New Hampshire State House

Built in 1819 of granite quarried by state prison labour, the New Hampshire State House dominates the centre of Concord with its gilded eagle-topped dome. It is the oldest state capitol still housing its legislature in the original chambers, and the building works hard — New Hampshire's 400-member House of Representatives is the largest in the country, so Representatives Hall is packed shoulder-to-shoulder when in session.

The grounds carry an extraordinary number of statues for so small a city: Daniel Webster, Franklin Pierce, John Stark, John P. Hale and others all stand watch over the lawn. Inside, the corridors hang heavy with portraits of New Hampshire governors and battle flags from every American war since the Revolution. Self-guided tours are free on weekdays from 8 to 4:30, and guided tours run when the legislature is not in session.

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A story
The State House is the oldest state capitol in the United States in which the legislature still meets in its original chambers. The granite for the walls was quarried by inmates of the New Hampshire State Prison just up the road; the gilded eagle on the dome was carved in 1818 by William Low Foster and is still up there, regilded but otherwise unchanged. The 400-member House of Representatives packed into Representatives Hall is one of the largest legislative bodies in the English-speaking world.