Whether arriving by car or mushing by dogsled, travelers for centuries have returned to the North Country haven of Tamworth, enchanted by its winter sports heritage, relaxed rural traditions, and postcard views of Mt. Chocorua and the Ossippees.
Granted in 1766 and named for British Admiral General Washington Shirley, Viscount Tamworth, this farming community has enjoyed a history as much distinguished by man as by his best friend. With its dramatic backdrops and abundant lakes, rivers, fields and forests, Tamworth was famously the summer retreat of President Grover Cleveland in the early 20th century, who built by hand one of the town’s most scenic, tree-lined stretches of road.
It was also home for decades to the Chinook Kennels, the state’s largest breeder of sled dogs, raising thousands of champion canines not just for competition, but for the Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd Antarctic expeditions and the U.S. Army’s search-and-rescue units. While the kennels officially closed more than 10 years ago, the structures still stand, and the town each winter hosts a string of races, including the world’s longest continuously running competition.
When you’re not cheering on Chinooks or admiring natural wonders like Chocorua or Wonalancet Falls, you’ll want to check out the Remick Country Doctor Farm & Museum, where the agricultural way of life in New Hampshire, from 1790 to the present, is preserved, from the elaborate working farm to the living quarters of Dr. Edwin Crafts Remick, one of Tamworth’s earliest founders. Every February, visitors flock to the Remick Museum’s annual Winter Carnival and Ice Harvest, to cut blocks of ice from Remick Pond the old-fashioned way and enjoy rides on dogsleds and horse-drawn sleighs.
Just around the corner from the museum, you won’t want to miss taking in a play at the Barnstormers, the state’s oldest continuously running professional theatre, which features a wide array of summer plays and musicals, and a schedule of programs from fall to spring, sponsored by the Arts Council of Tamworth. Hikers and fresh air seekers will also want to check out the towering timber of the Big Pines Natural Area in Hemenway State Forest, as well as Ordination Rock, the massive boulder atop which the town’s first pastor, Samuel Hidden, was ordained in 1792 and held services before the first church was built.
Town Facts
by Michael DeBlasi
Tamworth, NH
• Population of 2,503 (est. 2007)
• Tamworth includes the villages of Chocorua, South Tamworth, Wonalancet and Whittier
• Mount Chocorua is regarded as the most photographed mountain in the United States
• Black Snout Mountain, within the Ossipee Mountain Range, is the highest point in Tamworth at 2,689 feet above sea level
• The Barnstormers Theatre was established in 1931 by President Grover Cleveland’s son Francis
• Each year following the annual July 4th parade, the town hosts Tamworth Family Day, a festival of food, music, games and evening fireworks
• A fictional Tamworth is the setting for Nickelodeon’s animated television
series “My Life as a Teenage Robot”.
