Exeter Kept New Hampshire's Revolution Running from Town Hall Site

The Revolutionary-era Committee of Safety met in Exeter, handling everything from paying soldiers to moving supplies during the war.

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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Exeter once served as New Hampshire's capital during the Revolutionary War, with a powerful Committee of Safety meeting right where the town's current Town Hall stands. This behind-the-scenes body handled critical wartime logistics, leaving rich paper trails now preserved by the Exeter Historical Society. The story also traces the rise and fall of local leader Joseph Gilman and his long-gone home on Franklin Street.

Why it matters

Exeter's role as a Revolutionary War hub highlights how small New England towns played an outsized part in keeping the fight for independence running. The town's archives provide a unique window into the day-to-day challenges of supplying troops and managing a wartime economy at the local level.

The details

The Committee of Safety that met in Exeter's Town Hall oversaw everything from paying soldiers to moving supplies during the Revolutionary War. They left behind detailed records that are now preserved by the Exeter Historical Society, offering a rare glimpse into the logistical challenges of the conflict. The story also traces the rise and fall of local leader Joseph Gilman, whose home on Franklin Street no longer stands.

  • Exeter served as New Hampshire's capital during the Revolutionary War.

The players

Committee of Safety

A powerful behind-the-scenes body that met in Exeter's Town Hall and handled critical wartime logistics during the Revolutionary War.

Joseph Gilman

A local leader in Exeter whose rise and fall is chronicled in the story, with his former home on Franklin Street no longer standing.

Exeter Historical Society

The organization that now preserves the detailed records left behind by Exeter's Revolutionary War-era Committee of Safety.

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The takeaway

Exeter's role as a Revolutionary War hub underscores how small New England towns played an outsized part in the fight for independence, with the town's archives providing a unique window into the day-to-day challenges of supplying troops and managing a wartime economy at the local level.