I grew up in New Hampshire but never visited the Manse until a decade and a half after leaving. I…read moreemailed the Manse's Pierce Brigade (their volunteer group) to see if they could offer a tour for the day after Thanksgiving. They put it together and brought our group of four on a very in-depth tour. You will learn so much about NH's only president, about society at the time of Pierce's life and presidency, and what local homes were like in that era. Our volunteer was able to answer every question that we lobbed her way, even on things not directly related to the Pierces. Bonus: you can see the dress that Pierce wore as a child. My one quibble was that our tour guide seemed to dismiss our personal anecdotes that we offered that connected with what we were seeing, which was disappointing as I used to be a docent at a presidential library, and learned the most from people on my tours. She also was very short with me when she saw me taking some photos (non-flash!), but she hadn't told me that it was not allowed. Apparently there was a sign in the lobby but I hadn't seen it. Overall, totally worth spending an hour while you're in New Hampshire to learn some history!

What a great museum about probably one of the least well known presidents our country has ever had…read more Sadly remembered as one of the worst presidents (if he is remembered at all) - mostly because of the Kansas-Nebraska Act -President Pierce actually had some rather great accomplishments during his tenure. To be honest, I knew almost nothing about Franklin Pierce when we went here and expected to be in the museum an hour or so......it is after all just a house he used to live in so how much could there be to see? Well, it was less about the house and more about what our docent offered us. She was so knowledgeable (sorry I have forgotten her name but she had a lovely Bostonian accent) and very happy to entertain our questions. We must have been there several hours soaking up all her knowledge and the stories she had to share. The Pierce's had quite a tragic family life. Having already lost one child in infancy and another as a toddler, Franklin Pierce began his presidency grief stricken by a tragic accident that took his older son's life. But, he had to deal with a country in turmoil and actually managed to accomplish quite a few positive things during his term. I was glad to come away from our visit with a much better understanding (and much more positive views) of our 14th President. I highly recommend this museum!

If you're a fan of history, then historic Downton Concord is worth the visit. There were plenty of…read moreparking on street; it was free the day we went. The whole area is 25 acres and for the most part, kept the way it was back in the day. The architecture and old buildings were fun to look at; some even had old engraved signs stating what it was, for example a bank and hotel. There's a self guided walking tour, I saw signs throughout the main road. It's about two miles and takes an hour and a half. There were restaurants and shops throughout. A few of my favorite buildings were, the NH State House, Clock Tower, and NH State Library. Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of the US had a home there. The oldest house that is still standing was built in 1735, it belonged to Reverend Timothy Walker. My family and I enjoyed walking around, exploring, shopping, and eating there.

We visited the downtown area and had a good time of walking around and browsing at several stores…read more They had several nice places to shop at and several restaurants to be able to get a bite to eat. I kind of expected a bit more in regards to shopping options but it was ok.

Peripheral to the State House, this marker and a granite marker for each of the Presidents selected…read moreby New Hampshire reminds us of the critical part that NH plays in selecting a US President. It reads: Since 1920, New Hampshire has held its presidential primary election before any other state. Changes in New Hampshire law in 1949 made the primary a direct selection of presidential aspirants, not a mere choice of delegates pledged to specific nominees. Held in February or March, during the week preceding any similar election elsewhere, the New Hampshire primary has become a critical first step on the road to the White House. Taking their responsibility seriously, New Hampshire voters test contenders during the months leading to the primary and have usually favored the candidate who ultimately attains the Oval Office.

After visiting Franklin Pierce's home, we went to the cemetery to see the gravesite. Quiet, easy to…read morepark and walk around. Very nice. Note: Franklin Pierce's grave is in the gated area.

Have always enjoyed visiting this presidential cemetery. the cemetery grounds are well maintained…read moreand taken care of. Franklin Pierce's grave marker inside the Minot Enclosure is well landscaped and beautiful.

The NH Historical Society Museum is a very good museum that is packed with a variety of state…read morehistorical treasures. Admission is a very reasonable $7.00 per adult. There are exhibits on several floors and visitors get to prowl around on their own as they checkout the stuff. In one end of the Museum is a research library that is chock full of original NH documents, books, records, letters and so forth - all available to the public. The library staff are extremely friendly and helpful. All in all this is a very worthwhile stop! A WORD OF WARNING: the Museum sits close to the State House and if our legislators happen to be at "work" they sure make it hard to find a parking space!

I visited this place last year in the spring sometime. It is not too far and close to shopping and…read morerestaurants. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised about this museum. A bit of everything and even the special exhibit was quite interesting on America's Kitchens. I especially loved the kiddy section where you can pretend that you are in a old country store shopping. There is also a cool observatory deck to teach you about forest fires, etc. Volunteers were great and explained about rural life back in the days on the first floor. Afterwards, you can visit downtown Concord with some nice quaint stores. Plus, the state capitol is just across the street. We just had bagel sandwiches for lunch down the street at the Works Bakery Cafe. I tried a honey bear smoothie which was especially good. Then, you can stop by the LL Bean factory store not too far away.

**November 2025: Weekday Early Afternoon Visit**…read more To be honest I almost skipped visiting the State Capitol because I foolishly judged it by its size. I thought it was small and thought that it wouldn't be worth the visit, but boy was I wrong. My friend and I arrived around 12:15pm and parked on the street. There's meter parking, but you'll pay by paybyphone.com. I think it's $1 an hour, but I recommend you fill the meter a little longer since it's $.85 extra if you need to add another hour (on top of the $1 per hour). I recommend 4 hours if you plan to visit the New Hampshire Historical Society, and the Library as well. Anyways, my friend and I got there and I was surprised by two things 1) The Hall of Flags all encased made for a really grand entrance and 2) There was no metal detector. We just basically walked in and headed towards the visitor's center towards the right side of the building. We signed our names in the guestbook and one of the volunteers gave us a shpeel about the area we were visiting. She informed us that since New Hampshire is start of the Presidential Primary and that a lot of presidential candidates will make an appearance here to start their campaign. It was kind of cool to stand in the same spot as Biden, McCain, Obama, Carter and many others. We saw went upstairs to the 2nd floor to see the Senate room, Governors Office, Secretary of State's office (and actually got to meet him - David M. Scanlan on our tour), and the house of reps (which was 400 seats!). In summary, never judge a book by it's cover. This small capitol held it's own and is definitely worthy of a visit!

A beautiful state house with a golden dome and an eagle on top. It was built in 1816-1819 as a…read moreGreek Revival style. The land it's on is 2.6-acres with a granite fence. There are seven statues/memorials on the grounds, the oldest being dedicated in 1886. The house chambers holds 400 people, which is the largest in the US. The building is open to the public and there are guided tours. This was part of the self guided walking tour and we enjoyed stopping by to explore it. It's close to everything; there were plenty of parking, restaurants, and shops. Overall, a historic building in a historic area, which is worth a visit.

Beautiful Capitol building in downtown Concord, New Hampshire. Lots of historic building…read moresurrounding it in a gorgeous and vibrant downtown with shops, eateries and art. Desserts. Beautiful state and a beautiful capitol and capitol city. Well worth a visit.

This is a very controversial memorial for reasons…read more In 1697, Hannah Duston was a puritan woman who was abducted by Abenaki during King Williams war. The abductors first killed many settlers, including children, as they raided Haverhill, MA. They burned down Hannah's home after taking her, her infant and the infants nurse captive. In the retelling of her tale, it is recorded that the Abenaki murdered her days old infant, in front of Hannah, during their two week march toward Canada. Brutal. She and the nurse were left with another native American family miles from their home, where this memorial stands. This family had adopted a 14 year old English boy who had their trust. With his help, Hannah was able to kill her captors, including six children and make her way down the Merrimack river along with the two other captives. They reached Boston where she presented the MA general assembly with ten scalps she had taken from those she killed and shared her story. Without a doubt, life in 1690's America (when this event happened) was very much a life of struggle. Disputes between English settlers, French Canadians and Native Indians resulted in years of war in this region. The previous King Philips war, which ended in 1657, decimated between 60 and 80 percent of the local, indigenous people. Some of the survivors were sold into slavery. Those who remained banded together with the Abenaki. In the late 1680's the Abenaki joined with the French Canadians during King Williams War to fight the continued expansion of English settlers. As part of raids conducted, they kidnapped English settlers who were then either sold back to their families, or adopted by the tribe to replace members who had been lost to the conflicts. Unfortunately for history, Hannah never wrote about her experience. Her story was retold three times between 1697 and 1702 by Cotton Mathers who believed all Natives were 'instruments of the devil' and savages. You may remember Cotton Mathers as the minister who persecuted residents of Salem, MA resulting in many of them being hanged for witchcraft. So yeah. History only has his version of her story. One hundred years after these events the U.S. is expanding westward and her story is published again as an example of how savage all native people were. The story was used to justify the acts being taken to remove indigenous people from lands settlers wanted. It was at this time that three monuments to Hannah Duston were created, two of which stand to this day. I have many thoughts about these memorials, the life Hannah lived and this experience she survived. I also have many thoughts about the way indigenous people assisted the English when they first arrived, teaching them how to survive. The indigenous peoples were trying to maintain their life and lands. The settlers were seeking a new life. A struggle between those who have what others want. A too common historical story. The hero's depend on which side you are on. We parked in the Boscawen Park 'n ride. The trail head is at one end of the lot and a roadside marker at the other end. Parking is also available at The Northern Rail Trailhead on Commercial Street. Both are about the same distance from the memorial.

Wow - what a crazy story! This is a monument honoring Hannah Duston and her escape from the Abenaki…read moretribe holding her hostage all the way back in 1697! She killed and scalped 10 people geez! It's believed that this is what started the "scalping" trend way back AND that she's the first American woman to be honored with a statue (according to wiki)! Kinda cool! There isn't much to this memorial and it's kinda hard to find...but I'm glad I came - was a fun little adventure! And a very interesting bit of history to learn about. I still can't get over that there are stories this old right here in America! If you're using the Apple Maps app, be aware it doesn't get you here - it takes you to some random field out in the middle of nowhere lol! But google maps got me here (and it used the address 60 Commercial St, Boscawen NH but apple didn't!!) - so be aware! It's right off a main road with plenty of paved parking. The entrance to the trail is well marked, but once you get down a little hill closer to the railroad tracks, it gets confusing. There's a dirt hiking path off to the left (DON'T take this one - it goes nowhere and is super sketchy!) and a paved one off to the right that looks like it dead ends into the railroad tracks - but that is actually the correct trail! And if you look off into the distance you'll actually see the tall statue so you'll know you're going the right way. You'll cross a bridge on a walking path next to the railroad tracks to get to the memorial statue overlooking the river. The area seemed a tad sketchy to me...I would've been a little scared except that there were lots of cyclists around and other hikers, as well as a tour group taking one of those pedaling tours on the railroad tracks (looked really fun)! There isn't much to it - just a statue with some cool info on it - unfortunately it was vandalized by some red paint but it kinda added to the aesthetic, given the nature of the story lol. A fun little side trip if you have time - I felt compelled to see it bc of how old the story is and the crazy nature of the story AND I just so happen to share her name lol!