Literature About Exeter

Exeter's rich history has been the subject of many different books. Detailed accounts portray the Town's critical place in New Hampshire's and America's history. 

The History of the Town of Exeter, New Hampshire. 

By Charles H. Bell. 

This work was originally published in 1888 and is an incredible account of the Town's early history. The work contains interesting stories from the Town's founding up until the late Nineteenth Century. The book navigates crucial periods for the town and America, the Colonial Period, the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and The Civil War. The book is ordered chronologically and has chapters on important events and movements in the Town's past. Exeter's role in each era was given life by Charles Bell in this seminal piece on Exeter's history.

Exeter New Hampshire 1888-1988

By Nancy Carnegie Merrill

The combined effort of the Exeter Historical Society and the Town in 1983 continues chronicling Exeter's history where Charles Bell concluded. The book is a wonderful telling of Exeter's history from 1888 through 1988. It covers the pivotal point when America emerged onto the world stage and details the importance of this transition. This work captures the lives of Exeter's residents and how those lives changed over the course of a century. The periods covered in the book include the World War I, World War II, and the Cold War up until 1988. With help from the community, Mrs. Merrill was able to put together an accurate and detailed work for the Town, its citizens, and the world.