Stoddard, New Hampshire
Cheshire County New Hampshire, is home to several small towns in the southwestern corner of the state. The community of Stoddard is just such a town, with its population numbering only about 1000. What many would call a “bedroom community”, the residents of Stoddard call home and appreciate the peace and quiet their little town offers.
Stoddard began its existence as a part of a Massachusetts land grant to a group of men in 1752. Among them was Colonel Sampson Stoddard, the man for whom the town would eventually be named. Stoddard was a part of “Monadnock Number 7”, the seventh in a line of defensive positions on New Hampshire's western border. These rough settlements and forts were designed to repel the Indian attacks that were still common in the early to mid 1700’s. For about twenty years the Stoddard settlement was known by locals as “Limerick”. It wasn’t until 1774 that the town was incorporated as Stoddard, after the Colonel. Colonel Stoddard was in charge of surveying much of the southwestern New Hampshire countryside and one of his assistants in this task was Benjamin Pierce, the father of President Franklin Pierce.
The town of Stoddard had little waterpower available to develop serious mills, so instead focused mainly on farming, hunting, trapping and trading. One industry that did succeed in Stoddard was the manufacture of glass products. Between the years of 1840 and 1873, Stoddard was a glass manufacturing Mecca, producing glass bottles, jars, pitchers, drinking glasses and much, much more. Today the surviving glassware is highly sought after by collectors all over the world.
The glass industry is nothing more than a memory in Stoddard these days with modern glass manufacturing processes driving the industry from the town. Stoddard’s industry today consists of little more than Carlisle Restoration Lumber and a small general store. Residents of Stoddard are very happy with this arrangement and are not interested in enticing more business to their little village. Stoddard is a place of serenity, tranquility and little aggravation. The perfect community in which to retire or raise a family with traditional New England values, Stoddard has homes available for purchase and will welcome you with open arms.
The town of Stoddard is a member of School Administrative Unit #24 and educates its resident school-age children from kindergarten through the fifth grade at the James Faulkner Elementary School. All other Stoddard students are tuitioned at the Henniker Community School (in Henniker, grades 6-8) and the John Stark Regional High School (in Weare, grades nine through twelve). With such a tiny student body, the town of Stoddard has no plans to build more schools.
Find the home you’ve always wanted right here in Stoddard, New Hampshire. There are plenty of southern NH homes for sale; you just need to know where to start looking. The first place you should look is to Jim Miller Bean Group. Jim knows the NH real estate market and wants to help you find the home that’s right for you in the community that best suits you and your family. Call now at (603) 801-3987 and move into your new home sooner than you might think.
James Faulkner Elementary School (k-5)
(603) 446-3348
Henniker Community School (6-8)
(603) 428-3476
John Stark Regional High School (9-12)
(603) 529-7675
