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Rockingham County Board of Commissioners Historical Minutes

Rockingham County Board of Commissioners Historical Minutes

About Rockingham County

Rockingham County is one of 10 counties in New Hampshire.  Located in the southeastern part of the state, Rockingham County includes all 18 miles of New Hampshire’s Atlantic coastline.  The county is bordered by Maine to the northeast and Massachusetts to the south. The overall land mass is 699 square miles, with a population of nearly 300,000 (www.nh.gov/oep). There are 36 towns and 1 city in the county, which are divided into three districts.  The largest towns in Rockingham County are both in the western part of the county: Derry with an approximate population of 36,500, and Salem with an approximate population of 30,000. You can learn more about the towns/city served in each district, as well as the County Commissioners representing those districts, on the Commissioners page.

Rockingham County was home to New Hampshire’s first European settlements, Pannaway and Strawbery Banke (Portsmouth). In 1623, only three years after the landing of the pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts, David Thomson first settled New Hampshire at Odiorne Point in what is now known as the Town of Rye. By the mid 1600s, the county included three of the four original New Hampshire towns and was the center for business, trade and government for the entire state. The state capital was located in Portsmouth first, then later moved to Exeter and other towns. In 1808 the capital finally settled to its current location in Concord. Rockingham County was eventually organized in 1769 and incorporated in 1771 as one of the five original counties and named for Charles Weston Wentworth, Second Marquis of Rockingham.

Today, Rockingham County is considered the commerce center of southern New Hampshire.  Businesses and industry most popular in the county include construction, electric, gas and sanitation services, retail trade, services and manufacturing.

Commissioners Meeting Minutes from 1940

Commissioners Meeting Minutes from 1940

County Complex History

1916 Rockingham County Complex

Fernald Building Dedication (includes information about other buildings and history about the complex/buildings)

Blaisdell Building (drawing and dedication)

Ernest P. Barka Assisted Living Facility (dedications)