Henniker is a town located in central New Hampshire in the Merrimack Valley region of the state. It is situated in the Southern part of Merrimack County and encompasses a total area of 44.8 square miles, .7 of which is water. As of the 2010 United States Census, Henniker was home to 4,836 people.
The land that comprises Henniker was originally known as Number Six, as it was the sixth settlement established between the Merrimack and Connecticut rivers. The area was granted in 1752 by the Masonian Proprietors and, at the time, became known as Todd’s Town, after grantee Andrew Todd. In 1761, settlement of began, and the area took on a new name: New Marlborough. In 1768, the area was officially incorporated as a town by Governor John Wentworth, who renamed the area Henniker, after an English merchant named Sir John Henniker.
Less than 2 percent of Henniker’s total area is made up of water. The town includes the Contoocook River and Amey Brook, and it lies completely within the Merrimack River watershed. Its highest point lies at Craney Hill, where elevation reaches 1,402 feet above sea level. Craney Hill is also home to the Pat’s Peak ski area. Over the years, Henniker has been called home by a number of notable people, including MLB player and manager Ted Williams, composer Amy Beach and U.S. Congressmen Robert Goodenow, Rufus K. Goodenow and James W. Patterson.
Henniker is governed by an elected Board of Selectmen. The town boasts a full-time police department, a municipal fire department and municipal emergency medical services. Top employers in the area include Pat’s Peak, New England College, Michie Corporation, Contoocook Artesian Well, Henniker School District, Henniker Crushed Stone, Patenaude Lumber, Town of Henniker and HHP Inc. Children in the area attend schools in School Administrative Unit #24, which also serves the nearby towns of Weare and Stoddard.