Background: 
Fitzwilliam is a scenic community with an attractive, fenced common and an architecturally outstanding 1817 town hall. The town was called Monadnock No. 4 or Stoddardtown when it was granted in 1752. Upon its incorporation in 1773, it was named in honor of Sir William Fitzwilliam, Earl of Fitzwilliam.
Brigadier Gen. James Reed (1722-1807), veteran of the French and Indian Wars and one of only three Revolutionary War generals from New Hampshire, settled here in about 1765 as an original proprietor.
After the railroad opened in 1849, an important granite industry developed and flourished for some years in Fitzwilliam. Today, the town is a resort and retirement community with many beautiful colonial homes. Its Rhododendron Reservation and State Park and Laurel Lake are outstanding features. |
