And They’re Loaded With History
- Rye. Rye is the site of the first permanent European settlement in New Hampshire. ...
- Portsmouth. Portsmouth, along with Dover, Exeter, and Hampton, is one of the four original towns in New Hampshire.
- Hampton. ...
- Exeter. ...
- Dover. ...
- Londonderry. ...
- Berlin. ...
- Manchester. ...
- Concord. ...
Who Founed New Hampshire and why?
New Hampshire was one of the 13 original colonies of the United States and was founded in 1623. The land in the New World was granted to Captain John Mason, who named the new settlement after his homeland in Hampshire County, England. Mason sent settlers to the new territory to create a fishing colony.
Who were the first settlers of New Hampshire?
The three earliest explorers of New Hampshire were Sebastian Cabot, Martin Pring, and John Smith. Sebastian Cabot did not land but Martin Pring explored near what is now Portsmouth looking for sassafras. John Smith did not come to the mainland but named the Isles of Shoals after himself as he passed by.
Why did settlers settle in New Hampshire?
Why did they settle in New Hampshire? Many of the first settlers came to New Hampshire, not in search of religious freedom but rather to seek their fortunes through trade with England , primarily in fish, fur, and timber.
What nationalities settled New Hampshire?
New Hampshire's first permanent European settlement began in 1623. In the wake of native populations, largely decimated by European diseases, English traders and fishermen settled at Odiorne Point in present-day Rye, and on Dover Point.
When was New Hampshire settled?
July 4, 1776New Hampshire / Date settled
How did the New Hampshire Colony start?
New Hampshire was founded in 1622 when John Mason and Ferdinando Gorges were given a land grant by the Council for New England. Only three years after the Pilgrim's landed at Plymouth, the first settlers arrived near present-day Portsmouth in 1623.
Where was New Hampshire founded?
June 21, 1788New Hampshire / Founded
Who first came to New Hampshire?
New Hampshire was first settled by Europeans at Odiorne's Point in Rye (near Portsmouth) by a group of fishermen from England, under David Thompson in 1623, three years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth. Early historians believed the first native-born New Hampshirite, John Thompson, was born there.
How Old Is New Hampshire?
Statehood. New Hampshire became the 9th state on June 21, 1788. It was one of the original 13 colonies.
Did New Hampshire have slaves?
The size of the black population in 17th century New Hampshire was small and, therefore, easily overlooked. However, surveys of wills and inventories show that slaves were included in the estates of several prominent early Portsmouth families.
What was New Hampshire before it became a state?
Province of New HampshireNew HampshireBefore statehoodProvince of New HampshireAdmitted to the UnionJune 21, 1788 (9th)CapitalConcordLargest cityManchester45 more rows
Who founded New Hampshire and why?
New Hampshire was one of the 13 original colonies of the United States and was founded in 1623. The land in the New World was granted to Captain John Mason, who named the new settlement after his homeland in Hampshire County, England. Mason sent settlers to the new territory to create a fishing colony.
What are 3 interesting facts about New Hampshire Colony?
The oldest permanent settlement in New Hampshire is Dover, which was settled in 1623. This was the seventh settlement in the United States. New Hampshire Colony's second settlement was Portsmouth, in 1630. In 1641 New Hampshire was claimed by the Massachusetts Colony.
What events happened in New Hampshire Colony before 1775?
1741 - New Hampshire splits from Massachusetts and becomes an English colony. 1764 - The Connecticut River is established as the border between New Hampshire and Massachusetts. 1769 - Dartmouth College is founded in the city of Hanover. 1774 - The colonists capture guns and ammo from the British Fort William and Mary.
What was the New Hampshire Colony known for?
New Hampshire, one of the original 13 colonies, was the first state to have its own state constitution. Its spirit of independence is epitomized in the state motto–“Live Free or Die.” New Hampshire was the 9th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution–the final state needed to put the document into effect.
What kind of colony was New Hampshire?
The New Hampshire Colony was classified as one of the New England Colonies. The Province of New Hampshire was an English colony in North America that existed from 1638 until 1776, when it joined the other 12 of the 13 colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S. state of New Hampshire.
Why did the settlement of New Hampshire not happen?
Thus the settlement of New Hampshire did not happen because those who came here were persecuted out of England. The occasion, which is one of the great events in the annals of the English people, was one planned with much care and earnestness by the English crown and the English parliament.
What state was New Hampshire first named?
Did you know New Hampshire was first named North Virginia, and it was once under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts?
What was the name of the town in the North Virginia?
To the map was added the name Portsmouth, taken from the English town where Captain John Mason was commander of the fort, and the name New Hampshire is that of his own English county of Hampshire. Captain Mason died in 1635, ...
What was the pre-revolution event in New Hampshire?
A pre-Revolution event occurring in New Hampshire was the removal in 1774, by a small party of patriots at New Castle, of the powder and guns at Fort William and Mary. Other Revolutionary events included New Hampshire’s participation in the Battle of Bunker Hill at which nearly all the troops doing the actual fighting were said to have been ...
How long is New Hampshire?
It is about 180 miles long and 50 miles wide, although the extreme width is 93 miles.
How many towns were granted in 1761?
In addition to the thirty-eight towns already granted, more than a hundred others followed after the year 1761. These towns contained lots available to more than thirty thousand families, many from the older towns in southern New Hampshire and Massachusetts, but many from other neighboring states.
When was New Hampshire surveyed?
By the time of the signing of the Peace of Paris in 1762, and the end of the Indian fighting under the Rogers Rangers, the entire north country of New Hampshire was ready to be explored, surveyed, and populated.
Why is New Hampshire important?
It plays an important role in national elections, as it is the first state to holdnational primaries, and its primary results are thought to influence those in the rest of the nation, giving rise to the saying “As New Hampshire goes, so goes the nation.”.
What was the first state to have its own constitution?
New Hampshire , one of the original 13 colonies, was the first state to have its own state constitution. Its spirit of independence is epitomized in the state motto–“Live Free or Die.” New Hampshire was the 9th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution–the final state needed to put the document into effect. It plays an important role in national elections, as it is the first state to holdnational primaries, and its primary results are thought to influence those in the rest of the nation, giving rise to the saying “As New Hampshire goes, so goes the nation.” It is the site of the White Mountains and the famed Mount Washington, one of the windiest places in the nation.
Where is the Old Man in the Mountain?
The “Old Man in the Mountain,” depicted on the New Hampshire state quarter, was a rock formation in Franconia Notch made up of five distinct granite ledges that lined up perfectly into the shape of a man’s profile. Formed by a series of geologic events that occurred over millions of years, the profile extended nearly 40 feet from forehead to chin. On May 3, 2003, the Old Man in the Mountain collapsed from its perch 1,200 feet above Profile Lake.
Which state was the only to have hosted the formal conclusion of a foreign war?
New Hampshire is the only state to have hosted the formal conclusion of a foreign war. In 1905, the treaty ending the Russo-Japanese War was signed in Portsmouth.
Why did Paul Revere ride to Portsmouth?
On December 13, 1774, four months before his famous “midnight ride” to Lexington, Massachusetts, Paul Revere embarked on a 55-mile ride from Boston to Portsmouth to warn of Fort William and Mary’s imminent seizure from British troops. One of the first acts of rebellion leading up to the revolution, a group of nearly 400 townspeople responded by raiding the garrison’s gunpowder to prevent the takeover, lowering the fort’s British flag upon their return to Portsmouth.
Who were the first English settlers in New Hampshire?
Permanent English settlement began after land grants were issued in 1622 to John Mason and Sir Ferdinando Gorges for the territory between the Merrimack and Sagadahoc ( Kennebec) rivers, roughly encompassing present-day New Hampshire and western Maine. Settlers, whose early leaders included David Thomson, Edward Hilton and his brother William Hilton, began settling the New Hampshire coast as early as 1623, and eventually expanded along the shores of the Piscataqua River and the Great Bay. These settlers were mostly intending to profit from the local fisheries. Mason and Gorges, neither of whom ever came to New England, divided their claims along the Piscataqua River in 1629. Mason took the territory between the Piscataqua and Merrimack, and called it "New Hampshire", after the English county of Hampshire.
When did the Europeans settle in New Hampshire?
Europeans first settled New Hampshire in the 1620s, and the province consisted for many years of a small number of communities along the seacoast, Piscataqua River, and Great Bay. In 1641 the communities were organized under the government of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, until Charles II issued a colonial charter for the province and appointed John Cutt as President of New Hampshire in 1679. After a brief period as a separate province, the territory was absorbed into the Dominion of New England in 1686. Following the collapse of the unpopular Dominion, on October 7, 1691 New Hampshire was again separated from Massachusetts and organized as an English crown colony. Its charter was enacted on May 14, 1692, during the coregency of William and Mary, the joint monarchs of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Between 1699 and 1741, the province's governor was often concurrently the governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay. This practice ended completely in 1741, when Benning Wentworth was appointed governor. Wentworth laid claim on behalf of the province to lands west of the Connecticut River, east of the Hudson River, and north of Massachusetts, issuing controversial land grants that were disputed by the Province of New York, which also claimed the territory. These disputes resulted in the eventual formation of the Vermont Republic and the US state of Vermont .
What was the population of New Hampshire in 1630?
From 1630 to 1780, the population of New Hampshire grew from 500 to 87,802. In 1623, the first permanent English settlements, Dover and Rye, were established, while Portsmouth was the largest city by 1773 with a population of 4,372. The black population in the colony grew from 30 in 1640 to 674 in 1773 (ranging between 1 and 4 percent of the population), but declined to 541 (or 0.6 percent of the population) by 1780.
What wars did New Hampshire fight?
From the 1680s until 1760, New Hampshire was often on the front lines of military conflicts with New France and the Abenaki people, seeing major attacks on its communities in King William's War, Dummer's War, and King George's War. The province was at first not strongly in favor of independence, but with the outbreak of armed conflict at Lexington and Concord many of its inhabitants joined the revolutionary cause. After Governor John Wentworth fled New Hampshire in August 1775, the inhabitants adopted a constitution in early 1776. Independence as part of the United States was confirmed with the 1783 Treaty of Paris .
What was the economy of New Hampshire?
The province's economy was dominated by timber and fishing. The timber trade, although lucrative, was a subject of conflict with the crown, which sought to reserve the best trees for use as ship masts. Although the Puritan leaders of Massachusetts ruled the province for many years, the New Hampshire population was more religiously diverse, originating in part in its early years with refugees from opposition to religious differences in Massachusetts.
Why was the province of New France partitioned?
The province was partitioned into counties in 1769, later than the other twelve colonies that revolted against the British Empire .
Who was the first governor of New Hampshire?
Samuel Allen , a businessman who had acquired the Mason claims, was appointed the first governor under the 1691 charter. He was equally unsuccessful in pursuing the Mason land claims, and was replaced in 1699 by the Earl of Bellomont. Bellomont was the first in a series of governors who ruled both New Hampshire and the Province of Massachusetts Bay. Until 1741 the governorships were shared, with the governor spending most of his time in Massachusetts. As a result, the lieutenant governors held significant power. The dual governorship became problematic in part because of territorial claims between Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Since the southern border of the original Mason grant was the Merrimack River, and the Massachusetts charter specified a boundary three miles north of the same river, the claims conflicted, and were eventually brought to the king's attention. In 1741, King George II decreed what is now the border between Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and separated the governorships, issuing a commission to Benning Wentworth as New Hampshire governor.
When did the English settle in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire's first permanent European settlement began in 1623. In the wake of native populations, largely decimated by European diseases, English traders and fishermen settled ...
What was New Hampshire known for in the late 1800s?
Although New Hampshire emerged as a major manufacturing state in the late 1800s, it did so at the expense of the traditional family hill farm. New Hampshire hill farms could not compete with farms in the Midwest, and the farm population not only declined in the second half of the century; it literally moved downhill, leaving behind a maze of stone walls and cellar holes. The population that remained in New Hampshire's farm towns became increasingly concentrated in one or more village centers, usually marked by a few stores, a district school, a church, an inn or hotel, and perhaps surrounded by a small number of dairy farms.
What was New Hampshire like during the American Revolution?
By the time of the American Revolution, New Hampshire was a divided province. The economic and social life of the Seacoast revolved around sawmills, shipyards, merchant's warehouses, and established village and town centers.
How long has New Hampshire been inhabited?
The land now called New Hampshire has been inhabited for approximately 12,000 years. For centuries, bands of prehistoric Native American Indians migrated on a seasonal basis along New Hampshire's rivers and lake shores, variously fishing, hunting, gathering wild nuts and berries, and planting crops. Having no written language, these early inhabitants are known today primarily through archaeological investigations.
What were the economic and social ties of New Hampshire?
New Hampshire's economic and social ties to Boston also meant that its residents were more sensitive to events in Boston. When Revolutionary politics closed the port of Boston, New Hampshire sent food. When news came of Lexington and Concord, New Hampshire towns sent troops. The once-loyal British subjects of New Hampshire became the first in America to draft a separate state constitution, and they were the first to instruct their delegates attending the Continental Congress in Philadelphia to vote for independence.
What was the capital of the 1700s?
By the first quarter of the 1700s, the provincial capital of Portsmouth had become a thriving commercial port, exporting timber products and importing everything from food to European finery. As the population grew, the original four towns subdivided into towns of smaller area.
What did the summer people buy in New Hampshire?
In time, "summer people" began buying up New Hampshire's old hill farms for summer homes. At the beginning of this century, New Hampshire was a leading producer of textiles, machinery, wood products, and paper.
Where was the first European settlement in New Hampshire?
Rye is the site of the first permanent European settlement in New Hampshire. In 1623, English traders and fisherman set up a small village at Odiorne Point. The spot overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and Portsmouth Harbor was the perfect place for fishing the rich New Hampshire waters and trading with other settlements. 2.
What was the first logging village in New Hampshire?
7. Berlin. Berlin wasn’t incorporated until 1829, making it young compared to many towns in the southern and coastal areas of New Hampshire. However, it was one of the first logging villages in New Hampshire to take off, and was the gateway into the previously inaccessible forests of the White Mountains.
What are the oldest towns in New Hampshire?
The seacoast has some of the oldest towns in the state for this reason. Over time, settlers from Massachusetts opened up the Merrimack Valley, which became an important economic area as New Hampshire’s main business shifted from fishing and trade to textiles. Finally, the northern reaches of the state opened with the help of the railroads. These 9 old towns show the progression of the settlement of New Hampshire, and boy is the story interesting!
What was the first state to become a manufacturing hub?
Dover was one of the four initial settlements in New Hampshire, built on an economy of trade and fishing. However, when that began to slow in the 1800s, Dover was one of the first states to transform itself into a manufacturing hub, building textile mills that would soon take over New Hampshire ’s economy through late 19th and early 20th century.
What was the name of the mill that stayed open after the Civil War?
In fact, Exeter Manufacturing Company was one of the few mills that stayed open after the Civil War, when most manufacturing moved down south. Exeter is also home to one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the country, Phillips Academy, which opened its doors in 1781. 5.
Why was Concord named Rumford?
It was initially called Rumford, but after a fierce boundary dispute it was renamed Concord in 1765 to reflect the new peace, or concord, between the feuding towns. There is such a rich history here in the Granite State.
What was the Merrimack Valley?
Over time, settlers from Massachusetts opened up the Merrimack Valley, which became an important economic area as New Hampshire’s main business shifted from fishing and trade to textiles. Finally, the northern reaches of the state opened with the help of the railroads. These 9 old towns show the progression of the settlement of New Hampshire, ...
