Can You Guess Where the Oldest Bar in New Hampshire Is?

The oldest bar in New Hampshire is inside the oldest inn in the state. Do you know which one it is?

Take a seat at this bar and imagine doing the same thing that people in the 1700's were doing: drinking and having a good time.

Thrillist did some exhaustive research and found the 51 oldest bars across America in each state that have been through so much in our nation's great history. Just imagine trying to weather Prohibition when all you sell is alcohol.

They admit that it is hard to pin down each state's oldest drinking establishment from records and historians, but did contact every state's historical society for answers.

In New Hampshire, our oldest tavern is attached to Hancock's The Hancock Inn, which is one of the oldest bed and breakfasts in New England. It has been operating since 1789 after it was built by Noah Wheeler shortly after the town was incorporated. It was the first in the area to offer accommodations along with food and beverages.

The Inn became a center of social life after it was purchased by a politician named David Patten in 1830. A former president that is well-known in New Hampshire also visited the inn frequently.

Here is what Thrillist had to say about The Hancock Inn:

Since we’re talking rural New England here, it should come as no surprise that the oldest tavern in the state is in what now operates as primarily a bed and breakfast. This colonial landmark is the oldest Inn in New Hampshire, and was a regular hangout for the only guy from the state to ever be President, Franklin Pierce. It’s still got a tavern and restaurant, so you can stop in without having to spend a romantic weekend watching the leaves change or some other equivalent unpleasantness.