History

The original grant of Chichester, dated May 20, 1727, gave the proprietors three years to build sixty dwelling houses and settle that number of families. In the years following the grant, Chichester was surveyed and divided and roads were built. The original Chichester was much larger than today, but in 1782 the General Court allowed the northern part of Chichester to become the Town of Pittsfield, due to a dispute over where to locate the center of Town.

Chichester remained relatively isolated until transportation improvements began affecting its growth. In the late 1700’s the Great Road from Concord to Portsmouth was completed allowing products such as lumber, granite, hay, grain, flax and wool, to move by horse and oxen to the seacoast. In 1803, the Middlesex Canal was completed, allowing products to move between Concord and Boston by water in four to five days.

Although small, Chichester generously contributed to the Civil War effort. Ninety-four men enlisted in response to President Lincoln’s call, of which fifty played active roles in the battles of Fredericksburg, Vicksburg, the Wilderness and Spotsylvania. Chichester also supplied grain, beef cattle and other supplies by ox cart to Hampton for the Continental Army, and gave thirty pounds (approximately $150) and twenty heifers to every soldier returning to Chichester after the War. Chichester’s generosity resulted in a large debt of $36,600; a debt not paid off until 1897.

Around the turn of the century, Chichester’s population decreased dramatically, as transportation improved and many citizens left to seek their fortunes elsewhere. Some followed the railroads into the developing west; some moved to larger cities. Many farms were abandoned and eventually sold for taxes. This was characteristic of so many communities in the State that in 1899, Governor Frank Rollins, instituted Old Home Week in an effort to draw former residents back to visit. Chichester joined the effort in 1901 and still celebrates Old Home Day annually in the third week of August. The focal point is the eagerly anticipated serving of Bean-Hole-Beans, which the Marden family has been preparing for Chichester for three generations