General John Stark

In wanting to share more of my hometown, I will continue exploring more of the statues on the State House lawn. It is clear from the attire of this statue that this man lived at a different time than the rest. 

The figure is John Stark, dressed in the uniform of the Revolutionary War, setting him apart from the statesmen and leaders of later generations. His presence takes us back to the beginning, to a time when the country itself was still uncertain.

Stark was born in 1728 in Londonderry, long before Concord became the capital and long before the New Hampshire State House stood here. His early life was shaped by the realities of frontier New England. As a young man, he was captured by Abenaki warriors and later ransomed, an experience that gave him a deeper understanding of both the land and the people who lived on it. These experiences would later define his leadership.

He became one of New Hampshire’s most important military figures during the American Revolution, most notably at the Battle of Bennington in 1777. That victory was a turning point that helped shift momentum in favor of independence. 

It was Start who gave New Hampshire it’s enduring motto:

“Live Free or Die:  Death is not the worst of evils.”

The monument itself was added to the State House grounds in 1888, part of a broader effort to define hot it wanted to remember the past. Stark represents the fight for independence itself.