In celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence, and in collaboration with the Office of Mayor Chuck Grassie, Rochester Colonial Moments, a historical series highlighting notable moments from Rochester’s past, is brought to you by Patrick O. Connelly, Rochester, New Hampshire, historian.
Monday, August 3, 2026
“In the period that introduced the Intolerable Acts by the British Parliament, a number of natural crises exacerbated the pressure on Rochester’s economy. Years of drought between 1762 and 1764 were followed by one of the most destructive forest fires experienced by northern New England to that time. Flames drove through Barrington to the east and decimated timber and townships all the way to Portland. The resulting damage moved the timber industry north of the Saco River.
In addition, both a meteor strike and earthquakes shook the town before 1773. It is presumable that town inhabitants were little disposed to endure additional pressure on their potential for survival. In 1774, the proprietors gave the proceeds of mill rents to the town to build five blockhouses, or forts.
Preparations were underway, and local feelings ignited when British troops fired on presumptive British citizens at Concord Bridge in Massachusetts on April 19, 1775. By June, town committees of safety were recommended by the Provincial Congress, which further directed that a regiment be formed under Enoch Poor of Exeter and Col. John McDuffee of Rochester. Rochester added ten men—nine yeomen and one tailor—to the roster for duty between May and August 1775.”
The largest number of Rochester enlistees appear to have served in Col. Pierce Long’s Regiment, protecting the coast at New Castle. Capt. John Brewster, Ens. John Bergin, and Sergeants Stephen Berry and Enoch Burnham commanded 16 men in this endeavor.
Patrick O. Connelly is a historian, researcher, and author whose work focuses extensively on the colonial history and development of Rochester, New Hampshire. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with degrees in History and French, Connelly has spent decades researching Rochester’s earliest records, maps, land divisions, and settlement history.
Connelly is the author of two comprehensive works on Rochester’s colonial history: Rochester, New Hampshire: Territory to Township, 1620–1799 and In Their Own Words: Transcription and Research of the Original Records of Colonial Rochester, New Hampshire, 1722–1799. Both books are available through his website at RNHCC.com.
