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Railroads. The Manchester
and Lawrence Railroad passes
through the north-east section of
the town.
LOUDON.
Merrimack County. Loudon
has an uneven surface which rises
in swells, and affords excellent
tilhige and grazing. It ranks as
the third town in the county in the
value of its agricultural products.
There are some line farms, under a
high state of cultivation. Along
the banks of the river are some
fine interval lands.
Rivers. Soucook River, run-
ning in a south-easterly direction
through the town, is the principal
stream, and affords some very
good water power which is im-
proved to some extent.
Employments. The inhabtiants
are generally engaged in agricul-
ture. But two towns in the county
raise as many bushels of corn,
and none as much wheat, or as
many pounds of maple sugar.
35,000 pounds of butter are annually
produced, 40,000 shingles, 565,000
feet of boards and dimension tim-
ber annually sawed, hubs, spokes
and axe helves, $2,000; 1,800
bushels grain ground, and leath-
er tanned $25,000. Having Con-
cord for a ready market for all
the surplus productions, many of
the farmers have become quite
wealthy, and but few farming
towns in the State have a more
thrifty and prosperous appear-
ance; but like many other New-
Hampshire farming towns, for
many years their sons have been
receiving that education which cre-
ates an uneasy feeling and a mis-
taken idea, that there are better
fields in the West to secure more
wealth and happiness, and the pop-
ulation has been gradually decreas-
ing from 1638 in 1860, to 1282 in
1870.
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Resources. Productions of the
soil, $ 186,307; mechanical labor,
$ 8,000; stocks and money at in-
terest, $ 43,440; deposits in savings
banks, $94,347; stock in trade,
$6,300.
Churches and Schools. Congre-
gational, Rev. B. N. Stone, pastor;
Freewill Baptist, Rev. Mr. Brooks,
pastor; Methodist, Rev. A. R.
Lunt, pastor. There are fourteen
schools, two of which are graded.
Average length of schools for the
year, twenty-three weeks (See
tables.)
Hotel. Me Lellan House.
First Settlement. The first set-
tlement was commenced here in
1760, by Moses Ordway, Abraham
and Jethro Batehelder. It was
formerly a part of Canterbury,
from which it was taken and in-
corporated under the name of
Loudon, January 23, 1773.
First Minister. A Congrega-
tional society was established in
1784; Rev. Jedediah Tucker was
settled over the Church in 1789,
dismissed in 1809.
Boundaries. North-west by
Canterbury, north-east by Gilman-
ton, south-east by Pittsfield and
Chichester, and south-west by Con-
cord. Area, 28,257 acres. Area
of improved land, 19,180 acres.
Distances. Ten miles north-east
from Concord.
Railroads. Six miles to Pitts-
field station, on Suncook Valley
Railroad, and ten miles to Concord
station. If the Concord and Roch-
ester projected Railroad is ever
built, it is expected to pass through
this town. |
