Print of Greenville from 1886 by L.R. Burleigh with a list of landmarks as well as an inset facsimile of an 1847 rendering of Mason Village
Once a part of Mason called "Mason Village", Greenville is one of the state's newest and smallest towns, incorporated in 1872.[4] It is located at the High Falls on the Souhegan River, whose plentiful water power provided the mill town with the state's first industries, making cotton and woolen goods. Because of the falls, Greenville was always a manufacturing center. The Columbian Manufacturing Company was established in 1826 to make textiles in both Greenville and neighboring New Ipswich.[5] The Columbian is long gone, but its fine brick buildings still dominate the village, kept company by Queen Anne style houses on side streets. The mills are now used for other businesses and storage, and one has been converted into housing for the elderly.
Greenville once had a Boston & Maine Railroadtrestle. Before it was dismantled for safety reasons, local residents turned out one sunny afternoon to watch Bronson Potter, Mason resident and inventor, fly a private airplane underneath the span on a wager.[citation needed] The railroad depot, which still stands, was once an important landmark that put the tiny towns of Mason and Greenville "on the map". It has since been turned into a Chinese restaurant and lounge.
Columbian Hotel c. 1880
Greenville in 1886
View of the mills in 1886
East Main Street in 1919
B. & M. trestle c. 1915
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.9 square miles (17.8 km2), all of it recorded as land.[1] The Greenville CDP, which includes the town center, occupies the northern part of the town and has an area of 3.4 sq mi (8.8 km2). The Souhegan River passes through the town center.
Greenville's highest point is Barrett Hill, near the western border of the town, with an elevation of 1,270 feet (390 m) above sea level. The northern half of the town is drained by the Souhegan River, while the southern half is drained by tributaries of Walker Brook and Mason Brook, which flow south to the Squannacook River, a tributary of the Nashua River in Massachusetts. The entire town is within the Merrimack Riverwatershed.[6]
Four state highways traverse Greenville. NH Route 31 enters the state in Mason from Ashby, Massachusetts, on MA Route 31. NH 31 intersects NH 124 before entering Greenville. NH 31 runs north-south for the entire length of the town before entering Wilton to the north. The highway shares a right-of-way with NH Route 123 which intersects it and runs north to Pleasant Street. Pleasant Street is the main access road to downtown Greenville from NH 31 in the south. NH 123 continues on a left turn in downtown Greenville and runs south to New Ipswich and NH 124. Further down Main Street in Greenville is the beginning of NH Route 45, which runs northwest to Temple, ending at NH Route 101. NH Route 124 crosses the southwest corner of Greenville but intersects no other highways within the town limits.
As of the census of 2010, there were 2,105 people, 861 households, and 537 families residing in the town. There were 933 housing units, of which 72, or 7.7%, were vacant. The racial makeup of the town was 97.0% white, 0.6% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.2% some other race, and 1.4% from two or more races. 2.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[10]
Of the 861 households, 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were headed by married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44, and the average family size was 3.02.[10]
In the town, 23.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.0% were from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 32.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.7 males.[10]
For the period 2011–2015, the estimated median annual income for a household was $52,602, and the median income for a family was $63,850. The per capita income for the town was $24,457. 13.8% of the population and 8.6% of families were below the poverty line. 24.9% of the population under the age of 18 and 11.7% of those 65 or older were living in poverty.[11]
Notable people
Henry Richardson (1917–1981), New Hampshire's first African American state legislator
^Coolidge, Austin J.; John B. Mansfield (1859). A History and Description of New England. Boston, Massachusetts: A.J. Coolidge. pp. 574–575. coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.
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