in Antrim, NH

Antrim is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,637 at the 2010 census. The primary settlement in the town, where 1,397 people lived at the 2010 census, is defined as the Antrim census-designated place (CDP) and is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 202 and New Hampshire Route 31. The town of Antrim also includes the villages of Antrim Center, North Branch, Clinton Village and South Village.

History

Settled in 1741 and incorporated on 22 March 1777, this town did not receive its incorporated name until 1778. It was named for County Antrim in the north of Ireland, presently a part of Northern Ireland, which was the native home of the land's owner, Philip Riley. Scots-Irish settlers established a Presbyterian church in Antrim in 1788.

With falls providing water power, Great Brook was once lined with over twenty mills along its course from Gregg Lake to the Contoocook River. Commercial development centered on South Antrim. Cutlery was the major industry in this town, beginning with the manufacturing of apple-paring machines in 1864. The manufacture of cutlery continued in Antrim through 1989.