Acworth is a town located in Western New Hampshire in the Dartmouth/Sunapee region of the state. It is situated in Southern Sullivan county and encompasses a total area of 39.1 square miles, .2 of which is water. As of the 2010 United States Census, Acworth was home to 891 people.
The land that comprises Acworth was first chartered by Governor Benning Wentworth in the year 1752. At the time, it was known as “Burnet,” in honor of former Massachusetts Bay governor William Burnet. When the French and Indian War began in 1754, it halted settlement of the area. Wentworth rechartered the land in 1766, giving it the name “Acworth,” after English admiral Sir Jacob Acworth. Settlement began in 1768 and, in 1772, the area was officially incorporated as a town.
Less than 1 percent of Acworth’s total area is made up of water. The town is home to parts of the Cold River and lies within the Connecticut River watershed. Its highest point lies at Gove Hill, where elevation reaches 1,939 feet above sea level. The area is served by New Hampshire Route 123A and Interstate 91. Over the years, Acworth has been called home by several notable people, including former governor of Vermont Urban A. Woodbury and U.S. Congressman Joseph Gardner Wilson.
Acworth is governed by an elected Board of Selectmen. It boasts a volunteer fire department, commercial emergency medical services and is served by the New Hampshire state police. Top employers in the area include R.L. Balla Inc., Bascom’s Sugar House and South Acworth Village Store. Children in the area attend schools in the Fall Mountain Regional School District, which also serves the nearby towns of Alstead, Charlestown, Langdon and Walpole.
For recreation and entertainment, Acworth residents can enjoy the town’s youth organizations, sports leagues, fishing and hunting areas, snowmobile trails and cross country skiing.