National New Hampshire Day Date in the current year: September 7, 2025

New Hampshire is a state in New England (Northeastern United States), bordered by the U.S. states of Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont, the Canadian province of Quebec, and the Gulf of Maine. Its nickname, “The Granite State”, refers to the state’s extensive granite formations and quarries.

Prior to European colonization, the territory of present-day New Hampshire was inhabited by numerous Algonquian-speaking Abenaki tribes. The first Europeans to visit the region were English and French explorers in the early 17th century.

In 1622, Captain John Mason and Sir Ferdinando Gorges were granted the land between the Kennebec and Merrimack rivers by the Council for New England. The first permanent European settlement in the region was Dover, which was founded by brothers William and Edward Hilton in 1623.

In 1629, Mason and Gorges divided their land at the Piscataqua River. Mason received the western half and named it New Hampshire after the English county of Hampshire. Gorges named the eastern half New Somersetshire, after his home county of Somerset. However, it became better known as Maine.

After Mason died, his heirs abandoned the unprofitable colony. By 1641, New Hampshire towns were under Massachusetts’s jurisdiction. However, the relationship between the colonists and the Massachusetts government was tense. In 1679, King Charles II separated New Hampshire from Massachusetts and made it a royal colony.

During the American Revolution, New Hampshire was one of the Thirteen Colonies that rebelled against British rule. Moreover, it the first colony to establish an independent government and a constitution on January 5, 1776, six months before the Declaration of Independence was signed. However, contrary to popular belief, New Hampshire was not the first colony to declare independence from Great Britain.

The only major battle fought in New Hampshire during the Revolutionary War was the raid on Fort William and Mary on December 14, 1774. This battle supplied the Continental Army with the cannon and ammunition necessary for the Battle of Bunker Hill. New Hampshire also raised three regiments for the Continental Army, and its militia units participated in several important battles.

During the Constitutional Convention, New Hampshire delegates Nicholas Gilman and John Langdon joined the gathering over halfway through the proceedings. After the Constitution was signed in September 1787, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it on June 21, 1788.

In 2017, National Day Calendar launched National New Hampshire Day as part of its National State Days project, which celebrates each state in the order they joined the Union rather than on their actual admission anniversaries. Celebrations begin on July 13 with National Delaware Day, and National New Hampshire Day falls on September 7.