"Whatever Became of .......?" (Unknown Hampton History)

(Unknown Hampton History)

By John M. Holman, Contributing Writer

1. NUT ISLAND ... Knoll at North Beach across from Bicentennial Park. The first house at the beach was built here in 1800 John Elkins (The site in 2007 is occupied by THE WINDJAMMER MOTEL.).

2. JONTY'S LANE ... Part of the original Jonty's Lane (named after Captain Jonathan Godfrey) is now WHITE'S LANE (off Mill Road, between Watson's Lane and Barbour Road), renamed in memory of PFC ROBERT K. WHITE, killed in a train wreck at the end of WWII in France. The end of White's Lane to Barbour Road is still known as Jonty's Lane. Both lanes are now closed to all traffic.

3. BLACK SWAMP ROAD ... Now called BARBOUR ROAD, east off Mill Road, between Watson's Lane and Ann's Lane. Named for the Barbour family who lived on the road.

4. "WIGWAM ROW" ... Name given to Exeter Road between the center of Hampton and "VITTUM'S CORNER" (junction of Towle Farm Road and Exeter Road.) Legend has it that Indians camped in that area before the settlement of Hampton in 1638 as artifacts had been found there over the years such as clam shells and the like.

5. THE CAUSEWAY (later called "The Turnpike") ... Now Route 1, Lafayette Road, was built from the "Meeting House Green" (Park Avenue) in the vicinity of the General Moulton House, across the marsh to the Hampton Falls line in 1645.

6. THE "SHUNPIKE" ... When the "Turnpike" was built across the marsh, about 1810, a toll was charged to cross it. Not content with the payment of a toll, a bridge called the "SHUNPIKE" was built across the Taylor River, some distance west of the Turnpike, where people could cross without charge. The toll on the Turnpike was discontinued on April 12, 1826 and has remained a free road to this day.

7. THE "RING" (or sometimes called Ring Swamp) ... This area of land included the "Meeting House Green" where the early settlers built their homes, and bounded on the south by Park Avenue, on the West by Lafayette Road, and on the east and north by Winnacunnet Road.

8. RAND'S HILL ... In the vicinity of the General Moulton House on "Haunted House Curve", at the junction of Lafayette Road and Drakeside Road.

9. VITTUM'S CORNER ... This was the junction of Towle Farm Road and Exeter Road.

10. HEMP PLAIN HILL ... On Mill Road at the location of the Water Tower (Standpipe), between Homestead Circle and Emery Lane. Hemp Plain Hill was so named because the land near, was PLAIN LOTS in distinction from GREAT LOTS to the east. Much hemp was raised in PLAIN LOTS ... from it was produced linen thread for weaving bedding and table cloths. HEMP PLAIN HILL was once much steeper than now, and aside from a point in Drake Side, the highest land in Hampton.

11. NOOK LANE ... The name of High Street, ultimately from the center of Hampton (Lane's Corner) to the ocean at North Beach.

12. GREAT OX COMMON (Pasture) ... At Hampton Beach from Island Path to Glade Path where cattle and oxen once grazed.

13. HUCKLEBERRY FLATS (also was called PLANTATION) ... East of King's Highway to the ocean, at North Beach.

14. BRIDE HILL ... Area from "Wigwam Row" to the Exeter town line. Bride Hill Road is now called Exeter Road from Hampton Center to the Hampton/Exeter town line. And from the Exeter town line to Exeter center, is called Hampton Road.

15. THE BRIDAL ELM ... Legend say that wedding ceremonies were performed under this elm (or oak or birch) in the open air and was located a short distance from the Exeter/Hampton town line, in the Bride Hill area.

16. BLAKEVILLE ... The name given to the area of Mill Road between Ann's Lane and Watson's Lane where many Blake families lived.

17. BACK ROAD ... This road led to Portsmouth by a devious path starting at Winnacunnet Road, up Hemp Plain Hill, then on through Blakeville, on through North Hill (North Hampton), crossing Atlantic Avenue and past the old shingle mill, which gave it the present name of MILL ROAD.

18. MAIN ROAD ... This road is now called LAFAYETTE ROAD, named after the Revolutionary hero from France, Marquis de Lafayette, who was granted an honorary commission as major general by the Continental Congress during the Revolutionary War.

19. MARSH AVENUE ... This is the former name for today's Ashworth Avenue, one of the two main roads at Hampton Beach. In recognition of his contributions to Hampton Beach and the whole Town of Hampton, Marsh Avenue was renamed in honor of Col. George Ashworth's by the Selectmen after an advisory vote of the 1957 Town Meeting.

20. WHITE ROCKS ISLAND ... White Rocks Island was a section of beach in the general area of today's N.H. State Park, extending out across the current harbor inlet toward the Seabrook side of the river. Formerly an island, shifting sands attached it to Hampton Beach before the turn of the 20th century, and buildings sprang up so rapidly that it eventually became the Beach's largest cluster of summer cottages. Storms and severe erosion put it back under water between 1914 and 1928.

21. SLEEPYTOWN (i.e. SLEEPERTOWN) ... Descendants of Thomas Sleeper.
2. THOMAS SLEEPER was born 1616 in Bristol, England, and died July 30, 1696 in Hampton, Rockingham Co, NH. He married (1) ELIZABETH SHERBURNE. He married (2) JOANNA LEE Abt. 1649 in Haverhill, Rockingham Co, NH.
"Thomas Sleeper was born about 1616 and was a resident of Hampton, NH soon after the settlement of that town in 1638. Land was granted to him as early as 1646. In the later part of his life, he lived on what is now known as Shaw's hill. His was then a frontier house, no other family living so remote from the main settlement. From him and his descendants, that part of the town was called Sleepertown, since corrupted into "Sleepytown". He died July 30, 1696 and his family afterwards removed to the newly incorporated town of Kingston. His wife Joanna died there February 5, 1703 at the age of 80 years. She was buried in Hampton. Their children were: Elizabeth, Mary, Ruth, John, Moses, Aaron & Luther."