National New Hampshire Day
Yet, another state I have lived in! National New Hampshire Day is special for me for many reasons. The biggest reason is my daughter. We weren’t sure what NH was going to have in store for our family, but after moving there we decided to do foster care. That’s where we found our baby girl. Others came to stay for a while, but this one has stayed forever. In our home from the age of 8 months, she was finally adopted on November 13…almost three years later. But this post isn’t for her honor (even though we think she deserves it) so let’s move on.
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#NationalNewHampshireDay
New Hampshire was the ninth state to join the Union on June 21, 1788. As with all of the early states to join the Union, New Hampshire is rich with history. Unfortunately, as in the previous states, disease (in addition to war and migration) pretty much decimated the natives, mostly Algonquin, from nearly 3,000 strong prior to English colonist contact.
Probably one of the most well-known colonists was Captain John Mason. He had a nasty disposition as far as respect for the locals. If you get a chance, read New Hampshire History
As I mentioned, before English contact, there were about 3000 natives inhabiting what eventually came to be NH. There were primarily of the Algonquin group known as the western Abenaki. Most stayed within colony boundaries post-English colonists’ arrival. By 1700 few Native Americans resided within colonial boundaries. The primary contemporary reminder of Native American inhabitation is in place-names such as Lake Winnipesaukee, Kancamagus Highway, and Mount Passaconaway. From 1641-1679 New Hampshire was “governed” by the settlement of Massachusetts. That was until Mason’s heirs and Massachusetts had disputes over religion and territory. That’s when New Hampshire became a separate royal province in 1679. Bitter boundary feuds with Massachusetts and New York over the part of the New Hampshire grant that became Vermont continued almost until the American Revolution. Early on, during the American Revolutionary War, New Hampshire textile mills provided materials to the soldiers. Industrial cities, such as Laconia and Newmarket, produced blankets, uniforms, shoes, and rifles. Even in the years that followed the war, textile industries continued to prosper which attracted many migrating workers. Today, New Hampshire’s biggest export is aircraft including engines, mixed medicines, and office machine parts. New Hampshire’s state motto is “Live Free or Die”. A Revolutionary War hero by the name of John Stark earns credit for the motto. He made a written toast in honor of the anniversary of the Battle of Bennington. As quoted below: Live free or die, death is not the greatest of evils. One last thought on New Hampshire: RIP Man of the Mountain. His face fell off in 2003. Heart. Broken. As always, if you missed yesterday’s National Day there’s no need to fret. Just click here.Main commerce and Industry in New Hampshire through the centuries
