The charming community of Alton is situated at the southern-most point of Lake Winnipesaukee. The town fronts Alton Bay, the southeastern point of Lake Winnipesaukee, and its 19.3 square miles of inland water area is the largest of any town in New Hampshire.

The bay serves as a seaplane base that operates year-round.

One can catch the M/S Mount Washington at the town's docks for an exiciting tour of the "Big Lake". The "Mount" offers an unequaled perspective of the Lakes Region.

For a bird's eye view of the bay and entire south end of Lake Winnipesaukee, one should hike up Mount Major, located along Route 11. This popular trail, rated easy to moderate, is approximately two miles in lenght from the parking lot up to its majestic summit.

Alton is a lovely community located at the southern tip of Lake Winnipesakee providing for year round activities such as boating, swimming, snowmobiling, and skiing. The town is located at the crossroads of highways route 11 and 28 that allows for easy travel to the seacoast and the Concord/Manchester areas.

"A Portrait in Granite" was the description of Alton by historian Barton M. Griffin. With its five mile frontage along the Alton Bay shoreline and bordering the Town of New Durham; Alton was originally part of New Durham Gore a name derived from its rocky terrain carved into the mountains, more specifically Mt. Major. First settled in the middle 1770's, the early settlers were successful after eight petitions to the Court to change the name to Alton in 1796, and in March of 1797 the Incorporation Ceremony took place. Three Selectmen were elected to oversee the business of the Town. The 1790 census showed 445 residents in Town.

The Town is in Belknap County and envelopes the southeastern point of Lake Winnipesaukee and includes the southeastern side of Wolfeboro Harbor and all of the largest islands in the southeast end of the lake. Alton contains 63.9 square miles of land area and 19.3 square miles of inland water area.

The last census reports 4,852 residents. And according to statistics from the NH Employment Security, there are over 226 employees working within municipal services and the schools. The Town budget in 2003 was $4,297.509.

During the years that followed Incorporation, citizens concentrated on proving their Town a worthy community. Roads were built, land was cleared and the first Meeting House was erected. By 1840 the Village of Alton in the center of Town finally came "into being".

Today there are over 87 miles of town maintained roads and there are State highways Route 140, and Routes 28 and 28A and Route 11. The nearest interstate is approximately 21 miles to either Rte 95 or I-93.

In 1847 rail lines were established and trains began bringing passengers and freight to Alton and Alton Bay. The railroad was in existence until 1935. The railroad connected to the Lakeport Line and several stations and stops existed on the way to Laconia. Some of these smaller stations are now private homes.

By 1860, the Alton community had stores and industries of almost every description. Entrepreneurs and businesses flourished. Boarding houses and farms were prevalent. At the beginning of the 20th century, twenty-five one-room school houses existed throughout Alton. The most famous industry was the invention and manufacturing of the corkscrew by the Rockwell Clough Company established in 1875. By 1903 the company was producing over thirty million of these items world wide. In 1863 the Adventist Campground held their first camp meeting in Alton Bay.

The current Town Hall was constructed in 1894 at a cost of $15,098. The brick edifice with its tower brings the building height to eighty-five feet high. At the top is the Thomas E. Howard clock which has hands more than three feet long on all four sides. The clock has strikes every hour on the hour. The Fire Whistle is also contained within the Tower.

In 1915 the Public Library had over 1,213 books. Today the Gilman library has a collection of more than 15,958 books and reference materials.

The Town's first telephone switchboard was installed in 1884, Alton now has six telephone exchanges. By 1920 the days of using kerosene lamps was over, electricity was being supplied by the White Mountain Power Company. A post office opened on Main Street. Today the main post office is on School Street and a smaller office is still operating in Alton Bay.

Tourism has long been the leading business for Alton since the middle 1800's. Most visitors come to the Lake. Lake Winnipesaukee had many spelling issues, but in 1937 the NH General Court legalized the spelling as Winnipesaukee, Translated carefully the name means "Deep Water in a High Place". The Lake is 504 feet above sea level. Many islands on the lake exist within the Town's boundaries. There are other smaller bodies of water in Alton none so popular as the "Big Lake".

The M/S Mt. Washington comes into port at Alton Bay The original "Mount" was a steamer built by the Boston and Maine Railroad constructed at Alton Bay during 1871-2 and was the largest vessel on the lake. Travelers could come by rail to Alton Bay, Board the Mount to Wolfeboro and other ports to continue their journey north to the White Mountains or other points. After the original Mount burned at the Weirs, a new ship was brought to the Lake and renamed Mount Washington. The present M/S Mount Washington was reconstructed to carry more tourists and continues to offer cruises bringing its passengers from port to port during May through October.

Attractions for visitors to Alton are within close proximity of the lake and other natural resources. Thousands of tourists pass through and visit Alton especially during the summer and fall seasons. The Merrymeeting River meanders from Alton Bay and offers boating and fishing enthusiasts many recreation activities. River Lake Road and Letter S. Road were built along its banks. From Letter S. Road one can observe the old railroad trestle stonework and the Merrymeeting Dam. The railroad line continued along the river through a tunnel under the current Rand Hill Road before it arrived at the Alton Bay Station.

The views from the summits of Mt. Major and Straightback Mountain offer spectacular scenery and the hikers can pick blueberries in season on their way to the top.

Alton has Board of five elected Selectmen and they appoint a Town Administrator who is a full-time staff member. Town Meeting is held in March every year. School District Meetings are held separately. Town offices are located in the Town Hall, they include Tax Collector, Town Clerk, Land Use and Property Records, and Administrative Offices.. The Police Department is on Depot Street. The Central Fire Station is located on Rte 140 and there are firehouses in East and West Alton and at Alton Bay. The Water Department is also located on Rte 140 and the Town has a Parks & Recreation Commission which utilizes the former Volunteer Alton Ambulance Building which had been constructed on the site of one of the last remaining little schoolhouses. The Gilman Museum sits on land previously housing the Alton Shoe Factory. The Alton Highway Department is located on Letter S. Road near the site of the former Wentworth Mills. The landfill, now the Solid Waste Center is off of 28A(Hurd Hill) in East Alton.

The American Legion Post occupied the former Savage Tavern on Main Street for many years and the small square in the center of Town was dedicated as Monument Square. The Town's Veterans are honored each year on Memorial Day. Today the tavern is occupied by small businesses.

The Downtown area is comprised of a cemetery, banks, restaurants, realtors, financial institutions, the Gilman Library the Community Church, Police Station, Town Hall, a medical clinic, food markets, hardware and building supply stores and Alton Town Hall. A larger and newer Cemetery is located on Route 28S, and there are many others located throughout Town. .

Old Wolfeboro Road at the Junction of Route 11/28A from its access on Main Street is a major thoroughfare to the Route 28 bypass for those traveling east and west. Elderly Housing and the Gilman Home for the Aged are on this road.

Alton Bay has a more seasonal ambience, with a Chamber of Commerce, the Christian Conference Center, restaurants, marinas, post office, realtors and craft shops, municipal swimming facilities,. parks and campgrounds. Every season, The M/S Mt. Washington comes into port picking up passengers at the site of the former Railroad Station. The station now serves as a Community Center.

Located on the Suncook Valley Road (Rte 28S)the newly constructed Prospect Mountain High School welcomed students from Alton and Barnstead. The former Central School on School Street continues to house classes from Kindergarten through Grade 8. Over 700 students are enrolled in the Alton School System.

The St. Katherine Drexel Church was recently constructed on Route 28 between Alton and Wolfeboro and replaces the St. Joan of Arc Church which was destroyed by fire in 2000.

Through the years the Town has had very generous benefactors. Among the most well known is Oliver John Morrison Gilman who made bequests to the Gilman Library and for the establishment of the Gilman Home for the Aged. He also served on Town committees and boards. Others include Harold & Pearl (Bassett) Gilman, The Clough Family and William Heidke. Citizens and groups have donated towards our Churches, and Schools, and continue to do so.

The Town is fortunate to have so many residents who are generous and civic minded. Committees have been established to revitalize the site of the Alton Railroad Station into a Community Park and other committees are working on improvements to municipal buildings and public areas and updates to the Town's Master Plan.

GEOGRAPHY

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 212.9 square kilometers (82.2 square miles). 163.5 km² (63.1 mi²) of it is land and 49.3 km² (19.0 mi²) of it is water, comprising 23.18% of the town. Alton is drained by the Merrymeeting River. Mount Major, in Mount Major State Forest, has an elevation of 1,780 feet (543 meters) above sea level. Popular with hikers, the summit offers unsurpassed views of Lake Winnipesaukee. The highest point in Alton is the north peak of Straightback Mountain (1,910 ft. / 582 m.), just west of Mount Major. Both mountains are part of the Belknap Mountains range.

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