former opinions of their friends
and neighbors, without regard to
political views, like the people of
Hancock. They had one postmas-
ter for nearly fifty years; and many
of their town officers have hat I sim-
ilar length of terms. In 1871-2,
Mr. Joel Gates, over eighty years of
age, was sent from this town as its
representative in the Legislature
of this State. But few men had
more influence in that body, in
discusion, than Mr. Gates.

First Minister. Rev. Reed Page,
ordained in 1791, died in 1816.

Boundaries. North by Antrim,
east by Bennington and Greenfield,
south by Peterborough and west
by Nelson and Harrisville. Area,
19,372 acres; area of improved
land, 10,409 acres.

Distances. Thirty-five miles
south-west from Concord, and
twenty-two north-west from Am-
herst.

Railroad. Six miles by daily
stage to    Greenfield railroad

station.

HANOVER.

Grafton County. The surface
of this town is delightfully diver-
sified with hills and valleys, and
the larger portion is suitable for
cultivation. There is a small pro-
portion of waste land, probably
less than in any other town in
Grafton County. Over one half of
the surface of the town is under
improvement. Some of the farms
are under a high state of cultiva-
tion, producing excellent crops of
wheat, corn, oats, potatoes and
hay. But one town in the county
produces as many bushels of corn.
Much attention has been given to
the raising of sheep, and the large
flocks to be seen on the pasture
hill sides in the summer, indicate
that the farmers find it a lucrative
business. The annual clip of wool
is iibout 50,000 pounds. As a gen-
eral thing the farmers are wealthy,
prosperous and happy; with ample
means ahead to gently ease them
down the declivity of life.

Rivers and Streams. Connecti-
cut River is the only considerable
stream in town. Mink, Slate, and
Goose Pond Brooks are the other
principal streams, neither of which
have sufficient water for mill priv-
ileges. In the Connecticut, there
are several small islands within
the limits of the town, the largest
of which is Parker’s Island con-
taining twenty acres. A hand-
some bridge over the Connecticut
connects Hanover with Norwich
Vermont.

Mountain. About five miles east
from the Connecticut, is Moose
Mountain, a considerable elevation
extending across the town from
north to south. There are many
other elevations which offer some
very fine views.

Village. At the south-west cor-
ner of the town about a half mile
from Connecticut River and 180
feet above the level of its waters,
is located the beautiful village of
Hanover, on a level plat of ground.
The Common or Park is a square,
level area of about six acres,
shaded by rows of thrifty elms,
and surrounded by streets of con-
siderable width. On the north
side is a church, chapel, and sev-
eral beautiful residences; on the
west is a street containing other
fine residences adorned with spa-
cious gardens, the Dartmouth
banking building &c. On the
south is Dartmouth Hotel, several
business blocks, the gymnasium