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LIVING WITH THE PAST

Award-winning historian J. Dennis Robinson rambles on about local history in the Seacoast region of New Hampshire and beyond.  Timely, personal and behind-the-scenes commentary posted often. To reply to any of these topics or suggest new ones please use our This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it form. For ALL archived blogs click HERE

 



The Ballad of Goose River Bridge Print E-mail
Written by J. Dennis Robinson   
blogbrainsmallSeacoast Blog #73
November 29, 2009

Writing about history is a slog. I find myself thinking of those poor Seacaost sods marching from here to Quebec, only to get trounced prior to the Revolution. At least I have shoes, and a nice gas stove, and snacks. But those militiamen suffered and died together, while we who tell their stories march alone through a boot-sucking marsh of footnotes and facts. Five hundred words a day is my tridging goal, but only after weeks of stationary study and research. Two hundred words is more common. I’ve been stuck for days on the same sentence, sinking almost out of sight below the muck with dwindling hope of rescue. (Continued below)

 
A Ticket to Pleasure Island Print E-mail
Written by J. Dennis Robinson   
blogbrainsmallSeacoast Blog #72
November 18, 2009

I serve as a late night spy for the Portsmouth Athenaeum. I’m on the Special Collections committee, although I don’t believe I’ve ever attended a meeting. I do my work from home. Well after midnight, when I have finished my writing for the evening, I often reward myself by scanning items related to local history on eBay. Over the years, I’ve become so familiar with the standard items that I can zip thru the list of roughly 300 Portsmouth, NH artifacts like one of those airport x-ray machines. If I see something out of the ordinary, I check it out. Last week a unique item popped up and I was pleased to learn today that the Athenaeum was able to add it to their collection. And here it is. (Click to continue article)

 
Kindle for PC Not for Researchers Yet Print E-mail
Written by J. Dennis Robinson   
blogbrainsmallSeacoast Blog #71
November 11, 2009

To be clear, I am a full-on Kindle fan. In fact, I get all huffy when I read reviews by 20-somethings who knock the $259 pricetage or oldsters who crab that they could never read a book without paper pages. Kindle is a total miracle, works like a dream, and is worth every penny, not only because it travels and reads beautifully, but because it taps into the world’s most effective, organized, affordable and expansive bookstore. So when Amazon announced a free Kindle-like application for PC, I rushed to download it. (Click to continue)

 
Obama Peace Prize Meets Treaty of Portsmouth Print E-mail
Written by J. Dennis Robinson   

blogbrainsmallSeacoast History Blog #70
October 11, 2009

Until this month, only three American presidents had won the Nobel Peace Prize. Barack Obama makes four. As surprising as that may be, considering Obama’s youth, his nine months in office, and his lack of historic accomplishments so far – it is not shocking, if you look backwards at both the prize and the presidency. Right off the bat we must remember that the first 24 American presidents did not qualify. They came and went before the international peace award was conceived in 1901. By my quick count, there were 19 years when no one got the prize at all. (Continued below)

 
Sarah Palin Writes History Fastly Print E-mail
Written by J. Dennis Robinson   

blogbrainsmallSeacoast History Blog #69
September 29, 2009

For the last week I have been polishing the opening paragraph of a chapter in the middle of a history book that I’ve been working on all year. For the research I’ve been reading volume after volume, interviewing people left and right, combing the Internet, haunting the libraries. It’s hard work. So imagine my surprise on learning that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has finished her first history book in scarcely two months. For someone who appears not terribly literate and who often speaks like she’s reading from a dictionary in a blender, Palin is apparently a dynamo at the written word. Her book, Going Rogue: An American LIfe, will reportedly be in the stores before Thanksgiving. (Click above to continue)

 
Privateer Lynx Eyes Portsmouth VIsit Print E-mail
Written by J. Dennis Robinson   
blogbrainsmallSeacoast History Blog #66
September 21, 2009

Now that the cat is out of the bag, I guess it’s time to chat a little about the Privateer Lynx. She is a top-sail schooner built in the style of the fast maneuverable boats designed to harass the British merchant fleet in the War of 1812. If you recall, President Monroe declared war on the nation with the world’s largest navy when we had only a dozen ships of our own. Private armed vessels helped win that war. Lynx is not an exact historic replica of her predecessor, built at Fells Point in Baltimore. But she is inspired by that beautiful vessel with the raked back masts and the sleek silhouette. And maybe, just maybe, she could become a frequent visitor to Portsmouth, NH. (Click headline to continue)

 
Super Cheapskate Guide to Audio History Books Print E-mail
Written by J. Dennis Robinson   

blogbrainsmallSeacoast History Blog #64
September 12, 2009

I read a lot more history books than I write. Or I should say, I have them read to me. Years ago, a $35 (or up) nonfiction audio book was a total treat. Now I’m drinking them in like Kool-Aid on a hot day. What happened? Amazon happened, and as guilty as it makes me feel, I’m taking advantage of a crazy niche of sellers advertising nearly-new recorded books for a little as a penny. (Continued below).

 
The Summer of Crazy Print E-mail
Written by J. Dennis Robinson   

blogbrainsmallSeacoast History Blog #63
August 21, 2009

Rep. Barney Frank got it right when he dismissed another crazy healthcare protestor in Dartmouth, MA this week. Comparing President Obama to Hitler, she asked Mr. Frank: "Why do you continue to support a Nazi policy?’’ Exhausted with the sheer stupidity of the question, he shot back, "On what planet do you spend most of your time?’’ A Fox News commentator, unwilling even to credit the Democrat with a solid comeback, suggested that Frank was so well prepared, that the unidentified woman must have been planted in the crowd by Liberals to make the opposition look stupid. But the "birthers" and anti-healthcare nuts need no help in that department. (Continued below)

 
Neighborhood Converted into Parking Lot Print E-mail
Written by J. Dennis Robinson   

blogbrainsmallSeacoast History Blog #62
August 18, 2009

If you stick your face on the front page of the local newspaper, you can count on getting slapped. So I wasn’t shocked to see a half page article in the OPINION section of last week’s Portsmouth Herald. It wasn’t the first time someone has taken umbrage over one of my history columns, and hopefully, it won’t be the last. My reply appeared almost a week later, and is reprinted below, along with links to the letter and the column that started the ruckus. Since both appeared in August, a month when only tourists are in town, the whole exchange seems to have gone unnoticed. (Continued below)

 
No News Yet in Portwalk Case Print E-mail
Written by J. Dennis Robinson   
blogbrainsmallSeacoast History Blog #61
August 16, 2009

When I was teaching journalism to high school kids I had a favorite headline. It came from the front page of Foster’s Daily Democrat. A reporter had doggedly followed a story in which human remains had been found in some landfill, and each day he dutifully called the coroner for a response. The story was not high on the coroner’s list. The bones were obviously old, and there were fresh bodies showing up during a regional crime wave at that time. (Continued below)

 
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