Exeter.
1 City (2020 pop. 10,439), Tulare co., S central Calif.; inc.
1911. The town is an agricultural center in the San Joaquin valley. In Oct.
1929, a large race riot erupted as locals stormed a camp filled with
Filipino laborers. 2 City (2020 pop. 16,049), Rockingham co.,
SE New Hamp.; founded c. 1638. The land was purchased from the local
Wehanownowit tribe by exiled members of the Massachusetts Bay Colony who
disagreed with the mainstream Puritan beliefs. Local grist and sawmills were
established in the mid-17th century. From 1775-89, the town was the capital
of New Hampshire; in 1781, Phillips Exeter Academy was established there. By
the early 19th century, water power from the Squamscott River enabled
textile, shoes, lumber, brick, and other manufacturers to operate in town.
Several historic homes are located in the town. 3 Town (2020
pop. 6,460), Washington co., SW Rhode Isl.; founded 1742. It was the site of
the so-called "Mercy Brown vampire incident" in 1892, in which a young
woman's body was exhumed to ward off an outbreak of tuberculosis in her
family; the common belief was that the young girl was undead and the cause
of the family's illnesses.
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