It Happened in New Hampshire, 2nd: Remarkable Events That Shaped History

It Happened In...

by Stillman D. Rogers

It Happened in New Hampshire recounts twenty to thirty episodes from the history of the Granite State, including memorable events such as A Presidental Black Eye, 1789 and New Hampshire Picks a President, 1952, but also featuring lesser-known tales. From its earliest settlements at Odiorne Point, Dover, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire was different from the other colonies, and its history holds many surprises and a number of events that were significant to the founding and growth of the United States.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

200 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2004

Reviews

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting history of the state

This book consists of a series of chronologically-arranged chapters, describing events that occurred in New Hampshire. It’s entertaining and worth the read, but unfortunately poorly edited and proofread, which spoils the effect.

[Fred Forbes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why 5 stars? Probably due to a heavy dose of nostalgia. I grew up in the great small town of Wilton, NH, moved to DC for high school then back to Keene, NH for college. Even though I have now lived in Florida for 30 years, we return to Lake Winnipesaukee every couple of years as my family roots run deep there, my grandfather having started the church on Bear Island and my cousin still owning the family cabin on Birch Island. The book is well written, the incidents reported both interesting and fascinating. A quick, easy and enjoyable read!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

From Mount Washington to the Old Man in the Mountain to Fort Number Four and the Manchester textile mills, these short chapters that each focus on one aspect of New Hampshire history are interesting. They provide just enough information on a topic to pique interest and provide facts that might prompt the reader to explore the topic further. This is a very quick read.

[Sylvia Snowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first two thirds of the book have some interesting, little known stories. The last third or so gets into some fairly boring stuff, which is one reason I gave this only a three. Also, there are a couple of fairly glaring inaccuracies, which makes me question the accuracy of the remainder of the book. The author states that the Portsmouth patriots "marched" to Fort William and Mary, and then "marched back" loaded down with captured munitions. A trip to Portsmouth, or the review of any documentation of this small battle, provides the information that there was no marching--Fort William and Mary is on New Castle Island. The patriots went by boat, that is, they pretty much rowed over there, in cold December winds and water. The second problem with the book is that the author states that Robert Frost's parents relocated his family from San Francisco to New Hampshire when Frost was ten years old. In fact, Frost's father died when he was 11, and his mother moved them to Lowell, MA, to be near her family. Frost's lived in Lowell until early adulthood. He moved to NH when his father in law gave him a farm for his own family. This is well known info, so I wonder why the author got it so wrong. Anyway, I'd still recommend the book for the first one third of the book. But don't quote the author too closely.

[Stephen Laird · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable collection of stories and events that don’t quite rise to the level of being in an American history textbook but are quite fun to read as a New Hampshire native.

[Deirdre · Rating 4 out of 5]

31 interesting things that have happened in NH. Some I knew, but had forgotten, others were new to me.
If you want to learn some NH history, go ahead and read this book.

[Jeff Russo · Rating 4 out of 5]

short, good natured, informative, recommended if you're new or not so new to New Hampshire

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the short chapters that each focus on one historical aspect of New Hampshire. The author provides enough information to interest the reader but not too much to make the story droll or overdone. This is a quick read.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative. Great read for those who love interesting history about our state!