The New Hampshire State Capitol Building is built of New Hampshire Granite quarried here in Concord. It was occupied in 1819 and is the oldest capitol with the original legislative chambers still in use. They don't offer guided tours so we were on our own. The legislature was not meeting but we could go into the galleries of both chambers. I was amazed to see so many seats jammed into the House of Representatives. I learned that New Hampshire has the nation's largest House of Representatives with 400 members. The Senate, at 24 members, is the fourth smallest. The Representatives sit in theatre seats with no desks. They have no offices in Concord but mostly work from home. They are paid $200 per session and are proud of their "citizen" government.
This photo of the Senate Chambers shows the murals painted in the 1940s by a New Hampshire artist behind the President of the Senate.
Today is the hottest day we've experienced in New England, about 90, and most of the Capitol Building is not air conditioned. I laughed at the signs taped to the doors of some of the offices, "Air Conditioner in Use. Please Keep Door Closed."
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