History · Merrimack

Merrimack dates to 1673, and 2 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 59% of U.S. towns · #107 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it

Most of Merrimack was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1985. Its Register listings are the Signer's House and Matthew Thornton Cemetery and the McClure-Hilton House. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1905 on, and the census since 1790.

1673founded

2on the National Register

4%homes built before 1940

1old photo or paper

4famous people

Add an old photo Share a memory

From Merrimack’s archive · credits on each photo

Quick answers

How Merrimack began

When was Merrimack founded?

1673

Merrimack dates its founding to 1673 (Wikidata). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 819 in 17902020 census: 26,632353 years

How historic is Merrimack?

More historic than 59% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓

Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1810.The full story ↓

History grade

What drives Merrimack’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Merrimack is more historic than 59% of U.S. towns, #107 of 126 in New Hampshire. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Merrimack’s overall grade.

Founding era1673, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA⁺Homes built before 19404.0% of homes (±1.8) · typical NH town 17.5% · U.S. 8.4%C National Register2 listings, 3 historic buildings, 1.1 per 10,000 residents · typical NH town 9.5 · U.S. 2.4C⁺

All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 59%

NewerOlder

New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 15%

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 Merrimack’s 1.1 sits below most of its state (18% of New Hampshire towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1673.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to A−. The pre-1940 share (±1.8 points) is firm at this size.

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 Merrimack’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Merrimack, and 6 old place names are still on the map.Older than the countryEstablished in 1673, 103 years before the Declaration of Independence.On the map since 19055 editions of the USGS map, 1905 to 1985. Watch Merrimack change.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Merrimack’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Merrimack’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2 Retake an old viewUntitled photo: stand where they stood+15 Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Places that used to be

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

Merrimack had its own post office from 1810 to 1849. Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Merrimack

1810–1849

Thorntons Ferry

1822–1926

South Merrimack

1844–1966

Reeds Ferry

1849–1970

Merrimack

1868–today

18101920today

Hamlets and corners on the map

East MerrimackLawrence CornerReeds FerrySouth MerrimackThorntons FerryWoodland Park

Gone or out of use

David Webster Airfieldairport

3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Merrimack

Last RestReedsTurkey Hill

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

Timeline

Merrimack, 1673 to 1990

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

17th century
1673
FoundingMerrimack is established
19th century
1810Post officeThe Merrimack post office opens
1822Post officeThe Thorntons Ferry post office opens
1837Born hereCarlos W. Colby is born here
1844Post officeThe South Merrimack post office opens
1849Post officeThe Merrimack post office closes
1896Born hereForrest Sherman is born here
20th century
1905On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
1926Post officeThe Thorntons Ferry post office closes
1966Post officeThe South Merrimack post office closes
1975Born hereDavid Lozeau is born here
1990Born hereTim Schaller is born here

The story

How Merrimack came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Merrimack.

Read it all →

The first known settlers of the area appeared sometime after the last ice age. Merrimack is a Native American term meaning sturgeon, a type of fish. The Pennacook people named the Merrimack River after this fish because of the vast population that once existed there. The Pennacooks spelled it Monnomoke or Merramake. "When the town was incorporated, it took the name of the river and spelled it Merrymac," according to the Merrimack Historical Society.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Merrimack, 1880–1897

Passages that mention Merrimack, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Railroads. — Concord and Claeemoxt Railroad was chartered June 24, 1848 ; united with Central Railroad Company June 8, 1853, under title of Merrimack and Connecticut Rivers Railroad Company. The road from Concord to Bradford, twentyseven miles, was completed July 10, 1850 ; the branch (Contoocook R… — **History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire**1885 · page 905Read the page →
Read the text
Railroads. — Concord and Claeemoxt Railroad was chartered June 24, 1848 ; united with Central Railroad Company June 8, 1853, under title of Merrimack and Connecticut Rivers Railroad Company. The road from Concord to Bradford, twentyseven miles, was completed July 10, 1850 ; the branch (Contoocook River Railroad) from Contoocook to Hillsborough, fourteen and one-half miles, was
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Hillsborough county farm three years ; train-master Concord Railroad one year ; assistant superintendent Merrimack county farm from April, 1866, to October, same year, when he was appointed superintendent, which position he held until April, 1869, when he was appointed deputy sheriff and jailor for… — **History of the town of Henniker, Merrimack County, New Hampshire, from the date of the Canada grant by the province of Massachusetts, in 1735, to 1880**1880 · page 549Read the page →
Read the text
Hillsborough county farm three years ; train-master Concord Railroad one year ; assistant superintendent Merrimack county farm from April, 1866, to October, same year, when he was appointed superintendent, which position he held until April, 1869, when he was appointed deputy sheriff and jailor for Merrimack county. He was temporary superintendent of the State Reform School, and in June* 1872, was ap-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

The town of Dunbarton is situated in the extreme southwestern part of Merrimack County, but previous to the incorporation of Merrimack County, in 1 852, it formed a part of Hillsborough County ; its latitude is 43° 5' ; its present area is twenty thousand nine hundred and sixty-six acres; there are… — **History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire**1885 · page 293Read the page →
Read the text
The town of Dunbarton is situated in the extreme southwestern part of Merrimack County, but previous to the incorporation of Merrimack County, in 1 852, it formed a part of Hillsborough County ; its latitude is 43° 5' ; its present area is twenty thousand nine hundred and sixty-six acres; there are many hills, but no mountains. Among the highest arc Duncanowett, Mills, Putney, Prospect, Jameson
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

annua] elections then being the law. Immediately after his installation as Mayor a severe freshet injured five of the seven wooden bridges over the Merrimack and Contoocook Rivers. As superintendent of roads and bridges he repaired these structures in such a manner as to demonstrate his mechanical … — **Biographical review ... containing life sketches of leading citizens of Merrimack and Sullivan counties, New Hampshire**1897 · page 130Read the page →
Read the text
annua] elections then being the law. Immediately after his installation as Mayor a severe freshet injured five of the seven wooden bridges over the Merrimack and Contoocook Rivers. As superintendent of roads and bridges he repaired these structures in such a manner as to demonstrate his mechanical knowledge, replacing the insecure bridges by substantial
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.

By decade

Merrimack, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date

Date?Untitled photo

Today16 recent

2026Roadcut in

2019Souhegan River

2018Nashua , NH WP 20180612 010

2017Flower

2016Anheuser-Busch InBev

2014Merrimack High School

2014Merrimack Flower Shop

2014Lake Baboosic public beach and dock

2014Daniel Webster Highway

2014Baboosic Brook, Twin Bridges Park

2014Baboosic Brook and one of the Twin Bridges

2012Merrimack, New Hampshire

2010MerrimackNH MclureHiltonHouse

2009Usa - new hampshire

20082008 NH dem primary absentee

2007A90 exterior

On the map

Merrimack on the map, 1905 to 1985

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

1905Manchester 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 Merrimack.

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.

Retake this viewUntitled photo

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

Retake this view · +15

On the National Register

2 historic places in Merrimack

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

places listed

National Historic Landmarks

none yet

historic buildings protected

each building in a district counts

first listed

1978

Signer's House and Matthew Thornton Cemetery

Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Georgian1

Cape Cod1

Signer's House and Matthew Thornton CemeteryGeorgian

McClure-Hilton HouseCape Cod

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

People over time

Merrimack, census by census

Grew from 819 people in 1790 to 26,632 in 2020, more than tenfold.

24 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Merrimack

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

See all →

Forrest ShermanUnited States Navy Admiral and Chief of Naval O… · b. 1896

Tim SchallerAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1990

Carlos W. ColbyRecipient of the Medal of Honor · b. 1837

David LozeauAmerican artist · b. 1975

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Nashua8 historic placesA LitchfieldIts storyB⁻East Merrimack1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Amherst1 historic placeA Bedford2 historic placesB Manchester36 historic placesA Hollis3 historic placesA

Questions about Merrimack’s history

What year was Merrimack founded?

In 1673, according to Wikidata. Merrimack’s post office opened in 1810, and the first U.S. census counted 819 people here in 1790.

How does Merrimack rank for history?

Merrimack is more historic than 59% of U.S. towns, #107 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 Merrimack?

Two places: the Signer's House and Matthew Thornton Cemetery (listed 1978) and the McClure-Hilton House (1989).

How old are the homes in Merrimack?

4% of Merrimack’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.8 points), against a typical 17% for a New Hampshire town; the median home was built in 1985.

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 (17), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (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.

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