1722      Incorporated

      1820      Town was divided in half and the northwest half became Strafford

      1860's    The railroad was built running through East Barrington

      1869      Calef's Country Store was started along the railroad line

      1940's    Observation tower erected for spotting enemy planes during WWII

The Town of Barrington was incorporated in 1722. The area that represents Barrington is the result of two land grants. In 1820 the Town was divided in half and the northwest half became Strafford. Barrington is approximately 48 square miles. Barrington was named for John Shute-Barrington whose brother was the Royal Governor, Samuel Shute. The Town became settled in the 1740's when 50 people were willing to give it a try.

By the mid 1770's the population had reached 1800 people. Barrington played a big part in the events of the Revolution and the struggle for independence from Great Britain. In 1817 the population reached 3,564. At that time only two other towns in New Hampshire had more people. The Town had 15 school districts and all schools contained one room.

Between 1780 and 1830 the Town was involved with agriculture. Later the textile industry and the timber business flourished because of the availability of water power from the rivers. In the 1860s' the issue of slavery came between the Northern and Southern states. Barrington residents were concerned of the Southern States destroying the Union, which resulted in the residents volunteering at the call of President Lincoln.

With the conclusion of the Civil War, Barrington went through a change when the veterans returned home. Old industries went out of business or had moved to another town. People had to go where the jobs were and moved to the towns of Dover, Rochester, Somersworth and Newmarket where the mills and factories were located. The population decreased to 1500.

The coming of the railroad helped develop business in East Barrington. New businesses were started along the railroad line. Calef's Country Store was started in 1869. Barrington shared in the Country's prosperity in the early 1900's. Up to 70 trains a day went through Barrington. During the 1930's Barrington had a baseball team, the Barrington Orioles. An observation tower was erected in Barrington during World War II for the purpose of spotting enemy airplanes. It was on a hill near the middle school and was manned 24 hours.

The population today in Barrington has reached over 7500 and is listed as one of the fastest growing communities in New Hampshire.

- contributed by an anonymous Eagle scout