Springfield is a town located in Western New Hampshire in the Dartmouth/Sunapee region of the state. It is situated in the Eastern part of Sullivan County and encompasses a total area of 44.1 square miles, .9 of which is water. As of the 2010 United States Census, Springfield was home to 1,311 people.
The land that now comprises Springfield was first granted in 1769 to settlers from nearby Portsmouth. At the time, it was known as Protectworth, and much of the area’s land was held by Governor John Wentworth and Captain John Fisher, his brother-in-law. When the two fled New Hampshire in 1775, local residents petitioned to own the land themselves. In 1794, it was officially incorporated as a town and the name was changed to Springfield.
Just over 2 percent of Springfield’s total area is made up of water. The town is home to a number of smaller villages, including East Springfield, Twin Lakes Village, Washburn Corner and West Springfield. Its highest point lies at Melvin Hill, where elevation reaches 2,303 feet above sea level. The area is served by New Hampshire Route 4A, New Hampshire Route 114 and Interstate 89.
Springfield is governed by an elected Board of Selectmen. It boasts a full-time police department, a volunteer fire department and volunteer emergency medical services. Top employers in the area include Springfield Power, Durgin-Crowell, Evarts and Twin Lake Villa. Children in the area attend schools in the Kearsarge Regional School District, which also serves the nearby towns of Bradford, Newbury, New London, Sutton, Warner and Wilmot.
For recreation, residents of Springfield can take advantage of the town’s municipal parks, golf courses, museums, fishing and hunting areas, snowmobile trails and waterfront areas. The town also boasts a public library and a local historical society. It’s also in close proximity to the Mount Sunapee and Ragged Mountain ski areas.