Harrisville, New Hampshire
Welcome to Harrisville, New Hampshire, a small hamlet located into the rolling hills of Cheshire County. With a population totaling less than 1200, Harrisville is one of the smaller incorporated towns in the state. Thickly wooded forests, burbling streams, and little ponds with surfaces of glass make up most of the town’s acreage with an occasional residential neighborhood tucked in for good measure. You’ll see more birds, chipmunks and squirrels than you will people in town – privacy and seclusion are paramount in Harrisville and things look to stay that way for a while to come.
The Harrisville area was first settled around 1760. Taking parts from the towns of Dublin, Hancock, Marlborough, Nelson and Roxbury, the town of Twitchellville was born, so-named for a local family named Twitchell. One of the Twitchell daughters wound up marrying a man named Harris who eventually founded the Harris Mills, one of the first woolen mills opened in New England. When the town was finally incorporated in 1871, the mill-owner’s son, a state senator at the time, suggested the name “Harrisville”. The name was accepted and the town’s historic district is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Harrisville was a mill town and still clings to that history. A working-class town at its core, Harrisville has little industry and most residents commute out of town to work in the larger communities of Keene, to the west, and Peterborough to the east. Area activities include fishing, hiking, cross-country skiing, antiquing, scenic drives, boating, camping and just plain sitting around enjoying the peace and quiet. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a quieter town than Harrisville, though in this region of the state there are several tiny communities with populations smaller than Harrisville’s. In this part of the Granite State, most residents are looking for a place to relax and unwind, to breathe fresh air and enjoy the natural beauty that encompasses them.
A small town square with red brick homes, a little town hall, the old train depot, a white steeple poking through the fall foliage – Harrisville is pure New England, through and through. Every time you turn around, it’s as if you’re standing in a Norman Rockwell painting. If you’re looking to make New Hampshire your new home, you won’t find a town more quaint and full of character as Harrisville.
Harrisville is a member of SAU #29 and maintains its own elementary school, the Wells Elementary School for resident children entering kindergarten through the sixth grade. Students in the seventh and eighth grade attend the Keene Middle School while high-school age students attend the Keene High School, both located in the active, nearby college town of Keene.
Ready to buy a home in the Granite State? There are plenty of homes available for purchase in the beautiful state of New Hampshire; you just need to know where to look. The first place would be Jim Miller Bean Group. Give Jim a call at (603) 801-3987 to find out more about what homes are for sale in NH and more about the wonderful communities in which they’re found. Call today – NH homes move fast.
Wells Memorial School (k-6)
(603) 827-3272
Keene Middle School (6-8)
(603) 357-9020
Keene High School (9-12)
(603) 352-0640