FRESH STUFF DAILY
Seacoast New Hampshire
& South Coast Maine
Subscribe To Our Newsletter
|
|
| |
|
|
|
d9f
vicodine buy zoloft generic propecia without prescription buy viagra online where to buy fenfluramine buy viagra canada viagra for sale online canada cheapest med canadian viagra viagra canada viagra with no prescription buy propecia cialis generic buy daily cialis propecia for sale propecia 5mg viagra online without prescription generic viagra canada cialis canada cialisis viagra online pharmacy to buy phentermine cheap online viagra cialia or viagro pharmacy viagra gnc increase testosterone viagra buy online buy clomid
0
|
A Quick History of the Isles of Shoals
|
 |
 |
|
Written by J. Dennis Robinson
|
|
Page 3 of 3
400 Years Brief History (continued)
Hotels & Poetry
 Poet Celia Thaxter was just a child when her father Thomas Laighton left a busy life in Portsmouth and accepted the two-year government post of lighthouse keeper at White Island in 1839. Her memories in books like "Among the Isles of Shoals (1873) made her one of a handful of female writers known throughout the country.
Crude guest houses evolved on Star and Smuttynose prior to the Civil War. In 1847 Celia’s father had the ingenious notion of building a grand hotel on Appledore which he owned. With $2,000 backing from a city visitor named Levi Thaxter, the hotel was begun. Thaxter, aged 21, became tutor to 12-year old Celia whom he married four years later. Celia’s literary skills and Thaxter’s Boston family connections provided the ideal public relations tool, drawing the cream of big city society to the isolated hotel. Among the best known visitors were writers Harriet Beecher Stowe, Richard Henry Dana, Nathaniel Hawthorne and John Greenleaf Whittier, painter Childe Hassam and NH-born President Franklin Pierce.
Their success brought competition. In 1873 the rival Oceanic Hotel, was built nearby on Star Island, dominating the former fishing village. With the two major islands adapted to tourism, the town of Gosport held its last town meeting and one of America’s longest surviving fishing communities faded from history. That same year, Smuttynose, the long narrow island adjacent to Star and Appledore attracted national media attention when two young women were brutally murdered there by itinerant fisherman Louis Wagner. A fictionalized version of that event was adapted into the novel "The Weight of Water".
As her parents aged, Celia’s brother Oscar and Cecil took over management of the Appledore and eventually of the hotel at Star. The Laighton Brothers were never financially successful, but managed to keep the hotels running. The pastoral blend of Celia’s island garden and salon drew the toast of Boston arts. They in turn attracted a steady clientele who came for the summer air, abundant good food and scenic beauty. Although separated from Levi and raising three children, Celia Thaxter continued to draw visitors with fanciful tales of ghosts, shipwrecks and Blackbeard’s lost pirate treasure.
The Isles Today
The "modern" Isles of Shoals is largely unchanged from the Isles of 1897 when the "conference" era began. Back then a Unitarian minister agreed to hold his annual church meetings at the Isles to accommodate his wife’s discomfort with hot summers at inland New Hampshire. The summer meetings became so popular that, when the Appledore Hotel burned in 1914, the Unitarian group purchased the surviving Oceanic Hotel for $16,000.
The Star Island Corporation today still owns both islands today and -- except for "off limits" periods during two world wars -- has continued to operate the Oceanic as summer conferences retreat. Star Island has moved its headquarters to nearby Portsmouth and is slowly upgrading the facilities without changing the Victorian appeal. Celia Thaxter’s garden is maintained for limited visitation on Appledore, which now houses the Shoals Marine Laboratory. The unique "hands-on" summer educational program is run by Cornell University in cooperation with the University of New Hampshire nearby.
Smuttynose is owned by descendants of Celia Thaxter who have agreed never to develop the island. Once Church Island, the original 17th century fishing village, Smuttynose today has only two buildings – one dating to the Revolutionary War -- and thousands of seagulls. Visitors are welcomed in season for hiking.
Lunging has one private home. Cedar Island is still occupied by the longest surviving lobster fishing family. The lighthouse at White Island has recently been restored thanks to the fundraising efforts of middle school students and their teacher Sue Reynolds from the town of Rye who raised $250,000 to save the Victorian brick structure. Seavey Island, connected to White, sports a tern reclamation project and terns and seals dominate the rocky ledges of Duck Island. Passing by, or moored in Gosport Harbor, visiting boaters will find no neon lights, coffee shops or city boutiques. By day the Isles of Shoals is much the way Celia Thaxter remembered it. By moonlight it is as silent as an ancient fishing outpost from John Smith’s time.
By J. Dennis Robinson. Copyright © 1997 SeacoastNH.com. Updated 2006. All rights reserved.
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 Next > End >>
|
Please visit these SeacoastNH.com ad partners.
Portsmouth Herald
|
Portsmouth Herald Latest Headlines
|
| Portsmouth Herald News from SeacoastOnline.com |
-
UNH football rallies past Maine to secure playoff spot
DURHAM — Another year, another trip to the Division I playoffs for the University of New Hampshire football team.Another year, another excruciating loss for Maine.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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...
-
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...
-
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...
-
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.
|
|
|
|
|
| Saturday, November 21, 2009 |
|
|
|
