
FRESH STUFF DAILY
Seacoast New Hampshire
& South Coast Maine
Subscribe To Our Newsletter
|
|
| |
|
|
|
10f7
canada cheapest med sialis propecia for sale canadian pharmacy canada cheapest med viagra with no prescription penicillan pills sialis vicodine online viagra without prescription canadian viagra cheap prescription free viagra prescription pharmacy lexapro viagra sale viagra buy india online pharmacy to buy phentermine viagra onlinge buying viagra cialis cheap viarga from canada drug stores canadian pharmacy no prescription levitra without a prescription cheap online viagra Levitra 10 mg cialis 5 mg cheapest daily cialis viagra canada cialis 5 mg generic viagra canada propecia guaranteed viagra online without prescription viagra buy online viagra on line in australia
0
|
Sheep on the Isles of Shoals
|
|
|
|
Written by J. Dennis Robinson
|
|
Page 1 of 4

SHOALS HISTORY
Livestock have lived on the rocky islands since the mid-1600s. Their bones are thick in the soil. Sheep once abounded – good to breed, sheer and eat. But they have not been seen for decades, until recently, when Dave and Rosie came to Smuttynose.
Thomas Had a Little Lamb
(a little beef and a little ham)
In the summer of 1846 Thomas Laighton tried sheep farming on Hog Island at the Isles of Shoals. His diary entry for June 19 reads: "Finished shearing, 40 old sheep, 15 lambs." Before that Laighton tried editing a newspaper, started a failed whaling company, served as a NH state representative, and managed a lighthouse. His dream was to restore the fishing industry that flourished on the Shoals two centuries earlier. That never happened.
But one month later Laighton found his true calling. On July 24, 1846 Laighton met with Levi Thaxter, a young Harvard graduate whose father was a wealthy Boston banker. Thaxter and Laighton became partners in a plan to build a restful sanitarium for handicapped visitors 10-miles out to sea from Portsmouth Harbor. They changed the name of the island from Hog to Appledore. The sanitarium idea was dropped in favor of a hotel. So instead of farming sheep, Thomas Laighton banked his future on tourism.
The Appledore Hotel opened in the summer of 1848. Three years later, in 1851, the 27-year old Mr. Thaxter married Laighton’s 16-year old daughter Celia on the porch of the Appledore Hotel as sheep grazed in the distant fields. The marriage of Celia and Levi Thaxter was as rocky as the Shoals themselves, but the home-schooled girl raised at the Isles emerged as one of the nation’s most popular female writers.
They’re baaa-ck!
This summer the sheep have returned to the Shoals on a trial basis. So far there are only two. Dave and Rosalina arrived on Smuttynose last month and surveyed their summer home. They walked cautiously up the rocky entrance from the cove to the expansive lawn on the privately owned island. Dave is a one-year old neutered mutt. Rosie is a yearling Romney twin who will begin breeding next year.
Carrie McKie coaxed the two animals up the terraced lawn by shaking a few kernels of grain in a metal coffee can. The owner of Triple G Farm in York, Maine, McKie has loaned Dave and Rosie to the Smuttynose Stewards, a volunteer group of caretakers. My wife Maryellen and I have been stewards for nearly a decade, but like Thomas Laighton, our primary focus has been accommodating tourists, not sheep. We welcome the conference members who row across Gosport Harbor from Star Island and monitor the vacationing boaters who find their way into Haley’s Cove.
Carrie gave us a brief course in the care and feeding of sheep. Basically, they wander and eat grass, something Smuttynose has in abundance. My summer job is to mow the lawn and weed-whack the primitive trail that meanders over rocks, past seagulls and through bracken and poison ivy to the back end of the 27-acre island. Steward president Laurence Bussey suggested that Rosie and Dave might "help out" by clearing some of the tall grass around the many stone foundations atf what once was a busy island. Today only two houses remain. Neither has electricity or plumbing. Stewards bring their own water, sunscreen and calamine lotion.
Carrie McKie quickly headed to Star Island where her two hogs are joyously consuming leftovers from the Oceanic Hotel in another experimental livestock project. Dave bleated like a lost child for half an hour when she left, then settled into doing what sheep do best.
{CONTINUE
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 Next > End >>
|
Please visit these SeacoastNH.com ad partners.
Portsmouth Herald
|
Portsmouth Herald Latest Headlines
|
| Portsmouth Herald News from SeacoastOnline.com |
-
UNH hockey powers past Terriers
DURHAM — The play of the University of New Hampshire men's hockey team special teams looked, well, special, Friday night against Boston University.
-
NFL's premier corner Revis mans up on Moss again
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Darrelle Revis has heard enough about his last matchup with Randy Moss. The New York Jets cornerback just wants to move on to the next one.
-
Father-son coaches creating legacy with Winnacunnet football
HAMPTON — If nothing else, Winnacunnet High School has proven that two Steve Magris are better than one when it comes to coaching football.
-
Bergeron wins it for B's in OT
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Patrice Bergeron scored with 47 seconds left in overtime, lifting the Boston Bruins to a 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.
-
Emotional home finale for UNH football
DURHAM — One year ago this week, University of New Hampshire strong safety Terrence Klein intercepted two late passes to preserve a snowy 28-24 win at Maine, more proof that...
-
Carter, Magic drop Celtics
BOSTON — Vince Carter scored 26 points, Rashard Lewis had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic beat the Boston Celtics 83-78 on Friday night.
-
Portsmouth says stimulus jobs overstated by White House
PORTSMOUTH — While federal stimulus dollars flowing into the city may help both causes and the economy, at least one local project echoes concerns expressed nationwide about the accuracy of...
-
Joseph Popluhar
TAMPA, Fla. — Mr. Joseph Popluhar, 71, of Tampa, formerly of Portsmouth, N.H., beloved husband of Marjorie (Hunt) Popluhar, died Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009, in Florida.
-
Turkey Trot 5K in Portsmouth on Thanksgiving morning
PORTSMOUTH — Thanksgiving is one of the most charitable times of the year. If you're in the giving mood, why not get a little exercise, too?
-
Marshwood Middle School parents told 58 of 60 kids accepted unknown Facebook friend
ELIOT, Maine — Marshwood Middle School parents were shocked to learn from Internet expert Jayne Hitchcock Thursday evening that 58 of 60 middle school honors students accepted her as a...
-
Newington tax rate drops, but selectman chides state lawmakers
NEWINGTON — Town taxpayers will pay a lower tax rate for 2009, but the chairman of the Board of Selectmen announced the good news with some concerns for state politicians.
-
Memorial Bridge re-opens
PORTSMOUTH — The Memorial Bridge reopened ahead of schedule on Friday following a month of repairs that forced motorists to seek alternative routes between the city and Kittery, Maine.
-
Bakers bustling for Sunday's pie festival
GREENLAND — Judy Alix laughed excitedly. "Thirty made, only 470 more to go!" she exclaimed.
-
3-car crash on Woodbury Ave.
PORTSMOUTH — A three-car, chain-reaction crash snarled lunch hour traffic Friday on Woodbury Avenue and sent a Maine man to Portsmouth Regional Hospital.
-
Thumbs up to preservation, determination
Thumbs up to the heirs of Mary McIntire Davis for selling a 239-acre parcel of salt marsh and forest along the York River to the York Land Trust ,and to...
-
John R. Genthner
HAMPTON FALLS — John Richard Genthner, born Jan. 28, 1943, in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, died peacefully Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009, after a long illness. He was surrounded by...
-
Runner's Alley helps racer achieve her goals
I would like to thank Janine and the staff at Runner's Alley for their great work in this community. Their contribution, enthusiasm and encouragement are a shining example of what...
-
New Generation raises $10,000 with golf tourney
The New Generation Golf tournament was held at Breakfast Hill Golf Club. With the help of all those who supported it, we made more than $10,000.
-
Memorial is a N.H. bridge; Herald must act to save it
Sitting a couple of hundred miles up the Maine coast, there isn't anyone who knows or cares about our bridge. They've got their own big-time problems that aren't getting fixed.
-
Robert F. Pucciarelli
WELLS, Maine — Robert Francis "Bob" Pucciarelli, 83, of Wells, formerly of Medway, Mass., died early Thursday morning, Nov. 19, 2009.
|
|
|
|
|
| Saturday, November 21, 2009 |
|
|
|