Before 1500 -- Prior to the arrival of the first European explorers, Indians known as the Penacooks live in what will be known as Rochester
1722 -- Town incorporated (other towns incorporated at the same time were Barrington, Chester, and Nottingham
1728 -- Timothy Roberts is the first permanent settler
1731 -- First meeting house built
1732 -- First mill privilege granted
1737 -- Amos Main becomes the first ordained minister
1746 -- Indian Massacre on Rochester Hill - Gershom Downs, Joseph Richards, Joseph Heard, and John Wentworth are killed; John Richards is taken prisoner
1748 -- Last Indian raid - Jonathan Hodgon's wife is slain
1752 -- First school - located on Rochester Hill
1760 -- First parsonage house is constructed
1768 -- First postal route is established
1775 --American Revolution begins. Men from Rochester march into battle
1792 --First social library
1797 -- First court house
1798 -- Farmington separated from Rochester
1802 -- Milton separated from Rochester
1812 -- First post office is opened
1823 -- Stage service is started up
1834 -- First bank (Rochester Bank) is organized
1857 -- First High School
1858 -- First weekly newspaper (Rochester Review) is published
1861 --American Civil War - Men again march into battle to preserve freedom
1874 -- First Rochester Fair
1878 -- Street lighting is started
1885 -- Water system is installed
1891 -- City goverment is established
1893 -- Sewerage system is installed
1893 --First public library is opened
1896 --Parson Main Monument is dedicated
1901 -- Trolly line to Dover is started
1908 -- City hall built
1911 --First fatal car accident
1916 --First hospital is built
1918 --Private George Maxfield was killed in action on June 13 by enemy fire at Bois de Croscett. He was the first man from Rochester to be killed in World War I
1918 -- Spanish Influenza epidemic hits the region. Many are hospitalized and many die. During the worst two weeks there are 53 deaths in the city
1939 -- Spaulding High School opens
1941 -- America enters the Second World War - America's Greatest Generation will battle and triumph over the forces of Fascism
1942 -- Frisbie Memorial Hospital opens
RIDDLE - This thing all things devours:
Birds, trees, beasts, flowers;
Gnaws iron, bites steel;
Grinds hard stones to meal;
Slays king, ruins town,
And beats high mountain down.
ANSWER - TIME
From the THE HOBBIT by JRR Tolkien