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granite state Values
Pembroke NH
Suncook Village Clock Tower
Pembroke includes part of the village of Suncook. The
center of population of New Hampshire is located in
Pembroke.
First granted in 1728,
the town was known as
“Lovewell’s Town”, in honor
of Captain John Lovewell,
who built the stockade at
Ossipee. Shortly afterward,
the town took the name of
“Suncook”, the Pennacook
Abenaki name for the river
flowing through the area.
When the town was incorporated in 1759 by Colonial Governor Benning
Wentworth, it was given the
name “Pembroke” in honor of Henry Herbert, ninth Earl
of Pembroke in southern Wales.
Pembroke’s early history is reflected in the various mills
of the downtown area, located to use water power from
the Suncook River. The better-known mills were the
Pembroke Mills, Webster Manufacturing and China
Manufacturing, all producing print cloth. Pembroke industries included brickmaking, with bricks manufactured
from clay along the Merrimack River. In 1852, the Concord and Portsmouth Railroad established a station in
Pembroke.
Issue 02 | May 2014