David Page of Petersham, Massachusetts, sent his sons to the wilderness of the Upper Cohoss region in 1764 after obtaining a grant from Gov. Benning Wentworth. So it was that Lancaster became the first settlement north of Haverhill. Set in a valley surrounded by mountains and located along the Connecticut River, Lancaster has upheld its old New England atmosphere. As the shire town of Coos County, Lancaster has been home to the Lancaster Fair—featuring horse racing, ox pulls, 4-H and agricultural exhibits, and thrill rides—since 1870. The arrival of the railroad following the Civil War made Lancaster a tourist destination, but the community has remained primarily a residential town with only a few small industries such as P.J. Noyes Laboratories, the Thompson Manufacturing Company, Marshall's Carriage Shop, and assorted merchants. Although small, Lancaster has had a big impact on the state and nation, producing two governors in Jared. W. Williams and Chester B. Jordan. Lancaster highlights the men and women who farmed the land and took part in the industrial and cultural growth of the town.
