EARLY HISTORY AND INCORPORATION
Pembroke's history began in 1725 when Captain John Lovewell (sometimes Lovell) and his intrepid band of Indian fighters, recruited from the towns around Dunstable, Massachusetts, decided to drive the Indians out of what is now New Hampshire.
| In 1728, The Honorable House of Representatives of His Majesty's Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England granted six square miles of land to the survivors and heirs of non-survivors of Lovewell's band of Indian fighters. This land area became known as the original Suncook. On December 9, 1730, the Suncook Proprietors drew for their first division of lots, the least to contain forty acres and all others to be of equal value, regardless of the number of acres.
According to best available information, Francis Doyen, one of Lovewell's soldiers and his wife were the first white inhabitants who ever wintered in the township, 1728-1729, and they may have been the first permanent settlers.
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Basically, there are three grants of land covering the same area in varying degrees. The Bow grant was granted in May 20, 1727. The Mason grant, presently known as the Masonian claim of 1621 was granted by the "Council of New England" established in Plymouth, County of Devon, England. The Suncook grant of August 6, 1728 was granted by His Majesty's Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England in General Court. The inhabitants of Buck Street and Bow, having boundaries adjacent to the Suncook boundary line, became discontented with the Township of Bow. They petitioned the New Hampshire House of Representatives to be joined with Suncook.
In 1736, members of the Congregational church chose Reverend Aaron Whittemore to be pastor. Sometime near the period of incorporation, the Presbyterians built their own meetinghouse "on a little knoll covered with a pine grove on the west side of Pembroke." The first pastor was Reverend Daniel Mitchell. Eventually the Congregational and Presbyterian churches were reunited in Pembroke.
Incorporation of Pembroke was granted on November 1, 1759, "authorizing the levying and collecting such Province Tax as shall be imposed upon them by law as any other Town or Parish in this Province." On the passage of the act of incorporation, the Plan- tation of Suncook ceased to be and the Town of Pembroke took her place in the fair sisterhood of the Commonwealth of New Hampshire to enjoy all the rights and privileges belonging to towns.
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PEOPLE
| Pembroke's first company of men, under the command of Captain Daniel Moore, reported to Colonel John Stark and fought in the battle of Bunker Hill on the 17th of June, 1775. Several other Pembroke volunteer companies fought during the course of this historic conflict. Town companies of Pembroke recruits, commanded by both Captains Andrew Buntin and Samuel Connor, reported to General Sullivan at Winter Hill, Charlestown, Massachusetts.
About 1807, three men came to Pembroke: Dr. Abel Blanchard, Reverend Abraham Burnham and Boswell Stevens, Esq. Dr. Blanchard was not a person of good health and began to fail about 1817. He expired March 15, 1818. In his will dated January 15, 1818, Dr. Blanchard (having no family of his own and after making bequests to his friends) left the residue of his property to found a "public school or academy in Pembroke." The school (although for many years called "Blanchard Academy") was incorporated June 25, 1818, as Pembroke Academy. Fire has destroyed the original buildings, but the Academy continues to be a vital institution in Pembroke.
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Between 1850-1860, Pembroke had a influx of French-Canadians that worked in the many well-established mills. On January 11, 1885, the French-Canadians formed an association, "Le Cercle Dramatique Et Litteraire", for mutual instruction and amusement. They produced plays and fostered artistic awareness. On September 9, 1888, a library to include French and English works was started, and accounted for about 600 volumes. The French presence in Pembroke enriched the town culturally and helped to make it a unique place in which to live in central New Hampshire.
Shortly after the Massachusetts 6th Regiment passed through Baltimore on April 19, 1861, the New Hampshire Second Regiment followed with fourteen of its complement being soldiers from Pembroke. Pembroke soldiers serving in the Civil War (Rebellion) 1861-1865 numbered 181, of which 32 were killed while serving in the army.
The first census taken in Pembroke in the year 1767, is as follows: 49 unmarried and 85 married men between 16 and 60 years of age; 16 men over 60; 134 boys under 16; 97 married and 169 unmarried females; 5 widows, and 2 slaves. Total population of 557. By 1800, the turn of the century, Pembroke had 982 citizens. In 1850, the census taken shows a count of 1,735 individuals, and by 1890 the population had swollen to 3,172 townspeople.
The first mills built in Suncook were those of John Coffrin/Cochran (spelling) erected in approximately 1738, just east of the present Main Street Bridge where it crosses the Suncook River. They were understandably a saw mill and a grist mill, both a prerequisite for the Suncook Grant to become effective.
The early fulling mill (processing of woolen cloth), was constructed in 1773 close to the saw and grist mill, owned by Samuel Daniell. After having passed through several hands, the fulling mill was sold to the Pembroke Cotton Factory Company.
There were also paper mills, (one of which was suspected of producing paper for making counterfeit money) operated along the Suncook River from the late 1700's to the early 1800's. Many of these old buildings have been razed or destroyed by fire. With the burning of Webster Manufacturing mill in 1982, only the Emerson mill is still standing.
In Suncook, the Chelmsford Glass Company established the Pembroke Glass Works in 1839 on the west end of Buck Street (later known as Glass Street) to produce crown window glass. Crown glass resulted in the outer edges being used as window glass and the center being called "bulls-eye" glass. The Chelmsford Glass Company ceased operations in Pembroke in 1850, due in part to the high cost of transporting quality sand from long distances, the discovery and use of natural gas as a fuel in the production of glass, and the lowering of the foreign glass import tariff.
The textile industry as a major employer in the local area lasted until the early 20th century, when much of New England textile manufacturing went to the southern part of the United States. The three better known mills in town were the Pembroke Mills, Webster Manufacturing, and China Manufacturing, all manufacturing print cloth.
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The second most profitable industry in Pembroke was that of producing bricks, with the primary employers and greater profits coming from the textile industry. The clay extracted along the Merrimack River provided bricks for home and commercial construction in the local area. Brick making existed primarily during the late 19th and mid 20th centuries. Other sites were located on the Soucook River, the northwest side of Suncook River at Buck Street, and Buck Street on the southeast side of the river, to mention a few.
Railroads and light rail lines played an important part in the history of Pembroke. In 1852, the Portsmouth to Concord Railroad started with a station in Pembroke. The Suncook Valley Railroad was completed in 1869. Later, in the 20th century, the junction of Pembroke St. and Whittemore Rd. was known as Hobbs Corner. Hobbs Corner was the turn-off for the trolley running from Pembroke Street onto Whittemore Road, across the Merrimack River and on to Concord, NH. The trolley serviced Concord and towns south to Manchester, NH from about 1902 until 1927 at which time buses took over.
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POINTS OF INTEREST
The oldest cemetery in town is the Pembroke Street Cemetery, established circa 1740. The Reverend Aaron Whittemore, first minister of Suncook, is buried there. Other cemeteries of interest are: Pembroke Hill Cemetery, North Pembroke Cemetery, Richardson Cemetery and Buck Street Cemetery.
The oldest house in Pembroke is claimed to be the one owned by Mrs. Vesta M. Abbott. In a deed of 1764, Benjamin Thompson deeded to Nathaniel Thompson about one acre of land on the south side of Meeting House Brook. "Also a house standing on the northwest side of the brook." This dwelling is presently known as the Crafts' home on Pembroke Street.
The Kimball Tavern, built in 1780, was a stage stop on the old Chester Turnpike (Pembroke Street) where the teams of horses were changed for fresh ones, and also served as a tavern kept by David Kimball. In the 1920's, the Kimball Tavern was operated as a rooming house with prices ranging from $1.00 and up per room. This tavern was also used as part of the underground railroad, sheltering slaves on their way to Canada. The present Richard Diehl home on Dudley Hill Road was also part of the underground railroad. The shelter for the slaves was located in the home, reached by a trap door in the attic.
The Town-House (poor house) was built in 1811. At a meeting held July 6, 1813, the Town of Pembroke voted to build a "pound" of stone at "the corner of Mr. Lakeman's Pasture by the town-house", and raise $147.50 for that purpose. Christopher Osgood bid off the contract to build it at $135.00. Remains of the pound can be seen at the corner of Fourth Range Road and Pembroke Hill Road.
The Fiske Tavern is noted as the place where General Lafayette passed the night when traveling from Boston to Concord in 1825. After Mr. Fiske's death in 1826, it continued to be used as a tavern for many years.
Pembroke Town Hall was originally built in 1840 and was used as a school, lecture hall and gymnasium for 26 years. This historic building burned in 1965. A new town hall, which strongly resembles the old one, was erected on the original site on Pembroke Street in 1988.
As we can readily see from a copy of the "History of Pembroke, NH, 1730-1895", Pembroke was a thriving community and contributed greatly in the development of New Hampshire.
Historical summary courtesy of the Pembroke Historical Society
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