1st Session Legislation Site
Along a quiet side road in Concord sits the small granite marker that reads:
“Site of house where the first session of New Hampshire Legislature was held in Concord in 1787”
In 1787, sessions of the New Hampshire Legislature were held at this location, in a private house that once stood on this site. The house itself is no longer standing, and the marker identifies only the location.
At that time, Concord was not yet the permanent capital of New Hampshire. The state government did not operate from a fixed location, and legislature sessions were held in different towns, Concord would not be officially designated the capital until 1808, more than twenty years later.
Because there was no established statehouse in 1787, it was common for legislative sessions to be held in existing buildings, including homes or meeting places that could accommodate the gathering. This site represents one of those early settings where the work of government was carried out before permanent facilities were built.
What remains is not the building, but the acknowledgement that something important took place on this ground in 1787.
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