1735Government
== History ==
In 1735, colonial Governor Jonathan Belcher granted lots in the township of "Upper Ashuelot" to 63 settlers who paid £5 each (equivalent to US$1,358.9 in 2023).
1736Government
It was settled after 1736 on Equivalent Lands.
1747Military
In 1747, during King George's War, the village was attacked and burned by Natives.
1749History
Colonists fled to safety, but would return to rebuild in 1749.
1753Government
It was regranted to its inhabitants in 1753 by Governor Benning Wentworth, who renamed it "Keene" after Sir Benjamin Keene, a principal of the South Sea Trading Company, whose p...
1922Civil Rights
Bagley Bandstand, after the noted composer of the National Emblem March, who made Keene his home until his death in 1922.
1924Culture
Every year, the Keene branch of the Lions Clubs International performs a Broadway musical at the Colonial Theatre (a restored theatre dating back to 1924), to raise money for th...
1949History
=== In popular culture ===
The 1949 movie Lost Boundaries, starring Mel Ferrer, tells the true story of a black Keene physician who passed as white for many years.
1979Culture
=== Music and theatre ===
In 1979, First Lady Rosalynn Carter dedicated the bandstand in Central Square as the E.
1991Culture
It hosted the state's annual pumpkin festival from 1991 to 2014, several times setting a world record for most jack-o'-lanterns on display.
1993History
The first time was in 1993, when Keene set the record with nearly 5,000 carved and lit pumpkins.
1995History
Much of the 1995 movie Jumanji, starring Robin Williams, was filmed in Keene in November 1994, as the movie's fictional town of Brantford.
1997Disaster
The last time a tornado hit Cheshire County was in 1997.
2000History
The Swamp Bats are five-time league champions (2000, 2003, 2011, 2013, and 2019).
2002History
The most recent such winter was 2002–2003, when Keene received 112.5 inches (2,860 mm) of snow.
2003Culture
The tally from the 2003 festival stood as the record until Boston took the lead in 2006, but Keene reclaimed the world record in 2013, with a total of 30,581 pumpkins, according...
2004History
During January 2004, Keene saw highs below freezing 25 of the days, including five days in the single digits and one day with a high of zero.
2005Disaster
Recent examples are the blizzards of 2005 and 2006.
2009History
WSNI changed its city of license from Swanzey to Keene in September 2009.
2010History
== Demographics ==
As of the census of 2010, 23,409 people, 9,052 households, and 4,843 families were residing in the city.
2011Civil Rights
In 2011, Massachusetts man Thomas Ball immolated himself on the steps of a courthouse in Keene to protest what he considered the court system's abuse of divorced fathers' rights.
2013History
In December 2013, the judge overseeing the case dismissed the city's arguments against the "Robin Hooders" on first amendment grounds, citing the public sidewalks' role as a tra...
2014Education
Keene has Keene Middle School and as of 2014: Fuller, Franklin, Symonds, and Wheelock Elementary Schools.
2018Sports
They will defend their undefeated championship 2018 season in the Fall of 2019.