Bitterby Lore Post (Patreon)

View of Our Lady of Confection Chapel from Channing Park

Short Summary:

Founded: 1766

Founded By: Bartholomew Burton Bitterby

Bitterby is the second-smallest town, by population, of Licorice County, New Hampshire. The city is located in southwestern New Hampshire. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 8,236. It lies 59 miles south of Sugardale the state's most populous city which is located in Bonbon County. Bitterby is home to the Thomas Bitterby Museum of Maple Syrup and the original birthplace of the (now defunct) Bitterby Maple Butters company.

History

Bitterby was chartered by Colonial Governor Bartholomew Burton Bitterby on February 2, 1766. The name "Bitterby" came from it’s founder’s namesake, although this was a point of contention at the time, as the neighboring towns were taking on a certain theme in their naming convention. Bartholomew was known to be a bit of a contrairian, however, and it is rumored he relished in the irony of his namesake ruining the sweet theme.

During the Revolutionary War, a lot of the town was burned in the Terryfold Raid on December 1, 1778. Augustus Channing was renowned as a town hero for his display of bravery against Jonathan Terryfold and his rogue army of raiders. After the war concluded in 1783, settlers returned to rebuild homes, clear forests and establish farms. Principal staples were maple syrup and hay.

As the town steadily grew, so did the contention between landowners. Land with maple trees became scarce to come by for new residents. When a landowner was convinced to sell, the land would often go for exorbitant prices. This culture of not selling land at reasonable prices earned the small town the reputation of 

“A town of tight purses, bitter souls, but the sweetest syrup you ever did taste.” - Excerpt from Sugardale Town Traveller’s Digest. 1801.

The Vanderheim Flagell Component Controversy

In 1802 a clerical error led to the seizing of Saxton J. Vanderheim’s tree farm and adjoining properties. Despite Saxton disputing the verdict of town officials, (an astounding 56 times over the course of one month) Saxton lost ownership over his land.

It was rumored that this clerical error was a fabrication, and was an act of retaliation from William Bitterby, son of Bartholomew. There was speculation Saxton and William’s wife, Virginia, were having an affair. There is no concrete evidence to these claims however.

Due to Saxton’s loss of land, he transitioned from farming to inventing. In 1804, Saxton, after years of struggle, invented the very first Vanderheim flagell component, which is still used in Maple whipped butter production to this day.

In 1807, William Bitterby publicly denounced Vanderheim and his invention in a town hall meeting, claiming it was stolen intellectual property. Bitterby claimed he had been prototyping a similar component for his Maple Butter production, and Vanderheim’s son, Alfred, (who was a former employee of the Bitterby Maple Butter workshop) had stolen proprietary material to give to his father:

“This man, if one would even hazard to call him one, is not of honor or of ingenious invention, as he would have you all believe. He is a man of treacherous deceit. One must be deaf, dumb or blind to ever trust a Vanderheim.” - William Bitterby, Bitterby town hall meeting, April 13, 1807

The catchy slogan and impassioned speech spread throughout the small town and neighboring villages. Socially ousted from the Bitterby community, Vanderheim and his family settled 59 miles north, to the burgeoning town of Sugardale. The smear campaign had not spread that far, and his family benefitted from the distance. 

The Vanderheim flagell component was referred to as the “Bitterby flagell” from that point until an intellectual property hearing restored it to the original name in 1937.

Bitterby Maple Butters Company

The Bitterby Maple Butters Company, the country’s first and largest maple butter producer, was founded in 1800. It became a national brand, with retail outlets in numerous cities and a limited number of store openings internationally, before it’s ultimate closure in 2021

Present Day

Downtown Bitterby, 2010

Today, Bitterby serves as the agricultural hub of Licorice county. Dubbed as Licorice County’s “favorite big-little town” , it is often a destination for tourists who seek a small-town, pastoral experience. The small downtown area is home to the Thomas Bitterby Museum of Maple Syrup, a two-screen movie theater, post office, and a few small boutiques and restaurants. Surrounding the downtown area, there are a number of family farms and maple tree forests that still boast the names of the founding families of Bitterby.

Geography

Route 18 going into Bitterby, with a view of Maple Hill

Bitterby is situated in the northwestern corner of Licorice county in New Hampshire. The town is bifurcated by Gummy Creek, which flows from south to north across the town, feeding eventually into the Sugardale River.

To the North of downtown is Maple hill, a prominent landmark of the small town, popular for hiking, fishing and seeing sights of the entire Bitterby town and neighboring farms.

Climate

Bitterby experiences large seasonal temperature differences. Typical summers are hot and humid, while winters are often severely cold and long.

Education

The Butter Park School grounds

Public:

• Bartholomew Bitterby Elementary grades Pre-K -5
• Bitterby Middle School grades 6-8
• Bitterby High School grades 9-12

Private:

• The Butter Park School grades 9-12
• The Bitterby Academy - closed 2018
  

Demographics

A typical residential Bitterby neighborhood 

As of the 2020 Census, there were 8,236 people, 2,477 households and 1,750 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 72% White, 15.5% Black, 4% Asian, 3% Hispanic or Latino, 3% from two or more races, 2% Native American and 0.5% Pacific Islander.

Of the 2,477 households surveyed, 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 56.2% were couples living together and join in marriage, 10.3% had a female head of household with no husband present. The average family size was 2.38.

The median income for a household in Bitterby was $34,235. Males had a median income of $31,887 in comparison to $26,901 for females. Per capita income for the town is $16,992. Around 10.1% of the population are below the poverty line.

Notable residents

• Thomas Bitterby - Entreprenuer
• Patty Pep - former president of Sugardale University 
• Jerome Tate - U.S. Senator 
• Mel Chimes - Author, environmentalist 
• Ade Ibrihim - businessman, cofounder of Orun Petrol ltd. 
• Minnie Springs - 1930s actress 
• David Grimesly - Philanthropist, author.
  
  

Points of Interest

• Thomas Bitterby Museum of Maple Syrup
• Minnie Springs Memorial 
• Bitterby Farmers Market 
• Sweetsouls of Bitterby (Sculpture)
• Bitterby Annual Chili Festival 
• Maple Hill Channing Memorial Park
• Bitterby Maple Butters company (defunct) 
• Gummy Creek Trail (Popular hiking and biking trail)
• Bitterby Public Library
  
  

In popular culture

• Shots of Bitterby seen from Maple Hill are used as a stand in for a fictional Massachusetts town in the 2008 Romantic Comedy “Still Tied Up”

• “Sappy Ass Butter LLC.” of the North Park television show, was inspired by The Bitterby Maple Butters Company. Creator of the show Dan Wylder said in an interview that “I needed to make a fake company that embodied everything wrong with corporate America, Bitterby Maple Butters was just that. So Mike and I just fucked around with the name and came up with Sappy Ass. It stuck, and people loved it.” North Park Movie premiere, 2002.

• Dharma Selly from the hit TV sitcom Girls Club, is from Bitterby.

• Oscar Pinnington dedicated 9 poems in his last anthology to Bitterby and it’s beautiful Maple forests.

• Dr. Crave mentions Bitterby in a line from his 1997 song “Turn Around” - “And if she bitter, better get ya B/ I don’t need to see/ That bitch keep runnin her mouth, I’mma leave her in Bitterby.”