Exeter, NH

Founded in 1638 by Reverend John Wheelwright and his followers, Exeter is one of New Hampshire’s oldest towns. Its location along the Exeter and Squamscott rivers supported early mills, shipbuilding, and maritime trade. During the American Revolution, Exeter served as New Hampshire’s capital, placing the town at the center of the state’s emerging government. Phillips Exeter Academy, founded in 1781, added an enduring educational presence to the community.

Exeter’s historic homes, public buildings, riverfront, and town center preserve stories connected to colonial settlement, independence, commerce, education, and everyday life. The meeting of freshwater and tidal rivers shaped the town’s early development, bringing mills and maritime businesses into close proximity. Around this waterfront grew a downtown whose streets and buildings continue to reflect Exeter’s evolution from a colonial settlement into a center of government, trade, and community life.