HISTORICAL NEW HAMPSHIRE Current Issue In honor of its 200th anniversary, the New Hampshire Historical Society published two special issues of Historical New Hampshire—each exploring the Society’s history—one century at time. The first issue covers the Society’s first 100 years, starting with its founding in 1823. At that time, people were developing a new appreciation for the history as a way to discern what was the American character. Many were beginning to see that history was not just about the past—it could also help define the present and create an American mythology that would shape the future. In the decades that followed, men, and eventually women too, collected the relics of New Hampshire’s past, the objects, books, manuscripts, and other materials that shaped our culture. Over the course of the Society’s first century, the organization’s devoted members, many of whom were the leading political, business, and societal figures of their time, established the state’s premier research library and over saw the construction of a building that would become a temple to New Hampshire history. The second issue covers the Society’s next century, from 1923 to the present day. During these years and under the leadership of a long line of outstanding directors, the Society opened one of the state’s first museums and expanded its efforts to share New Hampshire’s history with the public through school programs, exhibitions, lecture series, and tours. Society staff blazed new paths in the realms of historic preservation, digitization, and education, while continuing to develop the definitive collections of library, archival, and museum objects related to New Hampshire. As the Society’s current president, Bill Dunlap, remarked during the anniversary celebrations, “A place like this one does not survive, let alone thrive, without the contributions and devotion of many. At the end of the day, despite the importance of the documents and objects we have collected, the essential story of this place is a story of people: their resolve, generosity, and hard work are the reason we exist today.” Meet the people who made it happen and see how they did it in these two special issues. New Hampshire Historical Society: The First Century, 1823–1923 Volume 76, No. 1 Elizabeth Dubrulle, Editor Joan E. Desmarais, Illustrations Editor Buy This Issue New Hampshire Historical Society: The Second Century, 1923–2023 Volume 76, No. 2 Elizabeth Dubrulle, Editor Joan E. Desmarais, Illustrations Editor Buy This Issue About HISTORICAL NEW HAMPSHIRE Published by the New Hampshire Historical Society since 1944, Historical New Hampshire is the only statewide journal devoted to New Hampshire history. The publication is a benefit of membership in the New Hampshire Historical Society. Current and back issues of Historical New Hampshire are available for purchase through the Society's store. PDFs of articles also are accessible to members through the Society's collection catalog. Become a Member