Includes bibliographical references and index.

I. The beginnings -- The history of the wars of New England with the Eastern Indians / Samuel Penhallow -- The work of the Lord in the earthquake / The Reverend Jabez Fitch -- A farmer's diary / Matthew Patten -- II. The Revolution and Statehood: the Republic of Virtue -- The history of New Hampshire / The Reverend Jeremy Belknap -- A discourse delivered at Easton, on the 17th of October, 1779 / The Reverend Israel Evans -- Account of the Battle of Bennington / General John Stark -- The Oriental philanthropist; or, The true Republican / Henry Sherburne -- Female quixotism: exhibited in the romantic opinions and extravagant adventures of Dorcasina Sheldon / Tabitha Gilman Tenney -- III. The White Mountains -- History of the White Mountains / Lucy Howe Crawford -- Sketches from memory / Nathaniel Hawthorne -- The ambitious guest / Nathaniel Hawthorne -- The White Hills: their legends, landscape, and poetry / Thomas Starr King -- Three days on the White Mountains / Dr. Benjamin Ball -- The Willey Slide / Franklin Leavitt -- Through Crawford Notch by rail / Franklin Leavitt -- IV. The idealized community -- Northwood: a tale of New England / Sarah Buell Hale -- The story of a bad boy / Thomas Bailey Aldrich -- An old town by the sea / Thomas Bailey Aldrich -- Unguarded gates / Thomas Bailey Aldrich -- The real diary of a real boy / Henry Augustus Shute -- Joint owners in Spain / Alice Brown -- Among the Isles of Shoals / Celia Thaxter -- Land-locked / Celia Thaxter -- Off shore / Celia Thaxter -- The sandpiper / Celia Thaxter -- The Spaniards' graves / Celia Thaxter -- Deserted farms / Sam Walter Foss -- The candidates at the fair / Sam Walter Foss -- New Hampshire / Edna Dean Proctor -- Monadnock in October / Edna Dean Proctor -- The hills are home / Edna Dean Proctor -- The old homestead / Denman Thompson -- Obituary of Gilman Tuttle / The Granite Monthly -- The old home week festal day / The Granite Monthly -- V. The changing order: decline and revolt -- The landlord at Lion's Head / William Dean Howells -- Coniston / Winston Churchill -- Mr. Crewe's career / Winston Churchill -- The dwelling-place of light / Winston Churchill -- New Hampshire / Robert Frost -- The census-taker / Robert Frost -- Jeremy Hamlin / Alice Brown -- Peyton Place / Grace Metalious -- VI. The return -- The buck in Trotevale's / Thomas Williams -- Ah, New Hampshire / Noel Perrin -- Names of horses / Donald Hall -- The black faced sheep / Donald Hall -- As does New Hampshire / May Sarton -- A recognition / May Sarton -- Death of a maple / May Sarton -- We have seen the wind / May Sarton -- Plant dreaming deep / May Sarton.