Editing Bath, New Hampshire (section)

==History==
[[File:Bird's-eye View of Bath, NH.jpg|thumb|left|View of Bath {{circa|1905}}]]
The town was granted to the Rev. Andrew Gardner and 61 others on September 10, 1761, by Governor [[Benning Wentworth]], who named it for [[William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath]]. It was first settled in 1765 by John Herriman from [[Haverhill, Massachusetts]].<ref name="newenglandtowns.org">[http://newenglandtowns.org/new-hampshire/bath Hayward's ''Gazetteer of New England'' 1839]</ref> But the terms of the original grant were unfulfilled, so Bath was regranted on March 29, 1769, by Governor [[Sir John Wentworth, 1st Baronet|John Wentworth]]. The first census, taken in 1790, recorded 493 residents.<ref name="nh.searchroots.com">[http://www.nh.searchroots.com/documents/grafton/History_Bath_NH.txt Hamilton Child, History of Bath, ''Gazetteer of Grafton County, N.H., 1709–1886;''  Syracuse, New York 1886]</ref>

Situated at the [[head of navigation]] on the [[Connecticut River]], and shielded from strong winds by the [[Green Mountains]] to the west and [[White Mountains (New England)|White Mountains]] to the east, Bath soon developed into "...one of the busiest and most prosperous villages in northern New Hampshire."<ref name="nh.searchroots.com"/> Intervales provided excellent [[alluvial plain|alluvial]] soil for agriculture, and the [[Ammonoosuc River|Ammonoosuc]] and [[Wild Ammonoosuc River|Wild Ammonoosuc]] rivers supplied [[water power]] for [[watermill|mills]]. The population reached 1,627 in 1830, when 550 sheep grazed the hillsides.<ref name="newenglandtowns.org"/> A vein of [[copper]] was mined. The White Mountains Railroad up the Ammonoosuc River valley opened August 1, 1853, shipping Bath's [[lumber]], [[potato]]es, [[livestock]] and [[wood pulp]]. By 1859, the town had two [[gristmill]]s and two [[sawmill]]s.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=OcoMAAAAYAAJ&dq=coolidge%20mansfield%20history%20description%20new%20england%201859&pg=PA417 Austin J. Coolidge & John B. Mansfield, ''A History and Description of New England;'' Boston, Massachusetts 1859]</ref> Other industries would include a [[woolen]] mill, [[creamery]], [[distillery]] and two [[starch]] factories.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bathnh.info/about_bath.htm |title=Bath: A Short History |access-date=November 2, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101113145705/http://www.bathnh.info/about_bath.htm |archive-date=November 13, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[File:Bath, N.H, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views.jpg|thumb|left| Bath before the 1872 fire]]
A disastrous fire swept through Bath village on February 1, 1872, destroying the [[Congregational church]], Bath Hotel and several dwelling houses. The church was rebuilt in 1873.<ref name="1875Bath">[http://gedcomindex.com/Reference/New_Hampshire_1875/062.html Article in ''Statistics and Gazetteer of New-Hampshire'' (1875)]</ref> By 1874, Bath was served by the Boston, Concord and Montreal and White Mountains (N.H.) Railroad.<ref name="1875Bath" />

But nearby [[Woodsville, New Hampshire|Woodsville]] in the town of [[Haverhill, New Hampshire|Haverhill]] developed into a major [[railroad junction]], and the region's commercial center shifted there. By 1886, once thriving Bath was described as in decay.<ref name="nh.searchroots.com"/> But this economic dormancy of the [[Victorian era]] preserved much early architecture in the village, particularly in the [[Federal style architecture|Federal]] and [[Greek Revival]] styles. The Brick Store, built in 1824 and designed by [[Alexander Parris]], dominated the town center until its closure in 2020.<ref>{{Cite news| url=https://www.caledonianrecord.com/news/local/brick-store-closing-has-ripple-effect/article_5dfc9f67-004c-5602-b8dc-75c16c1323fd.html| title=Brick Store Closing Has Ripple Effect| work=Caledonian Record| date=July 16, 2021| access-date=March 4, 2024}}</ref> Bath's Upper Village features a cluster of Federal-style houses based on the handbook designs of architect [[Asher Benjamin]].<ref>[http://www.aannh.org/heritage/grafton/bath.php New Hampshire History & Heritage Guide]</ref>