Hart’s Location, New Hampshire was named for Colonel John Hart of Portsmouth. In 1772, the land was granted to Thomad Chadbourne, also of Portsmouth. Hart’s Location was built along an obscure Indian trail leading through the White Mountains, which became the Coos Road, along which a public house was built in 1793. It was abandoned until 1825, when Samuel Wiley Jr. moved into it, along with his wife and five children. On August 28, 1826, they were all killed in a landslide that became known as Wiley’s Slide. They had fled their home to take refuge in a shelter, but the shelter was destroyed while the home remained undamaged. This tragedy inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne to write “The Ambitious Guest” in 1835. With a population of forty-one, as of the 2010 census, the town in Carroll County is the smallest town in the state. It is crossed by the Appalachian Trail. Since 1948, Hart's Location has been known for being the first to declare its results in presidential primaries and presidential elections.
 
 
Recommended Resources
Crawford Notch Campground & General Store
The family-owned campground is situated on one hundred acres along the banks of the Saco River, offering campsites, log cabins and yurts. Featured is a campground map, and information about its policies, rules, rates, and online reservations system.
http://www.crawfordnotchcamping.com/
Hart’s Location, New Hampshire
The official town website highlights the results of the latest presidential primary or general elections, as the town is known for being the first to declare its results. Other features include contacts for its board of selectmen, meeting minutes, property maps, and land use ordinances.
http://www.hartslocation.com/
Surrounded by the White Mountain National Forest, the 1860s granite mansion is situated on one hundred acres in Hart’s Location, New Hampshire. Its lodging facilities, availability, rates and packages, dining facilities, and accommodations for weddings and other events are highlighted.
http://www.notchland.com/
This genealogical record tells the story of the Willey family catastrophe in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, in August of 1826, and the circumstances around the deaths of the Hart’s Location family.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nhcarrol/bios2/willey.htm