A complete archive of mail from August 2004

August 29
DOUBLE BRIDGE VISION
In the quest for an answer regarding a bridge, I call upon you! I was watching "Chronicle" on my local program, tonight, and saw a bridge in the background. I naturally presumed this bridge is in NH. It appeared to be two levels. I saw traffic on a top level, and traffic on a lower level. Is this my imagination, or does this bridge exit in NH? I am curious of the name of the bridge?, and location. Is it possible that there was mainland behind it? and it appeared to be part of the bridge? Or there are two bridges in same area that gave this illusion? I prefer to think this is it. A double decker bridge seems preposterous. I have to admit, it is driving me a little "nuts" . HELP! I'm not a crazy person, just overly curious. We are never to old to learn!! Thank You!
A curious little old lady.

EDITOR’S REPLY: If the show was about the NH Seacoast, we can only suggest that the view may have been of TWO bridges. Three bridges close by cross the Piscataqua at Portsmouth to Kittery. It is easy to imagine that the Sara Long Bridge would look like a lower bridge while the arched Route 95 might appear, from a distance, to be the top of the same bridge. Just a guess.

August 28
ENGLISH SHOULD STICK TO COCKLES?
Sirs, I ate clam chowder in Boston on holiday and have never tasted anything like it before. I bought clams today (in Bury market in England) and am using your recipe to try and make it. Hope it goes well, I read your website with a smile on my face, most interesting and very entertaining. Will let you know the results of my endeavours.
Wendy Watson

EDITOR’S REPLY: We look forward to the result. English clams, however, well, maybe. We're not sure the same rules apply. Maybe if the chowder fails we could set up an experiment to Fed-x some real clams from here and see how it works over there. Of course, the potatoes and water and the milk are different there too. Come to think of it, I've never had a cornish pastie or an onion pie or fish & chips here that tasted remotely like the ones in England.

August 23, 2004
MORE NEWSLETTER READER NOTES

My sister, Ruth enjoys your newsletter. I was brought up in Rhode Island & our family vacationed several times in New Hampshire on an island on Lake Wentworth. We're hoping to visit N.H. in the fall of 2005 - but will miss seeing The Old Man In the Mountain!
Faucette in Meadow Vista, CA (northeast of Sacramento)

Used to enjoy your weekly articles in Foster's. Great website! Very educational and a tremendous resource. Thanks for all you do to preserve our cultural and historical roots. LeGault in Newmarket, NH
EDITOR'S REPLY: Never fear. You can see the editor's regular Seacoast history features now in the NH Gazette, the Portsmouth Herald and Accent Home & Garden Magazine.

Thanx for hours of interesting reading.
Wendell N. Jenkins

Would you please add my daughters name to your mailing list, she is very much interested in Lighthouses,
Candy

We will be visiting the area in early October, we would like to find a place to rent a small sailboat for a day, or charter.
Maynard
EDITOR’S REPLY. Naybard, try Sail Amaryllis listed in GOseacoast.com. 

The seacoast history information has been my resource for planning local historic site visits this summer with my 11 year old son.Without this "preview" information source our visits would be much less effective.
E. Volpone     

August 22
SEACOASTNH IN THE SCHOOLS
Each spring our students take part in an interactive marine studies program involving the Isles of Shoals. In order to make this unit more interdisciplinary, we would like our students to learn more about the history and geography of the area. We have been very impressed with the quality of the articles on your website. However, it is rare that we have access to thirty computers at one time. Would you be willing to grant us permission to make classroom copies (no more than 30) of some of the articles on your website so that we can use them with our students? Thank you for considering our request.
Wendy in Londonderry

EDITOR’S REPLY: Why get a lot of letters from teachers and we like to help when possible. We appreciate it when they write directly and make requests that respect the national copyright laws. We're happy to grant you rights for use of a few web pages in your classroom. Pick your favorite five pieces and let us know how the kids respond. We’re interested in helping students learn more about the history of their own towns and families. We also have a new history book in the works that, if the funding is found, will be targeted to middle and high schoolers. Teachers have long turned to our extensive NH history archive for material and we’re looking into creating teacher guides as well. Sponsorship, as always, is the critical factor.

August 18
NAZIS IN MAINE?
What a great web site! I get to go to NH on vacation every time I read your stuff; good stuff. Now I must ask for help. I'm doing some research ( a skill I don't have) for a novel about an aspect of World War 1. I "read a rumor" about German Uboats landing on the coasts of New England states and of the existence of a secret german camp in Maine during that war. Do you know anything of such rumors? Can you direct me to another source? Hope this request isn't too far out; you are the only contact I have in New England. Highest regards
Jim Pettit

EDITOR’S REPLY: Peter Payette at PortsmouthForts.com is the working expert on coastal defense in this region. Rumors and legends we’ve got a lot of, and this story sounds like one of them. All we have to offer is the story about the Uboats coming into Portsmouth Harbor after the war.

August 17
CALLIOPE BY THE SEA?
I own a Circus Calliope which is said to have once been at "Wentworth By The Sea" in it's early days. My guess is that it would have been in the first half of the last century. It was made by Nichols of Worcester, Ma, for a circus, and when the circus folded, is said to have spent some time at the Wentworth. It may have been there when there was a fire. Any information that would help to document this instrument would be greatly appreciated! Picture of instrument is attached.
Al in Chesapeake, VA

EDITOR’S REPLY: I don’t recall a single reference to a calliope in 300 newspaper articles or in the history of Wentworth brochures I read in writing the history of the hotel. Otherwise it certainly would have been in the book. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t there. There were small fires, but the biggest was in 1959 and a lot of old items, including a stagecoach, were lost. I don’t recall an inventory of items damaged in the fire in the records in the Portsmouth Athenaeum, nor remember it for sale in the 1983 auction after the hotel closed for 20 years. But will keep an eye out for anyone who remembers it. Thanks for the info. See THE BOOK.

August 16
BIG GROUP GOING FISHING
We are a group of 50-70 people looking forward to go deep sea fishing on the 19th of September early morning for half a day. Can you please give us a price if you got availability, and send us a picture of your boat etc
The Fishermen

EDITOR’S REPLY: Just type "Fishing" into GOseacoast.com for the top companies we recommend. Or visit our extended list on SeacoastBoat.com or search for "fishing" on SeacoastSearch.com.

August 15
CARRIAGE FOR A PRINCESS
I am taking my two young daughters to Portsmouth for the day for their birthday. I wanted to really make them feel like little princesses and take them for a carriage ride. Is there a horse and carriage in Portsmouth all the time like Boston? If so, where is it usually parked? How would I find out more information about this?
Mia on AOL

EDITOR'S REPLY: Contact Portsmouth Livery in advance. Tell them SeacoastNH.com sent you. Have fun. We used this carriage in our wedding.

August 12
STAR ISLAND GIFT SHOP
Is there an "on-line gift shop" for the items sold at the gift shop on Star Island at the Isles of Shoals? If not, can Shoals gift shop items be bought in Portsmouth, or surrounding areas?
Ellen B

EDITOR’S REPLY: Star Island does not currently have a web site for the gift shop. That’s why we wanted you to see them in our recent online contest. The fun part is in going to the Shoals to see the shop. But they are thinking about a web site and they do sometimes place items on the main Star Island web site occasionally. The island is not inhabited in the winter so the web site issue gets a little tricky, but they’re working on it. I there’s something specific that you want, you can contact them via the Star Island web site. Many Shoals items are available in local stores, but a number of the gift and clothing items are available exclusively on the island at Star in the summer.

August 11
WEDDING ON THE ROCKS
We are from Keene. Our daughter is 30 years old and looking for a destination wedding place on the ocean in NH ? Can you give us your favorite places? or.... direct us to a website ? There are so many beautiful places and don't want to miss any. Thank you so much !
Jeanne in Keene

EDITOR’S REPLY: Lots of places, but not many that accommodate marriages on the water since our Seacoast is so small and largely state owned. We’re going to one soon at Laudholm Farm in Wells, Maine that has excellent wedding accommodations and is set up for functions. It’s not right on the water, but there is a great beach down a dirt road from the facility. You might contact the town of Kittery re: the use of Fort Foster Park. We’ve seen wedding photos being taken in Prescott Park, but no ceremonies. We can recommned the Little Harbor Chapel on Wentworth Road for the ceremony if it is small, and that is not far from the Park. A number of historic houses are open on the lawn for weddings in Portsmouth including Moffatt Ladd, John Paul Jones, John Langdon and possibly Rundlett-May, but no real indoor facilities. Wentworth Coolidge might be your best bet if they offer weddings since they have a function area AND are on the water at Little Harbor, tho not on the beach. All of the above excpet the chapel (no web site) are listed on Goseacaost.com (hit the TOURING button on our site).

August 10
TROLLEY WARS
Thanks for summarizing for us (see Trolley on Wrong Track) what I think could be echoed among other businesses in town, including one step on tour ser- vice who stopped due to similar circumstances. Between my other seasonal job and an auspicious private charter situation, I'll gauge this year accordingly and react as necessary. Have a great summer and best regards......
Paul Reardon, Owner
Seacoast Trolley Company

August 6
SEEKING JOHN SHAKFORD’S MONUMENT
According to my Southern NH Road Atlas there exists the John Shakford Monument on Shakford Point in Newmarket. I believe the monument is on a dirt road off of New Rd. in Newmarket but upon investigating this site I found the dirt road (if this indeed was the correct road) to be private. Who was John Shakford, and why would a monument dedicated to him be on a private way?
Jack Goterch

EDITOR’S REPLY: Was asked Rich Alperin of the Newmarket Historical Society. Here’s what he told us -- The answer to your question is anti-climactic. First of all the monument to John Shackford is not really a monument. It is only a gravestone. Secondly John Shackford was not a man of any special accomplishments. Sylvia Getchell (our town historian) says that the Shackford family was a prominent family and they owned the property where the gravestone is located. The point of land that extends out into Great Bay is named for this family and is known as Shackfords Point. This land (most recently known as the Sawyer Farm) was recently purchased after the previous owner passed away a few years ago. There has been no speculation on his plans for the property. The tombstone reads: In Memory of John Shcakford, Born in Newington, Dec 4, 1749, Died Spet. 26, 1816, Aged 67. (Photo by Rich Alperin)

August 4
DE HAAS DOES STAR
Please let me know you or someone you know may be interested in purchasing this Frederick De Haas 1878 painting of Star Island, 20x36 inches, oil on canvas; it is coming up for auction soon with estimate of $9-12,000 .
Philip Foster

August 4
OLD HOUSE IN HAMPTON
As a teen, I used to live on Hampton Beach year round, on Ocean Boulevard. I was best friends with Miss Hampton Beach (who later was de-throned for her, um… change in vocation). I attended Winnacunnet High School in the 80's..and I wonder if there's a website or database of photos to see if my old house is still standing? My parents lived on Boar's Head in later years, but the house I am interested in is just near North Beach before the rocks just out headed towards Rye. Any ideas?
Kristen

EDITOR’S REPLY: Your best shot is to keep your eye on the most detailed web site for the region run by the Lane Library in Hampton. There is also an historical society in Rye that may help in your quest. Also check out Peter Randall’s detailed history of Hampton, a book thick with details.

August 3
WAS ISAAC HULL AN ARITST TOO?
I bought a picture of a boat on a flea market. At first I didn't pay attention to a signature, I just liked the old picture. Later I got interested in the signature in the right corner of the picture. It is a "I. Hull." Picture is drawn by a chock (sic), a battle ship, or some other kind of a ship, but it looks like battle ship from all those pictures that I was able to find on the Internet. Is it posable that this picture is by Isaac Hull? I can’t find that information anywhere. The picture looks old, the pattern of waves looks like on those pictures of battle ships that are listed on sites wherever I. Hull is..Where can I find out more information?
Luba n Springfield, MA

EDITOR’S REPLY: Stranger things have happened. We notice that the first two reference to Isaac Hull on Google (out of ¾ of a million) both link to us – but we’re not the experts you need. We suggest contacting the USS Constitution Museum in Charleston, MA where Old Ironsides is located. Hull was captain and certainly may have sketched ships. More likely it is another Hull who was inspired by a famous ancestor or namesake. But why not check it out? If you can get a copy of this book, you can get a lot of background on Hull’s life -- The Captain from Connecticut: The Life and Naval Times of Isaac Hull by Linda Maloney.

August 2
COULD BE APPLEDORE HOTEL PLATE

I have been reading "Treasure in the Walls at Star Island". I saw your email contact at the bottom of the page so I figured I would start there. If not, then if you could suggest some historical society for the Isles of Shoals, that would be great.

I am a recreational diver. This past weekend, we were diving in Appledore Cove at a place called "the cribs" when I happened to come across a piece of dinnerware. I was wondering if you can link it to anything that happened on Appledore island, like the fire of 1914. Any bit of information you could pass along would give meaning to the piece I found.

Attached are some photos I took of the piece. Maybe it came from Celia’s house? Don’t know.
Dave Smith

EDITOR’S REPLY: Great photo. We’ll leave the details up to any experts who read your letter, but it seems quite possible that this was dishware the old Appledore Hotel that burned in 1914. Remember that for decades starting in 1846 that the Appledore was bustling with guests. At its height as many as 400 people were dining at the hotel and each had to have a dinner plate. We can assume that a great many were broken and tossed into the sea. This may be one of them. We hope you will consider donating the item to the Vaughtan Cottage Museum on Star Island. We’re always interested in new discoveries at the Shoals. 

REPLY: Your best shot is to keep your eye on the most detailed web site for the region run by the . There is also an in Rye that may help in your quest. Also check out Peter Randall’s detailed history of Hampton, a book thick with details.

August 1
SHORT LIFE OF MAYDETH SCOTT
Again and again Dennis, you are in touch with human nature. Thank's so much for sharing the baby book of Maybeth Scott. It's a wonderful story.
Bill Drew

August 1
IT'S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL
Dear Mr Robinson, I am a Brit currently living on (or "in" as us Brits would say) Bartlett Street in Portsmouth. A friend from over there recently asked me "Who was Bartlett?" I did a quick Google, and -- Hey Presto--there was your excellent article from August 2001. ("Which Bartlett is Bartlett Street?") Many thanks--and to think I only knew you from "The New Hampshire Gazette".
David Severn
P.S. I work at UNH Library and have just ordered "Wentworth by the Sea".

August 1
ABOUT MY CLASSIFIED
I thought my e-mail would appear in my ad. Will you add it to my general ad for insulation?
John Ferguson

EDITOR’S REPLY: Here’s how it works: If you entered your email address, anyone responding to your classified to send you a response by clicking on the envelope icon below your free listing. That email does not appear in the classified itself because we protect your privacy. If the email appeared in the general text (as it does on lots of other web sites) then your email address could be automatically "harvested" easily by unscrupulous people collecting addresses for SPAM mailings. Our software shields your email to provide an additional layer of protection from those dastardly types. You can also just put your phone or address which does appear in the body of the classified.