Community Profiles - Meredith

Due to its location on two major northern routes, Meredith is considered the "Latchkey to the White Mountains".

Meredith was originally settled as a mill town in the late 1700s because the stream from Lake Waukewan into Lake Winnipesaukee was a natural source of waterpower.

The mills prospered throughout the 1800s, churning out such diverse products as lumber, flour, cotton, hosiery, textiles, and even pianos. In recent years, some of the surviving mills have been renovated and now house the Inns and Marketplace at Mill Falls.

A place rich in political history, Meredith's founding father Ebenezer Smith was a major player in the fight to ratify the U.S. Constitution. Major Edwin Bedee, also of Meredith, was in the Ford Theater when President Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. Bedee came to the aid the President that evening.

Recently, the M/S Mount Washington began making regular stops at the new town docks in Meredith on its summer and fall cruises.