Monadnock Moment No. 133

Era 5: Civil War and Reconstruction - 1850 to 1877

Monadnock County

The state of New Hampshire is divided into ten counties for administrative and judicial purposes. The state was first divided into counties, five at that time, in 1771. The remaining five counties were formed between 1803 and 1840. During the late 1860s an eleventh county was nearly formed.

During the June 1868 session of the New Hampshire legislature an "act to constitute the county of Monadnock" was introduced in the House of Representatives. If passed, this bill would have resulted in a new county, Monadnock, being formed. The new county was to be incorporated from fourteen of the thirty-one towns that make up Hillsborough County. These towns were Mason, New Ipswich, Sharon, Temple, Peterborough, Hancock, Greenfield, Lyndeborough, Francestown, Bennington, Antrim, Windsor, Hillsborough and Deering. Peterborough was to serve as the county seat.

The bill made provisions for the organization of courts, the selection of judges and county commissioners, and all other arrangements necessary to begin a new county government. The new county was to be officially formed on January 1, 1869.

A twenty page copy of the bill was printed for the New Hampshire House of Representatives. There is no indication on this copy who introduced the bill or what the final vote was. It is obvious, however, that the bill did not pass the legislature because the new county was never formed. Monadnock County is the county that never was.