Hampton Falls is primarily a residential community that clings proudly to its rural roots. Route 1 provides a small business community which includes Dodge’s Agway, a country store, furniture stores, a Shopper’s Village, restaurants and numerous antique shops. Applecrest Orchard is located on Route 88. Applecrest is one of the oldest working apple orchards in the country; as well as one of the town’s largest employers and taxpayers. Horse farms are also abundant and operating in Hampton Falls. The building inspector’s office still receives requests for permits to build barns.
Many residents commute out of town to work. Boston is 45 miles away and Route 95 is easily accessible from town. Portsmouth is 15 miles away. Commuting residents can escape to a small rural town after an easy commute to the cities.
Hampton Falls is committed to preserving the rural character and environment. The town boasts hundreds of acres of marshland. The Conservation Committee has set aside open space using donations by residents. The community now enjoys the Marsh Lane Conservation Preserve (located off of Route 1); a handicapped accessible trail marked with descriptions of plants and birds along the path.
The Hampton Falls Historical Society is located in the Old Hampton Falls Free Library built in 1835. It has restored an old one room schoolhouse on Drinkwater Road and is restoring the old library into a museum and meeting room. The town is committed to it’s historic past, evidenced by the fact that Colonial Homes are restored rather than torn down.
In addition to historical homes, Hampton Falls has a rich history. The town’s early residents worked on farms or were involved in the timber industry. During the early 18th century, there were five mills on the three dams of the Hampton Falls river. One of the mills, Dodge Mill, built in 1765, is still standing at 27 Kensington Road. John Greenleaf Whittier summered in Hampton Falls and wrote many of his poems while living with a Quaker family at the Gove House. The pond across the road from the house, Whittier Pond, is named for the poet.
Visitors to the small village of Hampton Falls are greeted by the white steeple of the 1836 First Baptist Church at the intersection of Route 1 and 88. A country store and post office are on Route 1 as is Town Common with its new bandstand. Down the road are the Lincoln Akerman Elementary School and Governor Weare Park, where students and athletes use the soccer fields and residents may enjoy a picnic or stroll. The bandstand and the Park were both built by volunteers, helping to keep our tax base low. About a half-mile west on Route 88 are the Town Hall offices, Library, Police Station and the Volunteer Fire Station.
Students in Hampton Falls enjoy the newly renovated Lincoln Akerman School for Grades K-8. The school educates 248 children in grades K-8; providing a nurturing small community for young children. High School students attend Winnacunnett High School, where they benefit from the expanded resources of a regional high school.
Hampton Falls is a wonderful community in the heart of the bustling New Hampshire Seacoast. Our town has maintained its rural past and small town community, while keeping pace with the area’s economic growth.
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