merrimack was the home of Matthew Thornton, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. The town was also the home of the Merrimack Normal Institute, the first school in New Hampshire for the training of teachers. It's biggest class was 65 students. Since the school was not endowed, it did not endure. The building was later a preparatory school and later a high school.
Farming and forestry were the original occupations of most of the town, but it has since become the site of industry, including high-tech companies and the Anheuser-Busch brewery.
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