Incorporated: 1753
Population: 7,030
County Name: Cheshire
(county map)
Town Contact:
Town of Swanzey
PO Box 10009, Town Hall
Swanzey, NH 03446-0009
Phone: 603-352-7411
Fax: 603-352-6250
Website: www.town.swanzey.nh.us

Origin:
First granted in 1733 as Lower Ashuelot, this town was one of the fort towns established by Governor Belcher of Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1753, and named Swanzey at the suggestion of Governor Brenton of Rhode Island. The governor was a large land owner in Brenton's Farm, now Litchfield, and Swansea, Massachusetts, named for Swansea in Wales.

More about Swanzey:
Swanzey boasts four picturesque covered bridges and was the home of theatrical trouper Denman Thompson (1833-1911), who gained a national reputation by his portrayal of the Yankee farmer Joshua Whitcomb, star of his stage play, "The Old Homestead." Swanzey residents reproduce Thompson's melodrama every summer at a natural outdoor amphitheater.