Editing Alton, New Hampshire (section)

==History==
Originally called "New Durham Gore"<ref>[http://gedcomindex.com/Reference/Haywards/frame027.html Hayward's New England Gazetteer (1839)]</ref> because of rocky upland areas, or "gores", the town was settled in 1770, mainly by farmers because the highland areas provided less [[frost]]. Merchants then filled the lowlands. Early Alton history recounts stories of the merchants trying to convince the farmers to incorporate. They would succeed on January 15, 1796,<ref name="gedcomindex.com">[http://gedcomindex.com/Reference/New_Hampshire_1875/052.html Statistics and Gazetteer of New-Hampshire (1875)]</ref> when the community was named after [[Alton, Hampshire|Alton]], a small market town in [[Hampshire]], England.<ref name=Coolidge>{{Cite book| last = Coolidge| first = Austin J.|author2=John B. Mansfield| title = A History and Description of New England| publisher = A.J. Coolidge| year = 1859| location = Boston, Massachusetts| page = [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ/page/n447 409]| url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ| quote = coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.}}</ref>

Alton was part of Strafford County until Belknap County was erected on December 22, 1840.<ref>[http://gedcomindex.com/Reference/New_Hampshire_1875/385.html Statistics and Gazetteer of New-Hampshire (1875)]</ref> By 1840, the village of Alton existed at the town's center. In 1847, the [[Boston & Maine Railroad|Cochecho Railroad]] began bringing passengers and freight to Alton Village and Alton Bay. By 1859, the town had two [[gristmill]]s, seven [[sawmill]]s, and five [[shoemaking|shoe]] factories.<ref name="Coolidge"/> But the most famous business was the Rockwell Clough Company, established by William Rockwell Clough, inventor of the [[corkscrew (tool)|corkscrew]]. By 1903, his company was producing 30 million corkscrews worldwide.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=NcRYAAAAMAAJ&dq=Rockwell%20Clough%20Company&pg=PA211-IA2 A. Chester Clark, "The Rockwell Clough Company;" The Granite State Monthly, Volume 41, 1909]</ref>

Since the mid-19th century, however, tourism has been the principal business. In 1863, an [[Adventism|Adventist]] group held a [[camp meeting]] at [[Alton Bay, New Hampshire|Alton Bay]], which was the terminus of the Dover and Winnipiseogee Railroad.<ref name="gedcomindex.com"/> That was incorporated as the Alton Bay Camp Meeting Association (now known as ''Alton Bay Christian Conference Center'') in 1876.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://altonbay.org/our-ministries/history|title=History of Alton Bay Christian Conference Center in NH|website=altonbay.org|access-date=March 29, 2018}}</ref> In 1872, the [[Boston & Maine Railroad]] launched at Alton Bay the [[steamship|steamer]] ''Mount Washington'', the first side-wheeler and largest vessel on Lake Winnipesaukee. When destroyed by fire in 1939, a replacement ship was found, also christened ''Mount Washington''. Today, it continues to carry summer tourists between stops on the lake. The railway survived until 1935, and the old station at Alton Bay is now a community center.<ref>[http://www.lwhs.us/steam-mtwashhistory.htm The MS ''Mount Washington'', a History -- Lake Winnipesaukee Historical Society]</ref>