Cornish is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

in Sullivan County,

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, United States. The population was 1,616 at the 2020 census. Cornish has four covered bridges. Each August, it is home to the Cornish Fair.

History

The town was granted in 1763 and contained an area once known as "Mast Camp", because it was the shipping point for the tall masts floated down the river by

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

settlers. It was incorporated in 1765 by colonial governor

Benning Wentworth Benning Wentworth (July 24, 1696 – October 14, 1770) was an American merchant and colonial administrator who served as the List of colonial governors of New Hampshire, governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766. While serving as governor, W ...

and named for Sir Samuel Cornish, a distinguished

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...

of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

. Since the 1827 partition of Cheshire County, the town has been within Sullivan County. Since the late 19th century, Cornish has been a well-known summer resort for artists and writers. Sculptor

Augustus Saint-Gaudens Augustus Saint-Gaudens (; March 1, 1848 – August 3, 1907) was an American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation who embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. From a French-Irish family, Saint-Gaudens was raised in New York City, he tra ...

began coming to Cornish in 1885, seeking a studio away from the summer heat of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Artist friends followed him, including painter and illustrator

Maxfield Parrish Maxfield Parrish (July 25, 1870 – March 30, 1966) was an American painter and illustrator active in the first half of the 20th century. He is known for his distinctive saturated hues and idealized neo-classical imagery. His career spann ...

, who designed and built his estate, the Oaks, in the area. The surrounding area became the center of the popular

Cornish Art Colony The Cornish Art Colony (or Cornish Artists’ Colony, or Cornish Colony) was a popular art colony centered in Cornish, New Hampshire from about 1895 through the years of World War I. Attracted by the natural beauty of the area, about 100 artists ...

. Cornish was the residence of the reclusive author J. D. Salinger from the 1950s until his death in 2010. Until 2008, when the Smolen–Gulf Bridge opened in Ohio, Cornish had been home to the longest covered bridge (still standing) in the United States. Cornish remains home to the longest two-span covered bridge in the world. The

Cornish–Windsor Covered Bridge The Cornish–Windsor Covered Bridge is a -year-old, two- span, timber Town lattice-truss, , covered bridge that crosses the Connecticut River between Cornish, New Hampshire (on the east), and Windsor, Vermont (on the west). Until 2008, when the ...

spans the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Islan ...

and was built in 1866 at an original cost of $9,000. Cornish also has three other covered bridges: the

Blow-Me-Down Covered Bridge The Blow-Me-Down Covered Bridge is a historic wooden covered bridge carrying Lang Road over Blow-me-down Brook in the town of Cornish, near its northern border with Plainfield, New Hampshire. Built in 1877, the kingpost structure is one of the sta ...

Dingleton Hill Covered Bridge The Dingleton Hill Covered Bridge, also known as the Cornish Mills Bridge, is a historic wooden covered bridge, carrying Root Hill Road over Mill Brook in Cornish Mills, New Hampshire. Built in 1882, it is one of the state's few surviving 19th-ce ...

, and Kenyon Bridge. Image:Blow-me-down Bridge, Cornish, NH.jpg, Blow-me-down Bridge in 1908, completed in 1888 Image:Mount Ascutney from High Court, Cornish, NH.jpg, Mount Ascutney from "High Court" estate

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 1.54% of the town. The

forms the western boundary of the town, which is also the New Hampshire–

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...

border. The town is drained by direct tributaries of the Connecticut:

Blow-me-down Brook Blow-me-down Brook is a long stream located in western New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Connecticut River, which flows to Long Island Sound. Blow-me-down Brook begins near the northeast border of the town of Cornish, ...

, Mill Brook, and Walker Brook; and by Redwater Brook, which flows south to the Sugar River in Claremont before that river joins the Connecticut. The long ridge of Croydon Mountain follows the eastern boundary of town; the highest point in town is a knob on Croydon Mountain which reaches an elevation of above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardis ...

. The eastern part of the town is a portion of the approximately Blue Mountain Forest Association private game preserve, also known locally as

Corbin Park Corbin Park (also known as the Blue Mountain Forest and Game Preserve) is a private game preserve in New Hampshire. It contains land in Croydon, Cornish, Plainfield, and Grantham. It occupies somewhere between of land and was started in 1889 by ...

, named after its founder, Austin Corbin. Cornish is dotted with several small villages, including Cornish Center, Cornish Flat, Cornish City, Cornish Mills, South Cornish, Balloch, and Squag City. Cornish is served by state routes 12A and 120, both of which connect Claremont to the south with

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

to the north.

Adjacent municipalities

* Plainfield, New Hampshire (north) * Croydon, New Hampshire (east) * Claremont, New Hampshire (south) * Windsor, Vermont (west)

Demographics

As of the 2020 Census, the total population was 1,616, with a total of 761 housing units, 707 of which were occupied. The town's residents consisted of 1 American Indian or Alaska Native, 9 Asian, 7 Black or African American, 12 Some Other Race, 92 Two or More Races, and 1,495 White. 18 residents were Hispanic or Latino, and 1,494 Not Hispanic or Latino. As of the 2015-19

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educati ...

, 41.9% of the population had a bachelor's degree or higher. The median household income was $82,083, and the median age was 54.1, with 28.8% being age 65 or older. 8.6% were veterans. Home ownership rate was 92.6%. As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 1,661 people, 645 households, and 465 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 39.4 people per square mile (15.2/km²). There were 697 housing units at an average density of 16.5 per square mile (6.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.71%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0.30%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.30% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.12%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.30% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 0.48% of the population. There were 645 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. Of all households 21.2% were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.02. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 3.8% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 31.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $53,393, and the median income for a family was $60,313. Males had a median income of $36,115 versus $29,474 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $23,165. About 2.8% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Sites of interest

Balloch, New Hampshire Balloch is an unincorporated community in the southwest corner of the town of Cornish, New Hampshire, in the United States. The name is derived from the Balloch Farm, originally owned by James Balloch (1761-1840) and, later, by his son William Bal ...

Cornish Flat, New Hampshire Cornish Flat is an unincorporated community in the town of Cornish in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The village is located in the northeastern corner of Cornish, at the southern end of a valley floor which is bordered westerly b ...

* Covered bridges: **

** Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge **

** Kenyon Bridge * Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park * New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 265: Cornish Meetinghouse Image:View of Aspet, Cornish, NH.jpg, Aspet, home of

Image:Saint-Gaudens-NHS.jpg,

Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park in Cornish, New Hampshire, preserves the home, gardens, and studios of Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848–1907), one of America's foremost sculptors. This was his summer residence from 1885 to 1897, his perman ...

Image:Harlakenden House, Cornish, NH.jpg,

Harlakenden Harlakenden, located in Cornish, New Hampshire, was the residence of American novelist Winston Churchill, and was also the Summer White House of Woodrow Wilson from 1913 until 1915. It was destroyed by fire on October 6, 1923.Rawson, Barbara East ...

House, built at Cornish, New Hampshire in 1898, summer

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

, burned in 1923

Notable people

* Champion S. Chase (1820–1898), politician * Dudley Chase (1771–1846), state's attorney of Orange County, Vermont, Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives, Chief Justice of the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The Cou ...

U.S. senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and power ...

from

* Jonathan Chase (1732–1800), Revolutionary War officer * Philander Chase (1775–1852), founder of

Kenyon College Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio. It was founded in 1824 by Philander Chase. Kenyon College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Kenyon has 1,708 undergraduates enrolled. Its 1,000-acre campus is s ...

, sixth Presiding Bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church *

Salmon P. Chase Salmon Portland Chase (January 13, 1808May 7, 1873) was an American politician and jurist who served as the sixth chief justice of the United States. He also served as the 23rd governor of Ohio, represented Ohio in the United States Senate, a ...

(1808–1873), justice of the

US Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of ...

; born in Cornish *

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

(1871–1947), novelist; no relation to the British statesman of the same name *

Herbert Croly Herbert David Croly (January 23, 1869 – May 17, 1930) was an intellectual leader of the progressive movement as an editor, political philosopher and a co-founder of the magazine ''The New Republic'' in early twentieth-century America. His pol ...

(1869–1930), author; co-founder of the magazine ''

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hu ...

'' *

Thomas Wilmer Dewing Thomas Wilmer Dewing (May 4, 1851November 5, 1938) was an American painter working at the turn of the 20th century. Schooled in Paris, Dewing was noted for his figure paintings of aristocratic women. He was a founding member of the Ten America ...

(1851–1938), painter; founding member of the

Ten American Painters The Ten American Painters (also known as The Ten) was an artists' group formed in 1898 to exhibit their work as a unified group. John Henry Twachtman, J. Alden Weir, and Childe Hassam were the driving forces behind the organization. Dissatisfi ...

and taught at the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may st ...

* Michael Dorris (1945–1997), novelist, scholar *

Julie Duncan Julie Duncan (January 17, 1919 – June 20, 1986) was an American film actress who appeared in short subjects and Westerns. A native of Cornish, New Hampshire, she was a champion steeplechase rider. Selected filmography *'' Texas Terrors'' (1940 ...

(1919–1986), actress, champion steeplechase rider *

Louise Erdrich Louise Erdrich ( ; born Karen Louise Erdrich, June 7, 1954) is an American author of novels, poetry, and children's books featuring Native American characters and settings. She is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indian ...

(born 1954), author * Hamlin Garland (1860–1940), novelist, poet, essayist, short story writer,

Georgist Georgism, also called in modern times Geoism, and known historically as the single tax movement, is an economic ideology holding that, although people should own the value they produce themselves, the economic rent derived from Land (economics), ...

, psychical researcher; best known for his fiction involving hard-working Midwestern farmers *

Christian Gerhartsreiter Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter (born February 21, 1961) is a German convicted murderer and impostor. Born in West Germany, he is currently serving a prison sentence in the U.S. state of California. After moving to the U.S. in his late teens, Gerha ...

(born 1961), impostor, convicted murderer * James Hall (1802–1889), founder of

Maryland-in-Africa The Republic of Maryland (also known variously as the Independent State of Maryland, Maryland-in-Africa, and Maryland in Liberia) was a country in West Africa that existed from 1834 to 1857, when it was merged into what is now Liberia. The ar ...

Learned Hand Billings Learned Hand ( ; January 27, 1872 – August 18, 1961) was an American jurist, lawyer, and judicial philosopher. He served as a federal trial judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York from 1909 to 1924 an ...

(1872–1961), judge * Percy MacKaye (1875–1956), playwright, poet * Charles A. Platt (1861–1933), architect * Samuel L. Powers (1848–1929), US congressman *

(1848–1907), sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation who embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance * Louis St. Gaudens (1854–1913), significant American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation; brother of renowned sculptor

; Louis later changed the spelling of his name to St. Gaudens to differentiate himself from his well-known brother * J. D. Salinger (1919–2010), writer, best known for his 1951 novel ''

The Catcher in the Rye ''The Catcher in the Rye'' is an American novel by J. D. Salinger that was partially published in serial form from 1945–46 before being novelized in 1951. Originally intended for adults, it is often read by adolescents for its themes of angs ...

'' * Nathan Smith (1762–1829), physician, founder of Dartmouth and

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

medical schools * Nathan Ryno Smith (1797–1877), surgeon, professor, son of Nathan Smith * Betsey Ann Stearns (1830-1914), inventor *

(1856–1924), US president; summer resident at author Winston Churchill's Harlakenden House

References

External links

*
George H. Stowell Free Library

at City-Data.com

* ttp://www.cornishfair.org/ Cornish Fair
Corbin Park

a 2006 documentary presentation by James M. Patterson of the '' Valley News''
Cornish (N.H.: Town) Records, 1821–1873
at Dartmouth College Library {{Authority control New Hampshire populated places on the Connecticut River Towns in New Hampshire Towns in Sullivan County, New Hampshire