Walpole

Town in Norfolk County, east Massachusetts; population (2000 est) 22,800. It is located 29 km/18 mi southwest of Boston, on the Neponset River. Walpole is the site of the chief Massachusetts correctional institution, known as the Norfolk prison. The town produces floor coverings, paper, chemicals, and machinery. It was founded as an industrial centre in 1659 and was a part of Dedham, Massachusetts, until 1724 when it was incorporated as a town.

Walpole was named after British prime minister Robert Walpole. The earliest written reference to the area dates from a mine claim in 1647. A sawmill was built in Walpole in 1659. The discovery of deposits of bog iron and power available from the Neponset River were significant factors in the area's industrial development. The town was caught up in King Philip's War, involving Philip, the chief of the Wampanoag people.

The town has two entries on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Town Hall which dates from the 1880s.

Walpole

Town in Cheshire County, southwest New Hampshire; population (1990) 3,200. It is situated on the Connecticut River, to the southeast of Bellows Falls, Vermont, and 21 km/13 mi northwest of Keene. The manufacture of wood products has been important in this largely rural town.