Towns-Cheshire

Profile

Settled by Baptists from Rhode Island, Cheshire was incorporated in 1793. It enjoyed brisk progress during the Industrial Revolution when a number of mills and forges came up in the town. Cotton making machinery was manufactured here. The first plate glass in the United States was made in Cheshire in 1853.

It was here that a huge cheese weighing 1,450 pounds was made in 1801 as a tribute to President Jefferson on his being elected to the Presidency. A monument in town commemorates the event. The Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, which runs through Cheshire, was opened here in 2001. Cheshire today is a favorite with second homeowners and vacationers.

Cheshire has two cheese factories, mills and sand factories and other small enterprises.

Population: 3,479

Area: 27.55 sq. miles

Density: 129 persons/sq. mile

Closest Airport: Pittsfield