New Hampshire State House
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The New Hampshire State House is the state capitol building of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The capitol houses the New Hampshire General Court, Governor and Executive Council. The building was designed by Albe Cady, a member of the building committee and was constructed by Stuart J. Park between 1815 and 1818. An adjacent street was named in Park's honor.
The first session of the General Court began in 1819. The State House is located in Concord at 107 North Main Street. As of 2008, the 1819 State House is the oldest state capitol in which the legislature meets in its original chambers.
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[edit] History
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In 1814, discussion began about erecting a suitable building for the state capitol. The General Court debated three locations: Concord, Hopkinton, and Salisbury, which offered $7,000 to be the capital. The legislature picked Concord as the location in 1816. Granite used to build the capitol came from the present day Swenson quarries; the cutting, shaping and facing of the stone was performed by inmates of the State Prison. The prison building was also constructed by Stuart Park.
The huge gold-painted wooden eagle, a fixture of the building, was raised to the top of the dome in 1818. In 1957, it was replaced with an element-proof replica, with the wooden eagle moved to the New Hampshire Historical Society.
The cost of construction for the building was $82,000. The capitol was designed and built to house the General Court, its committees, the Governor and Council, the Secretary of State, the State Treasurer, and the State Library.
During Meldrim Thomson, Jr.'s governorship the lights that shone on the State House's golden dome at night were turned off. This caused a lot of controversy because the illuminated dome had served as a symbol of Concord for many years. With the help of several prominent New Hampshire legislators including Mary Louise Hancock, the lights were turned back on during the first days of Hugh Gallen's first term as governor.
[edit] Monuments
A monument to George H. Perkins by sculptor Daniel Chester French and architect Henry Bacon was erected on the grounds in 1902. There are also statues of General John Stark, Daniel Webster, John Parker Hale, and President Franklin Pierce.
See also: Capitol Historical Marker.
[edit] Press
[edit] External links
- New Hampshire State House is at coordinates Coordinates:
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