Editing Swanzey, New Hampshire (section)

==History==

First granted in 1733 as "Lower Ashuelot", Swanzey was one of the fort towns established by Governor [[Jonathan Belcher]] of [[Province of Massachusetts Bay|Massachusetts]], which then claimed the territory. The town was the site of many battles during [[King George's War]], and in 1747 it was abandoned for three years. It was regranted to 62 proprietors on July 2, 1753, by Governor [[Benning Wentworth]] as "Swanzey", most probably because some early settlers had a connection to [[Swansea]] in [[Wales]].<ref name=Read>{{Cite book| last = Read| first = Benjamin| title = The History of Swanzey, New Hampshire, from 1734 to 1890| publisher = Salem Press| year = 1892| location = Salem, Massachusetts| page = [https://archive.org/details/historyswanzeyn00readgoog/page/n84 52]| url = https://archive.org/details/historyswanzeyn00readgoog}}</ref> Situated on the [[Ashuelot River]] and connected by the [[Ashuelot Railroad]], West Swanzey developed as a [[textile]] [[mill town]], and East Swanzey produced wooden [[bucket]]s for generations. By 1859, the population was 2,106.<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| pages = [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ/page/n704 661]–663| url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ| quote = coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.  }}</ref>

The town features four [[covered bridge]]s, and was the home of theatrical trouper [[Denman Thompson]], who gained a national reputation by his portrayal of the Yankee farmer, "Joshua Whitcomb", star of his stage play ''The Old Homestead''. Residents restage Thompson's [[melodrama]] every summer at a natural outdoor [[amphitheater]] called the Potash Bowl.<ref>[http://www.nh.gov/nhes/elmi/htmlprofiles/swanzey.html New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile]</ref>

Because he vacationed in Swanzey during several summers, the town has claimed to be the location of a tree that inspired poet [[Joyce Kilmer]] (1886–1918) to write the popular 1913 poem [[Trees (poem)|"Trees"]]. However, family accounts and documents establish that the poem was written in [[Mahwah, New Jersey]].<ref>Federal Writers' Project for the Works Progress Administration of the State of New Hampshire. New Hampshire: A Guide to the Granite State (Boston: Houghton Mifflin & Co., 1938), 103.</ref><ref>Kelly, Mike. [http://www.northjersey.com/arts_entertainment/Kelly_Did_Mahwahs_trees_inspire_Joyce_Kilmers_poem.html?page=all#sthash.gRT9LWF5.dpuf "Did Mahwah's trees inspire Joyce Kilmer's famous poem?"] in ''The Bergen Record'' (January 26, 2013). Retrieved June 18, 2013.</ref><ref>Associated Press. [https://newspaperarchive.com/berkshire-eagle/1963-09-16/page-8 "Doomed Oak Said Kilmer Poem Source"] in ''The Berkshire Eagle'' (September 16, 1963), 8.</ref>

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Image:Post Office, West Swanzey, NH.jpg|Post Office {{circa|1915}}
Image:Denman Thompson's Residence, West Swanzey, NH.jpg|Denman Thompson's residence in 1907
Image:Ashuelot River, West Swanzey, NH.jpg|Ashuelot River {{circa|1915}}
</gallery>