New Hampshire History

1623 - The first known European settlement in New Hampshire was founded in Piscataqua by David Thomson.

1679 - England formed New Hampshire as a separate colony and named it after Hampshire, England.

1767 - Wolfeboro, the summer home of Royal Governor John Wentworth, became the first summer resort in America.

1769 - Dartmouth College was founded in Hanover, New Hampshire.

1775 - New Hampshire became the first state to declare its independence from England.

1788 - New Hampshire was the ninth state to ratify the Constitution of the United States. With this ratification, the Constitution officially went into effect.

1808 - The state capital was established in Concord. New Hampshire is home to the nation's oldest legislative building in which the House and Senate still meet.

1853 - Franklin Pierce of Hillsboro, New Hampshire, became the 14th U. S. President.

1869 - The mountain climbing cog railroad began operation at Mt. Washington. It is still in operation today.

1923 - The University of New Hampshire was established in Durham, New Hampshire.

1952 - New Hampshire held the First-In-The-Nation Presidential Primary and citizens began voting directly for presidential candidates.

2003 - The Old Man of the Mountain, the granite profile that serves as the symbol of the state, fell from its perch atop Profile Mountain in Franconia Notch State Park.