THE HISTORY & ENVIRONMENT OF THE TOWN

(Taken from the 1992 Master Plan)

Washington, a rural hill town in southern New Hampshire, was first settled in 1768, and was incorporated and named in honor of General George Washington in December of 1776. The first census taken in Washington Township was in 1773, by Issac Temple of Stoddard. At that time, the population of the town was 132. Subsequent census records show the population increased to a high of 1135 in 1830, when the town's economy sustained a variety of small mills, a resident physician, a dentist, three churches, and a hotel, in addition to nearly 200 farms. The town then maintained more than 50 miles of roads to provide transportation routes for these uses. There were eight school districts to provide educational opportunities for the children.

In addition to the usual institutions (churches, schools, lyceums, etc.) two unusual organizations developed in the town. The Seventh Day Adventist faith had its origins in Washington in the 1840's, and from here spread throughout the world. The original church building still stands in the southern part of Washington. A prestigious academy (Tubbs Union Academy) was founded in Washington in 1849, and although short-lived, at one time had an enrollment of more than 100 students from all over New Hampshire and beyond.

Many sons and daughters of the town have gone on to distinguished careers in a variety of fields. These include at least one United States Congressman, several college presidents, a number of college professors, and quite a few doctors, lawyers, ministers, and founders of major businesses. Most of these came from the mid-nineteenth century, when the population was much higher than at any time before or since. Some of Washington's distinguished citizens have been memorialized on the town common: twelve young men who died in the Civil War are honored with a soldiers' monument, and Sylvanus Thayer, "the father of West Point". The town library is named after Sarah Shedd, who worked in the Lowell Mills and gave her savings for the library.

The population of the town decreased continuously from 1830 until 1960 when the population reached a low of 162. Nearly all of the mills and businesses were gone by the beginning of the twentieth century, and many farms were abandoned as people moved west. Washington changed from a diverse, nearly self sufficient community to a predominantly rural residential town. There have been several large summer communities begun on the shores of some of the lakes in town. The many acres of cleared land for crops and pasture have returned to woodland, and many of the old roads have since been abandoned or closed subject to gates and bars. All but one of the schools were closed, as the diminishing population did not warrant so many in the town.

After World War II the country began to grow anew, and Washington was no exception, although growth was slow to come to this area. Since 1960, the population has grown, but at a slower rate than the previous population boom in the 1800's. The population is projected to reach the previous high of 1,135 by the year 2010. The town must now plan for future growth, and decide how best to control it in order to maintain the qualities of life that make Washington such a desirable place to live. The town also must consider the realities of a larger population in terms of needed services, both public and private.

Two large volumes provide a thorough history of the town: A History of Washington, New Hampshire, 1768-1886, published in 1886 and reprinted in 1976, and Portrait of a Hill Town: A History of Washington, New Hampshire, 1876-1976, published in 1976.

Washington lies in the southeastern corner of Sullivan County, about 20 miles due west of Concord, New Hampshire. It's neighbors are Goshen and Newbury to the north, Bradford, Hillsborough, and Windsor to the east, Stoddard to the south, and Marlow and Lempster to the west. Washington is roughly trapezoidal in shape, with a total area of about 53 square miles and a perimeter of 32 miles.

The town's rugged hills contribute runoff to two major watersheds: the Connecticut and the Merrimack. Drainage on the western slopes form the headwaters of the Ashuelot River, which flows to the Connecticut River; drainage on the eastern slopes flows into the Merrimack River via the North Branch of the Contoocook River.

An assortment of lakes and ponds, numbering 26 in all, are interspersed throughout the lowlands. Many of these are flanked by wetlands. The largest of the ponds are Ashuelot Pond (429 acres), Island Pond (202 acres), Highland Lake (192- acres within Washington), Millen Pond (148 acres) and Half Moon Pond (130 acres).

The topography of Washington is varied: the town center lies at 1,527 feet above mean sea level, while East Washington village is at 939 feet. The highest point in town is the summit of Lovewell Mountain, at 2,496 feet above sea level. There are several other summits in Washington having elevations around 2,000 feet. There are many rock outcrops in the town, and huge boulders dot the landscape. Extensive areas of ledge underlie a thin mantle of stony loam. Forest growths of maple, beech, birch, red oak, ash, red spruce, hemlock, and scattered stands of white pine dominate the landscape, covering about 90% of the town. The medley of forests, ponds, wetlands, and farm fields present an attractive landscape much admired by both residents and visitors.

These woodlands, waters, marshes, and fields support a varied and abundant wildlife population. Some of the wildlife in town is indigenous and some is migratory. Most development results 'in the loss of wildlife habitat, while good forestry and agricultural management can contribute to the maintenance of habitat for many species. The New Hampshire Audubon Society has identified a Great Blue Heron rookery in Pillsbury State Park, and although it is very small, this area is significant. To further protect the wildlife in the area, local development regulations can be strengthened to conserve and maintain wildlife habitat. 

The forest growth that dominates the town's landscape represents a major asset. Forest cover stabilizes the soil, retards runoff, provides habitat for a variety of wildlife, buffers sound and wind, enhances the scenic views, and is a source of wood for both industry and fuel. Rapid growth is contributing to the conversion of forest land to other uses. Ownership of forest land is increasingly fragmented, a trend that diminishes efforts toward sound forest resource management. Changes affecting forest lands impact the economy, wildlife, recreational, and scenic assets of Washington.

About 65% (or 23,864 acres) of the taxable land in Washington is forestland capable of growing repeated crops of wood. State forests (about 8,000 acres) and town forests (about 500 acres) will continue to be managed for forest products, recreation, and wildlife. Current owner policies governing the management of timber tracts are wholly compatible with Town goals. Small tracts, however, (mostly 10-25 acres) are highly vulnerable to growth pressures.

A sizeable amount of land in Washington is publicly owned. The State of New Hampshire is the largest landowner in town, with the Pillsbury State Park. This Park is a forest reservation of some 5,000 acres, mostly in Washington. The initial tract of 2,400 acres was granted to the State in 1920 by Albert E. Pillsbury "to be held in perpetuity as a public forest reservation for any and all uses or purposes tending to the promotion of forestry". Since then, the Park has been extended by a series of purchases of adjacent tracts. It was designated a state park in 1952. There are camping sites along the shores of two of its ponds. A 500-acre forest called the Max Israel Tract is also owned by the state, and lies about a half mile east of the Pillsbury State Park. Other public lands include the town owned forest tracts, the Center Common, the East Washington Common, the town garage grounds, town roadways, and the town's 138-acre lakeshore recreational area, the former Camp Morgan.

Private lands may be grouped in terms of the size of the tract of land. Large tracts are 200 or more acres, medium tracts are 10 to 200 acres, small tracts are 2 to 10 acres, and lots are 2 acres or less. There are fifteen different owners of large tracts, four of which may be classified as companies or organizations rather than individuals. There are around 200 different owners of medium tracts, and 100 owners of small tracts. More importantly, there are more than 1200 lots of 2 acres or less. Many of these small lots are located in the lakeside communities designed for summer cottages.

By mapping the various natural constraints to development of the land, a better idea of which areas are suitable for development can emerge. This was done for the original Master Plan in 1982. It shows the distribution of those features that may significantly affect the ability of the land to accept development. The map depicts excessive slopes, wetlands, streams, and water bodies. The white areas on this map are probably more suitable for development than the shaded areas, because they don't have these natural constraints. The white area may be acceptable for certain types of development after careful scrutiny by the Planning Board.

In 1987 the Sullivan County Conservation District office prepared a set of maps based on the soil survey of the town. These maps show farmlands, suitability for industrial or commercial development, and suitability for dwellings, slopes, streams, and areas subject to stream overflow and/or high water, based on soil types. These maps provide a further definition of the areas of town that are suitable for development. These maps are incorporated as part of this Master Plan by reference, and are on file in the Town Hall.

The important farmlands map depicts those soils in Washington that are still available for agricultural pursuits (i.e. - the land is not developed) which have the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics for producing food, feed, and forage crops. The map breaks these down into Prime Farmland and Additional Farmland of Statewide Importance, with the latter being slightly less suited for farming than the former. These soils make up less than five percent of Washington, with the majority around the center of town, some in East Washington, and some in the Faxon Hill Road area.

Land that is suitable for industrial or commercial development comprises about 10 to 15 percent of town, mostly in East Washington, near the center of town, in the Farnsworth Hill Road area, the King Street area (a four wheel drive road), and smaller pockets scattered through the rest of the town. These areas were defined based on the following soil characteristics: less than 9% slope, not in the floodplain, now very poorly drained, and not having ledge.

More of the town has soils that are suitable for dwellings with basements, defined based on slopes less than 16%, not in the floodplain, and not very poorly drained. Approximately 30 to 35 percent of the town’s soils meet these criteria, and the areas are scattered relatively evenly through the town.

The slope map depicts soils with slopes between 25% and 50%. These cover roughly 20-25 percent of the town, including large areas of Lovewell Mountain, the northeast and the northwest corners of town, the Oak Hill area, and in a line running roughly northeast from Ames Hill to the northern town boundary. The map prepared by the Conservation District office shows less area as steep slope than the map prepared for the original Master Plan, because of a difference in the degree of slope used to define "steep". The 1987 map shows only the extremely steep slopes (above 25%), while the older map included slopes above 15%.

The map showing streams patterns shows both perennial and intermittent streams, and shows that Washington has over 75 streams. These are distributed fairly evenly over the town, except for Lovewell Mountain and a portion of Pillsbury State Park, where there is a marked absence of streams. Finally, the maps that show areas subject to stream overflow and/or high water depicts soils that are wet due to their position in the landscape - either next to streams or lakes, or in a low area that receives runoff from upland areas. These soils comprise less than 10 percent of the town.

The information from these soil maps can help the Town plan for future growth by indicating which areas are best suited for what types of development (if any) based on environmental characteristics. This, combined with information on the infrastructure, can point out the areas that could be targeted for additional zoning districts for more intense uses than residential.

The maps in the Soil Survey were examined to find out how much soil there is in Washington that has the potential for being used for sand and/or gravel resources. A listing of the soil types was obtained from the Sullivan County Conservation District, telling whether it was probable or improbable that the soil type would provide sand or gravel resources. The results of this review show there are eight pits in Washington (as identified on the soil survey maps). Five of these are in Hermon soils which are rated "probable" for both sand and gravel resources, two are in Monadnock soils which are rated "probable" for sand, and one is in Marlow soils which is rated "improbable" for either sand or gravel resources (due to excess fines). Of the soils rated "probable" for sand, Washington has a good deal of Monadnock, with a few scattered spots of the other types.