June 21, 1788 – New Hampshire Joins the Union as the Ninth State

New Hampshire was first settled by Europeans in 1623, and officially founded as a British colony in 1629. Massachusetts claimed the territory for a while, but in 1679 King Charles II separated New Hampshire from Massachusetts. Nevertheless, from 1699 to 1741 the governors of Massachusetts served simultaneously as governors of New Hampshire.

Because of that shared governorship, border issues between the two colonies were not properly adjudicated for many years. In 1741 King George II ruled that the border with Massachusetts was approximately what it is today, and also separated the governorships of the two provinces.

The governor of the newly separated territory immediately began issuing land grants west of the Connecticut River, an area also claimed by the Province of New York. The so-called New Hampshire Grants Area became a subject of contention from the 1740s until the 1790s, when the area went to neither: it was admitted to the United States as the state of Vermont in 1791.

On January 5, 1776, the Congress of New Hampshire voted to establish a civil government, and specified the manner and form that government would have. The 1776 Constitution did not contain a Bill of Rights, nor was it submitted to the people of New Hampshire. The constitution was the first constitution ever ratified by an American commonwealth.

On June 5, 1781, an official constitutional convention was convened and it began writing a new constitution for the state. After various drafts, on October 31, 1783, the new constitution was passed to take effect on June 2, 1784.

In 1788 New Hampshire became the ninth, and deciding, state to ratify the United States Constitution.

Peterborough, New Hampshire is home to the first tax-supported free public library in the United States. The Peterborough Town Library was founded at a town meeting on April 9, 1833. This idea was revolutionary in a time when subscription libraries were popular. The collection of materials would essentially be owned by the people and free to access. Funds for the formation of the library were made available through the State Literacy Fund. Due to the success of the Peterborough Town Library, the New Hampshire State Legislature passed a law authorizing towns to raise money to establish and maintain their own libraries. This law was enacted in 1849, making New Hampshire the first state to pass a law of this nature.

First Free Public Library Peterborough, NH

However, taxes in New Hampshire do not come from either income from wages or from sales. New Hampshire is one of nine states in the country without an income tax, and one of five without a statewide sales tax. It’s one of only two, along with Alaska, without either. The property tax, on the other hand, ranks among the nation’s highest.

According to Brad Cook, lawyer in Manchester, New Hampshire (the most populous city in the state and the largest city in northern New England), at least part of the reason for the lack of income or other broad-based tax in New Hampshire stems from the political culture of the state:

Based on a system devised in the 1700s, the NH House is very large, the Senate is small, the Executive Council has a check on the governor and the governor has a two-year term. The governmental form reflects a fundamental distrust of central government and the desire to keep it weak.”

But New Hampshire does play an important role in the federal government. The New Hampshire primary is the first in a series of nationwide party primary elections for the presidency and the second party contest (the first being the Iowa Caucuses) held in the United States every four years.

Dixville Notch, an unincorporated community in New Hampshire is known for being one of the first places to declare its results during United States presidential elections and the New Hampshire primary. In a tradition that started in the 1960 election, all the eligible voters in Dixville Notch gather at midnight in the ballroom of The Balsams. The voters cast their ballots and the polls are officially closed when all of the registered voters have voted – sometimes merely one minute later. The results of the Dixville Notch vote in both the New Hampshire primary and the general election are traditionally broadcast around the country immediately afterwards.

An article in Movoto, “29 Things to Know About New Hampshire Before You Move There,” explains that a “Flatlander,” or “flatlandah,” as a true person from New Hampshire would pronounce it, is a tourist (generally from the surrounding New England area) who likes to come hike the New Hampshire trails and leaf peep in the Fall. The nickname comes from New Hampshire’s elevation status compared to New Hampshire’s mountainous region.

New Hampshire fall foliage

To where might these Flatlanders head? Another Movoto site explains that “The Kanc” or the Kancamagus (often misspelled Kancamangus), is one of the most beautiful drives in the state. It provides endless views, stretching 34 miles, from Lincoln to Conway.

(“Flatlander” is no doubt a better epithet used by New Hampshirites for out-of-staters than “Masshole” specifically reserved for someone from Massachusetts. Old grudges die hard.)

For nearly sixty-two years, Mount Washington, New Hampshire held the world record for the fastest wind gust ever recorded on the surface of the Earth: 231 miles per hour, measured on April 12, 1934 by Mount Washington Observatory staff. The Mount Washington record was toppled in 1996 when an unmanned instrument station in Barrow Island, Australia recorded a new high of 253 miles per hour winds during Typhoon Olivia. Though the Observatory record fell, it still stands as the highest surface wind speed ever observed by man.

Mt. Washington

There are covered bridges all over New Hampshire. 54 of the remaining 750 bridges in the country are in the state. In 1963, covered bridges became the first type of historical structure specifically protected by New Hampshire state law. (While New Hampshire is known for its scenic covered bridges, the fact is Pennsylvania has the most with 213. Ohio is second with 148.)

Ashuelot Covered Bridge, New Hampshire

Much of New Hampshire’s bedrock is granite. New Hampshire granite is part of many important buildings in the country, including the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, which was built from over 30,000 tons of New Hampshire granite.

The Old Man of the Mountain, also known as the Great Stone Face or the Profile, was a series of five granite cliff ledges on Cannon Mountain in the White Mountains of New Hampshire that appeared to be the jagged profile of a face when viewed from the north. The profile extended nearly 40 feet from forehead to chin. The first recorded mention of the Old Man was in 1805. It collapsed on May 3, 2003.

The Old Man of the Mountain before his demise

And if you’re in New Hampshire, be sure to check out local craft beers. New Hampshire is home to over 60 breweries in all corners of the state. And of course, there is a Beer Trail for thirsty tourists.