1. Nutfield, later called Londonderry, was the second largest town in New Hampshire in early colonial times. Derry, Windham and a portion of Manchester were formed from its boundaries.
2. In 1719 the first white potato (Irish potato) in the United States was grown in Derry
3. For the first census in 1790 the population of Londonderry was 2,622 and in the 2000 census the Londonderry population was 23,236 and the Derry population was 34,021.
4. The Londonderry Lancers Marching Band from our high school marched in 4 different Rose Bowl Parades, most recently in 2011!
5. The first tomatoes grown in New England for food were introduced by the widow of Rev. Morrison in 1822. Previously tomatoes were considered to be poisonous.
6. Linen from Colonial Londonderry was worn by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Londonderry produced much linen, and it was considered the finest, thus it was often found that other towns tried to sell cloth with the Londonderry label, so the New Hampshire House of Representatives wrote an act to have an official seal affixed to all Londonderry Linen.
7. Upon hearing of the attack at Lexington on 19 April 1775, George Reid marched with a contingent of men from Londonderry to Lexington and then to Medford, where they joined General Stark’s troops in the battle of Bunker Hill in June. Later in the war he attained the rank of Brigadier General.
8. Matthew Thornton was born in 1714 in Northern Ireland, but was a Londonderry selectman, President of the Provincial Assembly, later the President of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, and signer of the Declaration of Independence.
9. The first woman who claimed to bicycle around the world was “Annie Londonderry”, a mother from Boston who was sponsored by Londonderry Lithia Water in 1895. Her real name was Annie Cohen Kopchovsky, a Latvian Jewish immigrant.
10. The first American in Space was Derry resident, Alan Shepard.
11. Professional Baseball player Duffy (George Edward) Lewis is buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery, Londonderry. He played for the Boston Red Sox 190-1917, the New York Yankees 1919-1920, and the Washington Senators in 1921.
12. James Wilson (1763 -1835) of Londonderry manufactured the first pair of terrestrial and celestial globes made in America in 1813. The 13 inch globe sold for $50.
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Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo
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