NH’s newest Historical Highway Marker reaches back four centuries

The NH Division of Historical Resources is pleased to announce that a New Hampshire Historical Highway Marker, commemorating members of the Hilton family who first lived in Newfields nearly 400 years ago, has been installed near the intersection of Route 85 and Summer Street in that town.

The marker reads:

“HILTON FAMILY OF NEWFIELDS

“After establishing a fishing settlement in what is now called Dover Point, Edward Hilton, Sr. (1569-1671) settled in the ‘New fields’ section of Exeter in the 1630s. Hilton’s first know residence was located near the Hilton Burying Ground, where many of his descendants are buried. The oldest surviving inscription is for his grandson, Col. Winthrop Hilton (1671-1710), who was the principal military commander in New Hampshire at the time of his death. A Hilton Family home built in the early 18th century stands on what is now Exeter Road.”

This is the 272nd marker in New Hampshire’s Historical Highway Marker program.

Any municipality, agency, organization or individual wishing to propose a historical highway marker to commemorate significant New Hampshire places, persons or events must submit a petition of support signed by at least 20 New Hampshire residents. They must also draft the text of the marker and provide footnotes and copies of supporting documentation, as well as a suggested location for marker placement.

New Hampshire’s historical highway markers illustrate the depth and complexity of our history and the people who made it, from the last Revolutionary War soldier to contemporary sports figures to poets and painters who used New Hampshire for inspiration; from 18th-century meeting houses to stone arch bridges to long-lost villages; from factories and cemeteries to sites where international history was made.

An interactive map of the state’s historical highway markers is available at the NH Division of Historical Resources’ website, nh.gov/nhdhr.

The New Hampshire Historical Highway Marker program is jointly managed by the NH Division of Historical Resources and N.H. Department of Transportation.