Below are a few historic sites around
the state of New Hampshire. The historic NH sites are listed by
region. We also have a list of
Historic NH Fieldtrips.
Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee Region
Canaan Historic District Meetinghouse
Canaan Street
Canaan, NH
603-523-4809
Built in 1793
Tours are by appointment only.
The building was built on land that was purchased by William Douglas
who was a shoemaker. He then sold the land for 11 pounds and 5
shillings. The builder, William Parkhurst, built the
meetinghouse. The original plans were that the building was to
be built without a steeple or bell and the size was to be 42 feet
wide by 52 feet long.
Back in the days, meetinghouses were used as both a meeting area and
a church.
Canaan Historical Museum
Canaan Street
Canaan, NH.
603-523-7364
Built in 1961
Tours are free to the public and open July through October on
Saturdays from 1-4pm.
The Canaan Museum was originally created on the second floor of the
Academy building with exhibits, paintings and antiques. The
building now houses the entire museum with pictures, article and
other reminders of Canaan’s history.
The Enfield Shaker Museum
24 Caleb Dyer Lane 447 Route 4A
Enfield, NH.
603-632-4346
Tours are $7.50 for adults, $6.50 for seniors, $5 for college
students, $3 for children ages 10-17 and children under 10 and
museum members are free.
Admission fees include entrance to The Great Stone Dwelling which
was the Church family’s residence and was built in 1841, The Stone
Mill Building was built in 1849 and housed water powered machinery,
the West Meadow Barn built in 1856, the Laundry and Dairy building,
built in 1813, now serves as the museum store, the East Brethren’s
Shop was built in 1819 and used as a tailor shop, the Mary Keane
Chapel built in 1832, the Ministry House was built in 1880 and is
the last house built by the Shakers and the West Brethren’s Shop
which was built in 1820 and was used as a woodworking shop.
Great North Woods
John Wingate Weeks Historic Site
Off Route 3
Lancaster, NH.
603-788-4004
Tours are free to NH residents, $7 for adult non-residents and $3
for children ages 6-11 from June through September on Wednesday,
Fridays, Saturday and Sunday from 10am-5pm and Thursdays from
noon-5pm and on Saturday and Sunday from 10am-5pm September and
October.
John Wingate Weeks was a conservationist, congressman, senator and
Secretary of State. The house was built on top of Mount
Prospect and sites on 420 acres.
Lakes Region
Daniel Webster Birthplace
Route 127
Franklin, NH.
603-934-5057
Daniel Webster Birthplace is the childhood home of Daniel Webster
that not only looks into his early years but also shows what early
farm life was like.
Lake Winnipesaukee Museum
503 Endicott Street
Laconia, NH
Tours run year round Tuesday through Saturday from 10am-2pm
The property was purchased in 1923 by David O’shan who was a state
legislator. He made the property into cabins for summer
visitors. The museum was the primary residence and the yellow
cabins are part of the original property.
Museum of Childhood
2784 Wakefield Road
Wakefield, NH.
603-522-8073
Tours are $3 for adults and $1.25 for children under the age of 9.
A beautiful museum that exhibits over 5,000 dolls, 12 themed rooms,
57 furnished dollhouses, a teddy bear room and a one room
schoolhouse.
Whipple House Museum
4 Pleasant Street
Ashland, NH.
603-968-7716
Built in 1837
Tours are free to the public and run July through September on
Wednesday and Saturday from 1-4pm.
The museum is the boyhood home of Dr. George Hoyt Whipple who won
the Noble Peace Prize for Medicine. The museum showcases
information about Dr. Whipple, his family and the Ashland area.
Merrimack Valley
Chester Village Cemetery
Routes 102 and 121
Chester, NH.
603-887-3951
Being one of only 2 NH cemeteries that are listed on the National
Register of Historic places, there is a lot of history here.
The cemetery has plots dating back to pre-Revolutionary War era with
carvings by influential NE craftsmen. Some of the most notable
burials include: Isaac Blasdel, a clockmaker from one of the
leading clock maker families who died in 1791, Francis Wilcomb who
died in action at the age of 12 as a Civil War soldier and General
Louis Bell who died in 1865 and was also a Civil War soldier.
Florence Hyde Speare memorial Building
5 Abbott Street
Nashua, NH.
603-883-5336
Tours are free and run from Tuesday through Thursday from 10am-4pm
The museum was built in 1971 by a local businessman Sceva Speare and
named after his wife, Florence Hyde Speare. The museum depicts
Nashua’s history and houses 8 galleries of historic items and
artwork.
Museum of NH History
6 Eagle Square
Concord, NH.
603-228-6688
Tours are Tuesday through Saturday 9:30am-5pm and Sunday from
noon-5pm and cost $5.50 for adults, $4.50 for seniors, $3 for
children 6-18 and children under 6 and NH Historical Society members
are free.
Hundreds of exhibits showcasing NH’s history. There are also
programs for adults and children. I went to visit the museum
this past summer and it was amazing all the artifacts from out great
history.
Monadnock Region
Barrett House and Forest Hall
79 Main Street
New Ipswich, NH.
603-878-2517
Tours are $5 per person and Historic NE and New Ipswich residents
are free. Tours run June through October on the 2nd and 4th
Saturday of each month from 11am-4pm. A new tour starts on the
top of each hour.
Forest Hall was built as a wedding gift for Charles Barrett and his
new bride by Charles Barrett Sr. and the lavish house was furnished
by the bride’s father.
Franklin Pierce Homestead Historic Site
Routes 31 and 9
Hillsborough, NH.
603-478-3165
Built in 1804
The Franklin Pierce Homestead is the childhood home of Franklin
Pierce, the 14th President of the United States. It reflects
the way many prominent families lived in the 19th century.
Seacoast
Dover Walking Tours
299 Central Avenue
Dover, NH.
603-742-2218
The Dover Walking Tours offers 3 separate self-guided walking tours.
Tour #1 is the Old Mill and Riverfront Tour which takes you along
the Cocheco River through the historic mill complexes. Tour #2
is the Historic House Tour which takes you on a journey though some
of the gorgeous historic homes and tour #3 is the Pine Hill Cemetery
which is set on 75 acres of historic and unique gravesites and
monuments.
Warner House
150 Daniel Street
Portsmouth, NH.
603-436-5909
Tours are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $2.50 for children ages
7-12 and those under 7 are free.
Built in 1716
The house was built for merchant and ship owner, Captain Archibald
Macpheadris and his wife, Sarah Wentworth was the daughter of
Governor John Wentworth. It is a beautiful mansion made of
brick. The wall paintings in the hallways are the oldest
colonial wall painting in America.
See More Things to do in New
Hampshire!
