This is another in a series of photographs of town pounds taken in my area of New Hampshire. Today's featured town pound is on Youngs Hill Road in Loudon.
Traditionally, in New England, pounds were built to produce revenue for the town. An enclosure was built and overseen by a "hog reeve" or other elected official. The pound was a place to hold escaped livestock until fines could be paid to the town, and compensation paid to neighbor's who had damaged property due to the escaped pig, cow, or other farm animal.
The sign in front of the pound reads "Est. 1774". The town was incorporated by Governor John Wentworth on 23 January 1773, and the original center and town hall are on the corner of Youngs Hill Road and Clough Hill Road. The first town meeting was held on 23 March 1773 and Samuel Carter and Stephen Perkins were elected the hog reeves. The people of Loudon wasted no time in building their town pound!
Some other town pounds featured on this blog:
Derryfield (Manchester, New Hampshire):
Hudson, New Hampshire:
Londonderry, New Hampshire:
Bow, New Hampshire:
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Cite/Link to this post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Loudon, New Hampshire Town Pound", Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 13, 2020, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2020/10/loudon-new-hampshire-town-pound.html: accessed [access date]).
I am wondering whether the stone enclosure at the SW corner of the Old Main St Cemetery in New London NH was the official pound for the town at some point in history?
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