Incorporated: 1763
Population: 811
County Name: Cheshire
(county map)
Town Contact:
Town of Gilsum
PO Box 67, Route 10
Gilsum, NH 03448

Phone: 603-357-0320
Fax: 603-352-0845
Website: www.keenenh.com/gilsum

Origin:
This town was originally granted in 1752 under the name of Boyle. Its present name is said to have been created by uniting the surnames of two prominent proprietor families, Gilbert and Sumner, and came into use after the town was incorporated in 1763.

More about Gilsum:
Mining of feldspar and mica was a major industry here for many years. Crystals of tourmaline and quartz of fine quality, as well as beryl, can be found in Gilsum. The annual Rock Swap draws large numbers of mineral collectors to visit mine sites and geologic locations such as Vessel Rock — a huge boulder and the largest glacial erratic in the region - potholes, kames and steep rock ledges.

Lucy Mack, mother of Mormon prophet Joseph Smith Jr., was born in Gilsum in 1775. Several woolen mills in town once harnessed the energy of the Ashuelot River.

Gilsum is also the site of the Stone Arch Bridge. With an arch 36'6" above the average upstream elevation, this bridge has the highest vault of any dry-laid bridge in New Hampshire. Spanning the deep gorge of the Ashuelot River, it was constructed in 1862-63 under the supervision of William L. Kingsbury. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.