"H" is for Hampshire (New Hampshire)

The columns
of New Hampshire's capitol are unique. There are two tiers of nearly identical, round columns set in pairs at the main entrance. The only other capitol with its front portico columns all in pairs is Pennsylvania's, and it only has one tier.

image courtesy of
Roz and Roy Simpson

The H
It should be easy to connect the columns with an "H," or rather "H H H." The lines are already there, and the image at left highlights them.

An Association
I suppose the "H" could or should have been for Hawaii. However, if you compare this domed and columned structure to the Hawaiian capitol building, you will realize it is far more likely to be on our east coast than our Pacific islands. After all, instead of a solid dome, the Hawaiian capitol has a dome of sorts with an open hole. No kidding! So here, "H" is for Hampshire, the only other word in our state capitals' names that starts with an "H."

"Four-letter Words" — for Ohio

Entrance Porch
Another unusual feature of the front of the Ohio capitol is the recessed entrance porch. Most capitols have a portico, usually a pediment and peaked roof over a colonnade that is extended in front of the entrance. Ohio's porch also makes a very wide entrance, especially compared to the odd pediment above it. There are eight columns, and only a few other state capitols have that many in their entrance colonnade.

On either side of the recessed entrance porch, there are four sets of upper and lower windows between the pilasters. This is the only capitol with eight entrance columns and four sets of windows on each side of them.

No Dome!
The first thing people notice about the Ohio capitol is it has no dome. The drum is there, and the columns we expect, and even a pediment, though it is in an unusual place well above and behind the colonnade. But there is no dome, and it looks as if it has just gone missing.

image courtesy of
Edward Crim photographer,
the State Capitols Project

This capitol went through many architects and builders during its long and troubled construction. Each architect changed the plans for various reasons. More than once, a dome was planned for the top of the drum. The final plan did not include it, possibly to cut costs, and the drum has a low conical roof and a short cupola instead. Many sources refer to that roof as a saucer dome. Nothing up there is particularly visible in any images except arial ones.

It should be noted the capitol in Oregon also has a drum with no dome. Since the Art Deco style of the Oregon capitol is quite different from Ohio's more usual, classical style, and Oregon has the large Oregon Pioneer statue on top of their drum, the effect is very different from Ohio's capitol. They should not be easily confused.

image courtesy of rossaroni
through Creative Commons

I can't pass up the opportunity to use two independent associations for this capitol.

Missing Dome Association
To connect the missing dome impression to
the State, remember

     "Oh-my-Oh-hi-oh, no-dome!"
       (Oh, my! Ohio, no dome!)

It rhymes, sort of. So the capitol missing the dome is in Oh-hi-oh, Ohio.

Hidden Letter and Four-letter Word Association
In the "Porch" section above on the right, the windows and columns on the Ohio capitol facade are described. If each window in those four sets mentioned on each side of the entrance frames out a letter, we have four, four-letter words, each just the right size for "Ohio."

Also, those eight entrance columns frame out another set of four letters, again for Ohio. The tricky part here is that Ohio is not the only state that has four letters in its name; Iowa and Utah do too. If you familiarize yourself first with the Corn Capital Iowa and Orderly Utah capitols, the four-letter name for this capitol has to be Ohio. So the capitol with five four-letter words on its facade is in (I cannot say here that Ohio is a four-letter word! I like the State, myself.) Ohio.

"W" — is for Washington

Portico
If the end of the roof line is not visible in a photo, the multiple lines of the three tiers often show. Even if that is not included in an image, the W in the portico roof and small towers above it is easily visible. No other capitol's front forms a W quite like this one.

detail from image at left

An Association
As already stated, "W" is for Washington.

Roof line
The three-tiered roof of this capitol is unique. The overhang on each tier gives them a pointed profile, which draws out a slanted W.

detail from image at right

images courtesy of
Seth Gaines

There are four states that begin with the letter "W." So now you ask, "And how are we supposed to remember the W is for Washington?" I'm afraid you will need to learn the other three first to be sure, but how hard could that be? Who could forget Go West (to all that gold) Virginia, You Wish-consin, or Shy-Anne Wyoming?