Editing Mason, New Hampshire

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Mason, New Hampshire
| nickname           = 
| motto              = 
| image_skyline      = Unclesamhome.JPG
| image_seal         = MasonNHseal.png
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = [[Uncle Sam]]'s house
| image_flag         = 
| image_map          = Hillsborough-Mason-NH.png
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location in [[Hillsborough County, New Hampshire|Hillsborough County]], [[New Hampshire]]
| settlement_type    = Town
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = 
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[New Hampshire]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in New Hampshire|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Hillsborough County, New Hampshire|Hillsborough]]
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = [[Board of Selectmen]]
| leader_name        = Kate Batcheller, Chair<br>Charles Moser<br>John Suiter
| established_title  = [[Incorporation (municipal government)|Incorporated]]
| established_date   = 1768
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2021">{{cite web |title=2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files – New Hampshire |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2021_Gazetteer/2021_gaz_cousubs_33.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=December 8, 2021}}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 62.1
| area_total_sq_mi   = 
| area_land_km2      = 62.0
| area_land_sq_mi    = 
| area_water_km2     = 0.1
| area_water_sq_mi   = 
| area_water_percent = 0.23
| population_as_of   = 2020
| population_footnotes = <ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=&g=0600000US3301146260&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P1| title=Mason town, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| access-date=December 8, 2021}}</ref>
| population_total   = 1448
| population_density_km2 = 23.4
| population_density_sq_mi = 
| timezone           = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = [[Eastern Daylight Time Zone|Eastern]]
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| coordinates        = {{coord|42|44|37|N|71|46|08|W|region:US-NH|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_m        = 
| elevation_ft       = 745
| website            = {{URL|masonnh.us}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]s
| postal_code        = 03048 (Mason)<br/>03086 ([[Wilton, New Hampshire|Wilton]])
| area_code          = [[Area code 603|603]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 33-46260
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 0873661
| footnotes          = 
}}
'''Mason''' is a [[New England town|town]] in [[Hillsborough County, New Hampshire|Hillsborough County]], [[New Hampshire]], United States. The population was 1,448 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="Census 2020"/> Mason, together with [[Wilton, New Hampshire|Wilton]], is home to Russell-Abbott State Forest.

==History==
Mason was first known as "Number One", the easternmost in a line of border towns including area allotted to the [[Province of New Hampshire]] after its border with neighboring [[Province of Massachusetts Bay|Massachusetts]] was fixed in 1739. The town was granted its own charter in 1749 by colonial governor [[Benning Wentworth]], and in 1768 his nephew, Governor [[Sir John Wentworth, 1st Baronet|John Wentworth]], named it in honor of New Hampshire's founder, Captain [[John Mason (governor)|John Mason]], who along with Sir [[Ferdinando Gorges]] had been granted the territory in 1622 by the Council of New England. In 1629 the land grant was split between the two proprietors, with Gorges retaining the eastern portion of the territory (present-day [[Maine]]), and Mason holding the patent with title to the land that became New Hampshire.

[[Greenville, New Hampshire|Greenville]] was set off from Mason in 1872.<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/n615 574]–575| url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ| quote = coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859}}</ref>

Near the center of Mason is the boyhood home of [[Samuel Wilson]], the meat supplier who is believed to have inspired the [[Uncle Sam]] character. The private house is today identified by a state historical marker. Another prominent local figure was [[Elizabeth Orton Jones]], an author, illustrator and teacher better known as "Twig". Jones is noted for her recording of town history and her dedication to [[Andy's Summer Playhouse]], a renowned youth theater founded in Mason.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} Pickity Place, a local cottage built in 1759 by Ebenezer Blood, was the model for the grandmother's house in Jones' 1948 illustrated version of "[[Little Red Riding Hood]]". Pickity Place was created by David and Judith Walter.

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|62.1|sqkm|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|0.1|sqkm|order=flip|2}} are water, comprising 0.23% of the town.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2021"/> Mason is drained to the east by Spaulding Brook, Gould Mill Brook, and Wallace Brook, tributaries of the [[Nissitissit River]], and to the south by Walker Brook, a tributary of the [[Squannacook River]] in Massachusetts. The Nissitissit and Squannacook are both tributaries of the [[Nashua River]], and the entire town is thereby part of the [[Merrimack River]] watershed. The town's highest point is {{convert|1100|ft|m}} above [[sea level]], on an unnamed summit near the border with Greenville.

Mason is bordered by [[New Ipswich, New Hampshire|New Ipswich]] and [[Greenville, New Hampshire|Greenville]] to the west, [[Wilton, New Hampshire|Wilton]] to the north, [[Milford, New Hampshire|Milford]] to the northeast, [[Brookline, New Hampshire|Brookline]] to the east, and [[Ashby, Massachusetts]], and [[Townsend, Massachusetts]], to the south.

The town is served by state routes [[New Hampshire Route 31|31]], [[New Hampshire Route 123|123]] and [[New Hampshire Route 124|124]].

=== Adjacent municipalities ===
* [[Wilton, New Hampshire|Wilton]] (north)
* [[Milford, New Hampshire|Milford]] (northeast)
* [[Brookline, New Hampshire|Brookline]] (east)
* [[Townsend, Massachusetts]] (southeast)
* [[Ashby, Massachusetts]] (southwest)
* [[New Ipswich, New Hampshire|New Ipswich]] (west)
* [[Greenville, New Hampshire|Greenville]] (west)

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1790= 922
|1800= 1179
|1810= 1077
|1820= 1313
|1830= 1403
|1840= 1275
|1850= 1626
|1860= 1559
|1870= 1364
|1880= 645
|1890= 629
|1900= 459
|1910= 325
|1920= 278
|1930= 254
|1940= 249
|1950= 288
|1960= 349
|1970= 518
|1980= 792
|1990= 1212
|2000= 1147
|2010= 1382
|2020= 1448
|estyear=
|estimate=
|estref=
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="Census 2020"/><ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2016}}</ref>
}}
[[Image:Wolf Rock, Mason, NH.jpg|thumb|left|Wolf Rock in 1909]]
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 1,147 people, 433 households, and 328 families residing in the town.  The population density was {{convert|48.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 455 housing units at an average density of {{convert|19.0|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the town was 98.08% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.17% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.09% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.44% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.44% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], and 0.78% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.96% of the population.

There were 433 households, out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.8% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.2% were non-families. 18.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.02.
[[Image:Drinking Trough, Mason, NH.jpg|thumb|right|[[Watering trough]] in 1909]]

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.3 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $60,433, and the median income for a family was $61,908. Males had a median income of $43,558 versus $26,042 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $28,503.  About 3.6% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.

==Town facilities==
[[Image:Mason Town Hall, Mason NH.jpg|thumb|right|Mason Town Hall]]
[[Image:Unclesam1.JPG|thumb|right|Sign for Uncle Sam's house]]
Mason is immediately north of the Massachusetts border, with the center of town about {{convert|3|mi|0}} from the state line. At the center of town are five public buildings: the library, elementary school, meetinghouse, church, and police station, all situated where Darling Hill, Old Ashby, Merriam Hill, Meetinghouse Hill and Valley roads meet. The students at the public middle and high school are tuitioned to [[Milford, New Hampshire|Milford]], which is northeast of Mason. To the west is Greenville, location of the shared post office. On Depot Road, less than a mile down the hill from town center, is the Volunteer Fire and EMS Department and Town Highway Department.

== Notable people ==
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* [[Clarence William Anderson|C. W. Anderson]] (1891–1971), author, illustrator
* [[John Boynton (Worcester Polytechnic Institute)|John Boynton]] (1791–1868), founder of [[Worcester Polytechnic Institute]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://web.wpi.edu/academics/library/history/techbible/founding.html|title=WPI Tech Bible - Founding of the Institute|website=web.wpi.edu|language=en|access-date=February 21, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book| url=https://archive.org/stream/historyoftownofm00hill#page/148/mode/2up/search/John+Boynton| last=Hill| first=John B.| title=History of the Town of Mason, N.H.| location=Boston| publisher=Lucius A. Elliot & Co.| date=1858| access-date=February 22, 2018}}</ref>
* [[F. Ross Holland, Jr.]] (1927–2005), historian; best known for his books about American [[lighthouse]]s
* [[Elizabeth Orton Jones]] (1910–2005), children's book author and illustrator
* [[Elizabeth Augusta Russell]] (1832–1911), philanthropist, reformer, and restaurateur
* [[Samuel Wilson]] (1766–1854), meat-packer, legendary potential origin of "[[Uncle Sam]]"
* [[Walter A. Wood]] (1815–1892), US congressman

==References==
{{portal|New Hampshire}}
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|masonnh.us}}
* [https://www.nhes.nh.gov/elmi/products/cp/profiles-htm/mason.htm New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile]

{{Geographic location
 | Centre = Mason
 | North = [[Wilton, New Hampshire|Wilton]]
 | Northeast = [[Milford, New Hampshire|Milford]]
 | East = [[Brookline, New Hampshire|Brookline]]
 | Southeast = [[Townsend, Massachusetts]]
 | South = [[Townsend, Massachusetts]]
 | Southwest = [[Ashby, Massachusetts]]
 | West = [[Greenville, New Hampshire|Greenville]]<br>[[New Ipswich, New Hampshire|New Ipswich]]
 | Northwest = [[Wilton, New Hampshire|Wilton]]
}}

{{Hillsborough County, New Hampshire}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1768]]
[[Category:1768 establishments in New Hampshire]]
[[Category:Towns in New Hampshire]]