Loading…
Granted by colonial governor Benning Wentworth and first settled by families from Killingworth, Connecticut, Newport grew from a frontier outpost into a center of New Hampshire's woolen mill industry.
Newport was chartered in 1753 and originally named "Grenville," after a British Prime Minister. War with the French and their Native allies delayed settlement, and it wasn't until the mid-1760s that the first permanent families arrived from Connecticut, clearing land along what would become the town center.
The Sugar River and its branches gave Newport its industrial edge. Mill owners across the region built a dam to keep water power flowing even through drought, and by the mid-1800s more than a hundred water wheels turned along the river, driving woolen mills, tanneries, and the Sibley Scythe Company — whose tools were used during construction of the Panama Canal.
Today, landmarks like the 1823 South Congregational Church, the 1886 Newport Opera House, and the Richards Free Library still anchor a town that has reinvented itself more than once — from farms, to mills, to shoe shops, to the small-business and arts community it is now.
Town meetings, the Friday Farmers Market, concerts, and happenings around town.
Fresh headlines from Newport and Sullivan County, each linked to its original publisher.
Tap any photo to see it larger.
Official and community sites worth bookmarking.
Official town website: departments, notices, and services.
newportnh.gov →Selectboard, boards, and committee meetings.
newportnh.gov/calendar →Books, programs, digital library, and local archives.
richardsfreelib.org →The 1886 landmark on Main Street, still hosting performances.
newportnh.gov →Fridays on the Common, rain or shine, through the growing season.
newportfarmersmarketnh.com →Free summer music on the Town Common.
newportnh.gov →Statewide festivals and happenings, including the Lake Sunapee region.
visitnh.gov →