The town of Campton, NH, was originally granted in 1761 to General Jabez Spencer of East Haddam, Connecticut. It was first settled about 1765, but General Spencer died before the terms of charter, which required settlement by 50 families, each farm being 5 acres for every 50 received, was complete. Therefore, his heirs and others were given a new grant in 1767.

Campton took its name from Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington. Compton was a friend of colonial governor Benning Wentworth, and had been influential in Wentworth’s attaining his post in 1741.

Sylvester Marsh, builder of the Mount Washington Cog Railway, had his boyhood home in Campton. The town has 3 covered bridges, including Blair Bridge, which is 292 feet, 10 inches long, the second longest within the state.