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Quicktime (requires plugin)It may rankle citizens of Auburn to know that their town was once a piece of the large colonial township of Chester, but so it goes for the community once known, more melodiously, as "The Long Meadows."
Like the great city of Rome, Auburn was founded on seven hills. Settlers who came to the area were drawn by its abundance of chestnut trees and the glory of the lake we know today as Massabesic.
When those settlers arrived, they were greeted by citizens of the Algonquin Nation, who were ruled by the great Penacook, Chief Passaconaway.
The history of Native Americans is an oral history, but even allowing for exaggeration, Passaconaway - whose name means "Child of the Bear" - was a remarkable man. He was said to stand 6-foot-4 and weigh more than 200 pounds. Followers said he could restore color to a dry leaf and handle rattlesnakes with impunity.
A different type of leadership emerged when Long Meadow was ultimately incorporated by the State Legislature as the township of Auburn. That came on June 23, 1845, and to cement the deal, the town was assessed the whopping amount of $2.26.
Young mothers of that day showed flashes of imagination when it came to naming their children. Names like Leban, Zebedee, Obededom, and Zephora were among the most outlandish, but over the past three centuries, the most popular names for the children of Auburn were, simply enough, John and Mary.