New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the United States.
In January 1776, it became the first of the British North American colonies to establish a government independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain’s authority; it was the first to establish its own state constitution. Six months later, it became one of the original 13 colonies that signed the United States Declaration of Independence, and in June 1788 it was the ninth state to ratify the United States Constitution, bringing that document into effect.
Historically, New Hampshire was a major center for textile manufacturing, shoemaking, and papermaking, with Amoskeag Manufacturing Company in Manchester at one time being the largest cotton textile plant in the world. Numerous mills were located along various rivers in the state, especially the Merrimack and Connecticut rivers. Many French Canadians migrated to New Hampshire to work the mills in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Manufacturing centers such as Manchester, Nashua and Berlin were hit hard in the 1930s–1940s as major manufacturing industries left New England and moved to the Southern United States or overseas, reflecting nationwide trends. In the 1950s and 1960s, defense contractors moved into many of the former mills, such as Sanders Associates in Nashua; the population of southern New Hampshire surged beginning in the 1980s as major highways connected the region to Greater Boston and established several bedroom communities in the state.
Dealers
- Kenmore Stamp Company
- Manchester Stamp Club
- Nashua Philatelic Society
- Noblespirit LLC
- Paradise Valley Stamp Company, Inc.