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The state capital of New Hampshire, Concord is the city that built the famous stagecoach known as the ‘coach that won the west’.
Situated along the Merrimack Valley, Concord was originally a Native American settlement known as Pennacock. The native tribes would fish the rapids of the Merrimack River using huge nets strung across the river, but by the 17th century they were displaced by European settlers, who established the Plantation of Penacock.
In 1765 the settlement was renamed Concord and following the American Revolution, its central location in New Hampshire made it a natural choice to replace Portsmouth as the state capital. Concord prospered throughout the industrial age and its position along the Merrimack made it a key strategic hub.
In later years its transport links extended to the land at it was here that the famous Concord Stagecoach was built. This 19th century horse drawn vehicle became known as ‘the coach that won the west’, and one of the original Concord Coaches forms the highlight exhibit at the Museum of New Hampshire History in the city.
Concord’s most prominent sight is the gold domed State House. Built by state prisoners between 1816 and 1818, the house was later added to in 1864 and again in 1909 although the legislature still remains in its original chambers, which makes the New Hampshire State House the oldest capitol building in the U.S. where the legislature uses the original chambers.
The State House features over 200 paintings of distinguished citizens from New Hampshire’s history. Self guided tours of the building start in the Hall of Flags containing 103 flags of New Hampshire’s militia who fought in wars from the Civil War to Vietnam. There is also an exhibition on Comdr. Alan B. Shepard from New Hampshire, the first American astronaut with memorabilia of his moon landing aboard Apollo 14.
Among Concord’s other visitor attractions is The Pierce Manse, former home of Franklin Pierce the 14th President of the United States, dating from 1838 and includes original furnishings. Franklin Pierce is buried a few blocks away in the Old North Cemetery.
Although a pleasant town, there is little to keep you in Concord longer than a brief stop off Route 93 on your way to the White Mountains or the Lakes Region.
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