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B−History
History · Hooksett

Hooksett dates to 1822, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

More historic than 46% of U.S. towns · #123 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it

Most of Hooksett was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1988. Its Register listing is the Robie's Country Store. Below: 9 old photos and papers, maps from 1921 on, and the census since 1830.

1822founded
1on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
9old photos & papers
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Hooksett’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Hooksett began

When was Hooksett founded?

1822

Hooksett dates its founding to 1822 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1830.

First census: 880 in 18302020 census: 14,871204 years

How historic is Hooksett?

B−

More historic than 46% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1817.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Hooksett’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hooksett is more historic than 46% of U.S. towns, #123 of 126 in New Hampshire. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hooksett’s overall grade.
Founding era1822, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19405.4% of homes (±2.2) · typical NH town 17.5% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register1 listing, 0.7 per 10,000 residents · typical NH town 9.5 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 46%
NewerOlder
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 2%

New Hampshire towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New Hampshire town has 9.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Hooksett’s 0.7 sits below most of its state (16% of New Hampshire towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share (±2.2 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1822.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Hooksett’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Lost villages4 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Hooksett, and 4 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 19215 editions of the USGS map, 1921 to 1977. Watch Hooksett change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1822: 204 years of Hooksett.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hookset
1817–1964
Rowe's Corner
1856–1861
Robys Corner
1868–1922
Martin
1883–1903
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
MartinMartins CornerRowes CornerSouth Hooksett
Gone or out of use
Hooksett Village SchoolschoolHooksett-Manchester Airportairport
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Hooksett
Davis-CateHoly RosaryMartinRiverside

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

On the map

Hooksett on the map, 1921 to 1977

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hooksett. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Hooksett on the 1921 USGS mapHooksett on the 1944 USGS mapHooksett on the 1957 USGS mapHooksett on the 1968 USGS mapHooksett on the 1977 USGS map1921Suncook sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hooksett.

Timeline

Hooksett, 1817 to 1987

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1817Post officeThe Hookset post office opens
  3. 1822
    FoundingHooksett is established
  4. 1828Born hereNathaniel Head is born here
  5. 1856Post officeThe Rowe's Corner post office opens
  6. 1861Post officeThe Rowe's Corner post office closes
  7. 1868Post officeThe Robys Corner post office opens
  8. 1885In the archiveCivil War veterans of the 10th New Hampshire Infantry Regiment with drum, "Manchester War…
  9. 1891Born hereHenry Bailey Stevens is born here
  10. 20th century
  11. 1900In the archiveHooksett falls, Merrimack River
  12. 1921On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  13. 1922Post officeThe Robys Corner post office closes
  14. 1937In the archiveView of Hooksett, New Hampshire
  15. 1964Born hereJamie Kaler is born here
  16. 1964Post officeThe Hookset post office closes
  17. 1987Born herePhil Tuttle is born here
The story

How Hooksett came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hooksett.

Read it all →

Hooksett was incorporated in 1822. First known as "Chester Woods" and "Rowe's Corner", the community was called "Hooksett" for nearly 50 years before being incorporated. The name may have come from a hook-shaped island in the Merrimack or from early fishermen, who called the area "Hookline Falls". Rocky ledges flank the Merrimack River, and there were several cross-river ferries located here, as well as lumber mills and a brick-making establishment powered by the falls. The first census, taken in 1830, reported 880 residents.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Hooksett, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s–1930s6 items
Civil War veterans of the 10th New Hampshire Infantry Regiment with drum, "Manchester War Veterans drum G.A.R. Corps", …1885Civil War veterans of the 10th New Hampshire Infantry…Hooksett falls, Merrimack River1900Hooksett falls, Merrimack RiverHooksett falls, Merrimack River1900Hooksett falls, Merrimack RiverHooksett falls, Merrimack River1908Hooksett falls, Merrimack RiverView of Hooksett, New Hampshire1937View of Hooksett, New HampshireFishing1937Fishing
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Date unknown3 to date
Humor, postman and woman reading other's postcards It took so much time to read the Postcards and... (NBY 18270)Date?Humor, postman and woman reading other's postcards It…PostcardHumor, postman and woman reading other's postcards It took so much time to read the Postcards and... (NBY 18271)Date?Humor, postman and woman reading other's postcards It…PostcardWILCOXEN HOUSE (LEFT) AND HOUSE ACROSS STREET (See also NH-203-6) - Wilcoxen House, Route 9, West Henniker Emerson Stat…Date?WILCOXEN HOUSE (LEFT) AND HOUSE ACROSS STREET (See al…
Today13 recent
Nashua Subdivision grade crossing in Hooksett, June 20262026Nashua Subdivision grade crossing in Hooksett, June 2…Manchester and Hooksett, New Hampshire from airplane January 20262026Manchester and Hooksett, New Hampshire from airplane …Underpass, Heads Pond Trail2021Underpass, Heads Pond TrailLittle library, Heads Pond Trail2021Little library, Heads Pond TrailHeads Pond Trail2021Heads Pond TrailHeads Pond Trail sign2021Heads Pond Trail signThe Arah W. Prescott Historical Library, home of the town historical society2017The Arah W. Prescott Historical Library, home of the …Remains of an old gasoline station and repair shop2017Remains of an old gasoline station and repair shopOld railroad bridge2017Old railroad bridgeOld railroad bridge2017Old railroad bridgeMount St. Mary's College2014Mount St. Mary's CollegeHooksett Municipal Building2014Hooksett Municipal BuildingHooksett Historical Society2014Hooksett Historical Society
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Civil War veterans of the 10th New Hampshire Infantry Regiment with drum, "Manchester War Veterans drum G.A.R. Corps", …
Retake this viewCivil War veterans of the 10th New Hampshire Infantry Regiment with drum, "Manchester War Veterans drum G.A.R. Corps", …, 1885

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Hooksett’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 historic place in Hooksett

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
2000
Robie's Country Store
Robie's Country Store
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Late Victorian1
Italianate1
Boomtown Commercial1
Robie's Country StoreLate Victorian

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Hooksett, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00016,000185019001950200014,871

Grew from 880 people in 1830 to 14,871 in 2020, more than tenfold.

20 censuses, 1830–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hooksett’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Hooksett

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
J
Jamie KalerAmerican actor · b. 1964
Nathaniel HeadAmerican politician · b. 1828
P
Phil TuttleAmerican soccer player · b. 1987
H
Henry Bailey StevensAmerican playwright and vegetarian · b. 1891
Help out

Finish Hooksett’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo3 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewCivil War veterans of the 10th New Hamp…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Manchester36 historic placesASouth HooksettIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townAllenstown3 historic placesA−AuburnIts storyC−Suncook3 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCandia1 historic placeA−BowIts storyB−DunbartonIts storyBDeerfield3 historic placesA

Questions about Hooksett’s history

What year was Hooksett founded?

In 1822, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Hooksett’s post office opened in 1817, and the census of 1830 counted 880 people here.

How does Hooksett rank for history?

Hooksett is more historic than 46% of U.S. towns, #123 of 126 in New Hampshire. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Hooksett?

One place: the Robie's Country Store (listed 2000).

How old are the homes in Hooksett?

5% of Hooksett’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.2 points), against a typical 17% for a New Hampshire town; the median home was built in 1988.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (12), the Library of Congress (10), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.