Laconia is a small farming community and was platted in 1816 by John Boone. The Boone family, prominent in the settlement of southern Harrison County, owned large tracts of land throughout the township which bears their name. The original town, consisting of 64 lots, was laid out on property of four owners: William Smith, William Winigar, William Williams, and William Madden Sr.
Because Laconia was the only town of any size in Boone Township, the settlement became the commercial center of the area. Laconia was the distribution center for mail and was served by the L&N Railroad, which ran on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River.
Passages that mention Laconia, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Historical sketches of Lakeport, New Hampshire, formerly Lake Village, now the sixth ward of Laconia1915Read the page →
Read the text
'I'his unnatural division continued nearly twenty years. But in 1874, by legislative enactment, the Oilford portion of Laconia \illage was annexed to the town of Laconia, and two years later the legishiture of 1876 to;jk the west siile of Lakeporl from Laconia town and gave it to (iilford. This "swapping ot"f" between the two towns was very much to the convenience and benefit of the two villages in the matter of schools and public improvements, until, in 1893, ihey came togedier under a city charter.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Historical sketches of Lakeport, New Hampshire, formerly Lake Village, now the sixth ward of Laconia1915Read the page →
Read the text
It is to be noted that Lakey^ort was never a distinct ])olitical entity until, in 1893, it became a ward in Laconia city. Until 1876 it was.a part of two t iwns, the dividing line being upon the ri\er and lakes. Until 1855 it was about ecjually ilivided between (dlford and Meredith, but in that year, by act of the legislature, the town of Meredith was di\ided and its southerly section, including the Lakeport district, incorporated as the town of Laconia. This action was undoubtedly hastened by an appalling tragedy on town meeting day,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Laconia, 1816 to 1948
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
![It is to be noted that Lakey^ort was never a distinct ])olitical entity until, in 1893, it became a ward in Laconia city. Until 1876 it was.a part of two t iwns, the dividing line being upon the ri\er and lakes. Until 1855 it was about ecjually ilivided between (dlford and Meredith, but in that yea…](https://images.townratings.com/story/4490/bk-974b662e9f28d0b5-l.jpg)
2011
2011
