State Capitols - Concord

Concord, New Hampshire - Lucky 13th

I was driving to Hanover last June and hopped out of my rental Kia to snap a couple quick pictures of the State Capitol building in Concord and then went on my merry way, happy to have another capitol crossed off the list...

In honor of the great state of New Hampshire, here's 13 fun facts from 50States:

1. Of the thirteen original colonies, New Hampshire was the first to declare its independence from Mother England -- a full six months before the Declaration of Independence was signed.
2. The first potato planted in the United States was at Londonderry Common Field in 1719.
3. In 1833 the first free public library in the United States was established in Peterborough.
4. Levi Hutchins of Concord invented the first alarm clock in 1787.
5. Dover was settled in 1623. It is the oldest permanent settlement in New Hampshire.
6. The Memorial Bell Tower at Cathedral of the Pines in Rindge has four bronze bas-reliefs designed by Norman Rockwell. The bell tower is specifically dedicated to women — military and civilian — who died serving their country.
7. In Holderness Captain Pierre Havre and his canine first mate, Bogie, have built a sailing tour around the locations from the Katherine Hepburn/Henry Fonda movie On Golden Pond.
8. New Hampshire did not officially adopt a state flag until 1909. Prior to that, New Hampshire had numerous regimental flags to represent the state. The present flag has only been changed once, in 1931 when the state's seal was modified.
9. The USS Albacore was a prototype submarine built at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and commissioned in 1953. At the time she was the fastest submarine ever designed.
10. The first capital city of New Hampshire was in Exeter. (side note, I spent a summer in Exeter in high school)
11. The granite profile "Old Man of the Mountain" is one of the most famous natural landmarks in the state. The Old Man's head measures 40 feet from chin to forehead and is made up of five ledges. Nature carved this profile thousands of years ago. The natural sculpture is 1,200 feet above Echo Lake.
12. It takes approximately 40 gallons of sap to make approximately 1 gallon of maple syrup.
13. Captain John Smith named New Hampshire after the town of Hampshire, England.

Main Street in Concord.  It reminds me of Stars Hollow