New Hampshire - Too Sweet to Take for Granite

Let's talk about New Hampshire: a small state with tons of character! From its unique highway system to its ancient granite formations and innovative maple syrup industry, this state stands apart from the crowd. After years of resistance, this year marks New Hampshire's renumbering of their highway system to match the rest of the nation—a change that locals opposed as part of their cultural identity. From the Concord granite that gives the state its nickname, "The Granite State," to the impressive 90,000 gallons of maple syrup annually produced, New Hampshire carries its history and traditions like the treasures it produces.

The Highway System

Ranking as the 7th smallest state by land mass and the 10th-least populous, outsiders are surprised to learn all of the ways that New Hampshire manages to stand out from the fold, particularly with their unique interstate highway system. First is the shortest interstate in the country: NH10A, running for exactly .54 miles. Second, all public roads are considered "highways" — meaning there is no difference between what is a "road" and what is a "highway" in the state. One of the biggest differences has been their numbering system, which follows a consecutive (or sequential) exit numbering on all freeways, interstates, turnpikes, and NH 101. Unlike most states that start at "0" for the interstate's start at the most western or southerly point and then mark every mile forward to the east or north, New Hampshire starts at the westerly or southerly point and counts interchanges, starting with "1." This means that their exits are not assigned numbers, except for one: I-93's exit 15E to I-393 in Concord.

This quirky way of numbering their interstates and exits has become a point of pride for the locals. In fact, when the Department of Transportation endorsed the idea of renumbering New Hampshire in 2019, Governor Sununu fought back, claiming that their unique way of numbering was a part of their history, with locals defining themselves with pride about "growing up at exit 3" and the like. The DOT threatened to remove federal highway funding if the state didn't comply. Sununu argued back that even with the funding, the state would still have to pay $1 million toward the change. In November of last year, the Senate and House of Representatives passed House Bill 1547 requiring "mileage-based exit numbers on Tier 1 highways." With new Governor Ayotte in office, the change has begun this year.

Concord Granite

New Hampshire has reason to hold onto the things that have made it unique. After all, the state nickname comes from an event that occurred over 375 million years ago: the Acadian Orogeny. This major mountain-building event* led to the formation of the granite we now associate with New Hampshire. (While a "mountain-building event" sounds vague, the explanation is wordy. We will include further elaboration at the end of this post for those who are interested.) When two major landmasses collided, the Appalachian Mountains formed. Among these landmasses was a group of rocks called the New Hampshire Plutonic Suite, and when the masses collided, Concord granite was formed. Though we have talked about Georgia being called the Granite Capital of the World, Concord granite is distinctly different and is characterized by its light grey color, tight grain, and formation from melted sandstone deep underground. This Concord granite became such a large part of New Hampshire's economy that it earned the state its nickname: The Granite State.

Around 375 million years ago, the Acadian Orogeny occurred: a major mountain-building event* that led to the formation of the granite we now associate with New Hampshire. (While a "mountain-building event" sounds vague, the explanation is wordy. We will include further elaboration at the end of this post for those who are interested.) When these two landmasses collided, the Appalachian Mountains formed. Among these landmasses was a group of rocks called the New Hampshire Plutonic Suite, and when the masses collided, the Concord granite was formed. Though we have talked about Georgia being called the Granite Capital of the World (insert link to that blog post), Concord granite is distinctly different and is characterized by its light grey color, tight grain, and formation from melted sandstone deep underground. This Concord granite became such a large part of New Hampshire's economy that it earned the state its nickname: The Granite State.

In 1883, John Swenson moved from Sweden to New Hampshire and bought George Ballard's quarry operation on Rattlesnake Hill. For $750, he founded the Swenson Granite Company, later expanding by acquiring the Hollis Quarry and the Railway Quarry. In the 2000s, the company owned 200 acres on Rattlesnake Hill—almost 3 miles in length! This is still the largest granite-cutting operation in New Hampshire. In 2016, Swenson Granite was sold to Polycor, Inc., the world's largest natural stone quarrier.

Maple Syrup

Granite isn't the only thing that New Hampshire has been known for. Every year, New Hampshire produces 90,000 gallons of maple syrup between mid-February and mid-April. When frozen sap begins to thaw, the pressure builds up inside of the tree, causing it to flow from any fresh wound. This season is when there are plenty of freezing nights but sunny days that cause the pressure to build up over and over. Workers can drill a small hole into the tree, insert a spout attached to a bucket, and then return the filled containers to the sugar house for processing. This is when the sap is boiled down until it reaches the consistency of syrup that everyone is more familiar with. Forty gallons of boiled sap eventually evaporates down to one gallon of maple syrup.

Likely learned from Native Americans who were tapping the trees for their sweet treat, early settlers quickly discovered the value of producing maple syrup. Sugar itself was difficult to obtain, and maple syrup involved a lot of time and work to produce such a small amount of product. This gave the item value, and it became a valuable currency. Between the 1700s–1800s, it was nearly the only sweetener in the U.S. By the end of the 1800s, 300,000 gallons were being produced to sell annually. The Shakers (a more rambunctious offshoot of the Quakers) began maple sugaring with a village in Canterbury and sold around New England, giving the town notoriety among tourists for their sweet treats. The Shakers found innovative ways to produce maple syrup more efficiently and changed the maple syrup industry through their ingenuity. After trying some himself, Governor Lieutenant Wentworth sent a small box of maple candies to a British nobleman, determined to start his own business. Though there isn't much information on when or how his business started, the Warren Farm and Sugar House seems to be where the Wentworth legacy is still carried on—though the information here gets convoluted and there are large gaps in information regarding how these businesses started. Regardless, New Hampshire continues to produce enough maple syrup to rank it 6th in the country, and it continues to be a major part of the state's heritage and tourism industry.

New Hampshire's Fun Firsts

Other things worth mentioning about New Hampshire are all of its firsts! They were the first state to declare its independence from England in 1775. Only a little over a decade later, Concord saw the invention of the first alarm clock in 1787. In 1828, the Dover Cotton Factory was home to the nation's first women's strike. Finally, the world's first free, tax-supported library in Peterborough was opened in 1833. That's a lot of firsts, and all of these could surely be given their own separate posts if we dove into their history—but that'll have to be saved for another time.

For now, whether you're trekking along New Hampshire's consecutive numbered highways as they undergo their number changes, checking out the geological wonders of a granite quarry, or indulging in authentic maple syrup, remember that Interstate Signways marked the way!

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*Mountain-building event: The Appalachian Mountains formed through four major mountain-building events. The third one happened when an island chain called Avalonia crashed into what would become North America (along with parts of Ireland, Scotland, and Greenland). This collision, plus some activity deep under the Earth's surface, helped create the mountain range we know today.