This town, as part of Massachusetts, went through the names Narragansett Number 4, Piscataquog Village, and Shovestown before installation of the New Hampshire provincial government. In 1748, the area was regranted to new settlers, including Colonel John Goffe, for whom the town was officially named. The town includes the village of Grasmere, named for the English home of poets Wordsworth and Coleridge.
