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Community Profiles - Laconia
Laconia is the county seat of Belknap County, and is the commercial center of the surrounding region. While the Weirs Beach section was originally a thriving Native American fishing settlement, the first documented white visitors came to the area in 1652. It wasn’t until the end of the French Indian War in 1763 that settlers arrived. The first settlers were farmers who found the fertile soil beneficial to their survival. Farming remained a primary occupation right through World War II.
In the early to mid 1800s, stagecoach, railroad and steamboat routes made travel more convenient and Weirs Beach began to become a popular summer resort. As travel improved and more settlers came to the area, the need for commerce grew, and mills began to dot the countryside. Plentiful flowing water provided power for the textile and manufacturing mills of the industrial age.
Originally called Meredith Bridge, the Town of Laconia became incorporated in 1855, and later became incorporated as a city in 1893. The first Mayor of the City of Laconia, Charles Busiel, became Governor of New Hampshire in 1895.
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