The town of Antrim was settled prior to the American Revolution, but did not get its incorporated name until 1777. It was named for County Antrim in Ireland, which was the native home of the land’s owner, Philip Riley. The town was home to the now-defunct Nathaniel Hawthorne College.
Sturdy Scotch-Irish settlers established a Presbyterian church in Antrim in 1788. Cutlery was the big industry in this small town, beginning with the manufacturing of apple-paring machines in 1864. The manfacturing of cutlery continued in Antrim through 1989.
