Sandwich

Sandwich is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. Sandwich includes the villages of Center Sandwich and North Sandwich. Part of the White Mountain National Forest is in the north. Part of Squam Lake is in the southwestern corner of the town. Sandwich and the region is a favorite weekend escape for city people looking for great inns and beautiful scenery.

The Town of Sandwich, New Hampshire, with a population exceeding 1200 is located on the shores of Squam Lake, and nestled between two major tourist regions of the Granite State – The Lakes Region and the White Mountains. It is a classic new England setting with colored forests, winding roads and rolling hills. Celebrations and festivities highlight the year in Sandwich. Old Home Week in the summer draws many visitors and former residents to bean suppers, picnics and musical performances. Every Columbus Day weekend at the peak of autumn color, all other activities stop while everyone heads for the Sandwich Fair – a real New Hampshire country fair complete with parade, oxen-pulls, and 4-H competitions.
In February, dogs and drivers from all over the country head out from North Sandwich into the snow covered wilderness in the 60 mile Sandwich Notch Sled Dog Race.

Sandwich is also one of those communities that when you visit, you feel like you never want to leave, no matter what season it is. With something to do everyday of the year here, from biking, swimming, hiking and running trails, Sandwich is one friendly town that has welcomed change but kept its secret charm and friendliness.

Sandwich is designated as an historic town, and surrounded by rolling hills and small valleys, potholes, hiking trails and some extraordinary views. With cross country skiing, snowmobiling, bike trails, pothole adventures and hikes across the 17 ranges there is always something to do.

Sandwich History

Incorporated: 1763 Origin: When this 1763 charter was surveyed, the land was considered so full of inaccessible mountains and shelves of rock that the grantees requested an additional grant of land to the southeast. The petition was granted in 1764, with the additional parcel called Sandwich Addition. Sandwich was named in honor of John Montagu, fourth Earl of Sandwich. The Earl is most famous as the inventor of the sandwich, a thin slab of meat placed between two slices of bread, which he consumed while spending a day at the gaming table. The town of Sandwich is in the Sandwich Range, with seventeen listed peaks, including Sandwich Dome.

Villages and Place Names: Great Rock Corner, Center Sandwich, Chicks Corner, East Sandwich, North Sandwich, Sandwich Landing, Wentworth Hill, Whiteface Population, Year of the First Census Taken: 905 residents in 1790

Population Trends: Population change for Sandwich totaled 676 over 50 years, from 615 in 1950 to 1,291 in 2000. The largest decennial percent change was a 36 percent increase between 1970 and 1980; the smallest, a one percent increase between 1950 and 1960. The 2006 Census estimate for Sandwich was 1,327 residents, which ranked 168th among New Hampshire’s incorporated cities and towns.

General Store & Post Office c. 1910 Chartered in 1763 by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth, the land was considered so inaccessible that the grant was enlarged, making Sandwich one of the largest towns in the state. It was named in honor of John Montagu, fourth Earl of Sandwich. The earl is said to be the inventor of the sandwich, requesting from his servant a thin slab of meat placed between two slices of bread, which he consumed while intent upon the gaming table.

The earliest European settlers arrived in 1767. By 1830 Sandwich had grown to a population of 2700, which is higher than the current population. At this time the town contained farms, stores, mills, churches, schools, carpenters, blacksmiths, and wheelwrights.

By the end of the 1800s much of the population had left Sandwich to live in cities to the west. Sandwich began to be an attraction for visitors, summer residents, and artists which continues to this day.[1]

The New Hampshire League of Arts & Crafts began in Sandwich in 1920, and continues today. Each fall the town hosts the Sandwich Fair. There is a covered bridge in the east.