First Permanent European Settlement in New Hampshire: Dover Point, 1623

The first permanent European settlement in what became the Province of New Hampshire was established at Dover Point (present-day Dover) in 1623.

• Founders: Edward Hilton and William Hilton (fish merchants from London).
• Date: Spring 1623 (exact day/month not recorded in surviving documents).
• Name: Initially "Hilton's Point" or "Pascataquack"; later Dover.
• Activity: Fishing, fur trading, timber; base for further settlement (Portsmouth 1630, Exeter 1638).

Earlier seasonal fishing stations existed (Isles of Shoals, 1610s), but the Hilton brothers' settlement marks the beginning of continuous year-round European occupation.

New Hampshire was initially part of Massachusetts Bay Colony; became separate royal province 1679.