603 NAVIGATOR / our town
The Rowell Covered Bridge in Hopkinton
The Hopkinton Three It takes multiple villages to make a town
By Barbara Radcliffe Rogers / Photos by stillman rogers
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or those not used to the “you can’t get there from here” ways of New England, one town that’s actually made up of three distinct villages probably seems confusing — and it kind of is. Even as a native, for a long time I was confused about Contoocook, with its shops and restaurants, and the village of Hopkinton, with the town hall and churches. But it’s not that unusual in New Hampshire. All these split towns began in the same way — with individual village centers where clusters of early settlers built their homes and farmed their land. As the populations grew, common needs made these tiny villages impractical, and they eventually incorporated into a single town. That’s why there are three Hopkintons, one named Contoocook. Between 1798 and 1807, before the town lost its bid to become the official capital, the New Hampshire Legislature met in Hopkin-
ton and legislators stayed in three local taverns. One remains, the former Stanley Tavern, the hip-roofed Georgian building next to the Hopkinton Village Store (still known locally as the Cracker Barrel Store, its name before changing ownership last year). Stanley Tavern, which served as a tavern until 1864, is now a private home and on the National Register of Historic Places. Most of the other buildings that form two stately rows on either side of Main Street (Route 202) are also private residences, punctuated on the north side by the impressive William H. Long Memorial, the town hall and the stone St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, with Gothic windows and a twotiered white bell tower. Together with the 1789 First Congregational Church, where a Paul Revere bell hangs in the tower, these form one of New Hampshire’s most attractive traditional village centers. The 1890 William H. Long Memorial,
built of brick, granite and sandstone, is home to the Hopkinton Historical Society, and is also on the National Register of Historic Places. Open by appointment, the society maintains genealogical records, archives and artifacts relating to local history, and sponsors three exhibits each year and events such as the Annual Art Show & Sale. The society brings its mission to preserve history into the present, with its Pandemic Stories project, which asks local residents to record their pandemic experiences for future generations. Another project is “ALL…ABOARD!” It’s a driving tour of railroad points of interest in Hopkinton. The tour can be viewed or downloaded from the society’s website or drivers can follow on Clio as they visit the sites. Railroads are an important part of the town’s history and are largely responsible for the development of Contoocook as Hopkinton’s commercial center. One of the landmarks on the tour is the 1849 Contoocook Railroad Depot, one of the best preserved of the few remaining nhmagazine.com | March/April 2021
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