April 26
SUPPORTING WHITE LIGHT
Hi Dennis and company! Once again, I am amazed at what you folks at SeacoastNH.com do. As a descendant of Shoalers, many of whom appear in the First Census of the United States as living in Gosport, and as a retired member of the USN and USCG, I have a fondness for the Isles and for lighthouses. As a child, I used to sit on the rocks at Little Boars Head and look across the sea to the islands and the light. Let me know where to send my contribution as soon as there is a responsible effort to restore the lighthouse on White Island. With the descendants of Shoalers and those who love the islands scattered throughout the country, perhaps a bit of letter writing to our elected representatives in Washington DC is in order. It is often amazing what a few letters to the right Senators and Congressmen can accomplish. Perhaps we would get lucky and find that one of those in favor of having the Feds restore the lighthouse is a close personal friend of some mover and shaker on a finance committee. Stranger things have happened in the history of this country. P.S. I think I'm already on the newsletter list, but I clicked that radio button to keep the newsletter coming.
Robert Garland in Perkasie, PA

April 26
SAVING WHITE ISLAND LIGHT
I read your article on the lighthouse with great interest. I am the founder of a 6 state lighthouse group called The New England Lightouse Lovers. One of its goals is to help raise money for lighthouses undergoing restoration. This group has recently become a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation which is basically run by the Lighthouse Depot of Wells, Maine, and chaired by Tim Harrison.

Hopefully both groups will be interested in helping on this worthy project along with the 7th graders. I led the club on a weekend Outing to Portsmouth several years ago, where they took a special 5 hour cruise past many of the lighthouses, including White Island. Members should remember this scenic light and hopefully be motivated to help raise funds. Two of the club members, Augie and Lisa Kurdt, live in the general Portsmouth area; and I will advise them of what the students are hoping to accomplish. This might make a good youth project for the club to become involved in. I will also send this on to the current club president, Ron Foster of CT. The Lighthouse Depot, being in the general NH seacoast proximity, should hopefully want to save a lighthouse in its own backyard, so to speak. Maybe an interview with Tim Harrison on this project would result in the involvement also of the American Lighthouse Foundation, as they have done much to finance the restoration of other New England lights. Hopefully club officers will contact you for a follow-up article. Keeping the Flame in New England,
Barbara Hupp, New England Lighthouse Lovers (NELL)
http://www.seacoastnh.com/arts/please012802.html

April 26
JENNY LIND FOREVER
I have a framed picture that I inherited from my grandmother. It matches what was described on your website as a "publicity painting" of Jenny Lind. I was hoping to discover it's worth. It was framed by my grandmother and has never been out of the frame, to my knowledge, so that it is in good shape. Could you somehow direct me toward a way to determine the value.
Ava Chambers

EDITOR’S REPLY: We included one article on Jenny Lind in relation to her non-visit to this region in the 1800s and the possible connection between a figurehead of her and a clipper ship built in Portsmouth. That tenuous connection has lead to an avalanche of letters from people who own Jenny Lind images, including phone calls, mail and email. The upshot is – we don’t know anything about Jenny other than our meager research shows. What we need here is a Jenny Lind expert who can answer the flood of questions. Should anyone know one, have him or her write. She’s a fascinating character, but her link to Seacoast NH, although the focus of a new book by Karl-Eric Svardskog, is tenuous at best.
http://www.seacoastnh.com/arts/please050801.html

April 26
BOOK FROM WHITE ISLAND
I purchased a fiction book on ebay and on the inside is stamped by a rubber stamp "Lester W. Davis, White Island Lt. Sta., Isles of Shoals, Portsmouth, NH." The book was copyright 1949. Who was Lester Davis?
Myrna from Bowler

REPLY FROM LIGHTHOUSE EXPERT Jeremy D'Entremont: I've looked through my files and I don't have anything on Lester Davis. I don't have a complete list of keepers at White Island (Isles of Shoals) Lighthouse. I would bet that Lester W. Davis was one of the Coast Guard keepers in 1949. There would be no other reason for him to list "White Island Lt. Sta." as his home. It's tough to get the names of all the Coast Guard personnel at lighthouses, but hopefully this material will be gathered as the preservation effort for White Island Light moves forward.
http://seacoastnh.com/arts/please012802.html

April 26
MORE ON THE DOVER COMBINATION SIGNERS WANTED
Hi, I find your newsletter fascinating. I mad a quick visit to Strawberry Banke in early September and was impressed by the openess and friendliness of the staff. My ancestor Henry Becke who arrived in 1635 was a signer of the Dover Combination. It turns out that my lawyer here in Toronto also is descended from Robert huckins also a signer of Dover Combination. I wondered if you have any info on the people who signed and reasons for such or references about the Combination or could include such in a future Newsletter. Henry's son Caleb, a mariner, had a son Caleb who moved first to New York City and thence to Schenectady. My Beck ancestor moved to Upper Canada(Ontario) around 1846 and he was my ggrandfather.
Marian Beck Archbold

EDITOR”S REPLY: These early documents from Dover and Exeter are very interesting for sure. It would be great if someone sent us a comparison between these “combination” documents and the Mayflower Compact, signed not too much earlier in New England history. We refer details on those towns to the local historical societies and libraries as found on SeacoastSearch.com. For Dover, contact the librarian at the Dover Public Library who is also an historian. To see what we have already written on these topics, search our 2,000 posted email responses in the Read Our Mail ARCHIVES below.
http://seacoastnh.com/mail/indexarch.html

April 26
RE: PORTSMOUTH PACIFIST PEABODY
Just wanted you to know re: Andrew Peabody (“Study War No More” Nov. 20, 2001) that my friend JDP took the copy of your article to show his sister who lives in New York City (at this time of year.) She was as pleased as he was to read this article.

I read in the Gen. Dict., ME. & N. H. on p. 343,344, that my 8th great grandmother Isabel Holdridge, who had been a witness in a witchcraft case, had been killed in the Mast Swamp, where Stratham, Hampton & Exeter come together, (1689?), by Negro Jack, who was hanged in Boston in 1690. Would you have any sites attached to your newspaper that might be able to help me find out more info on this subject?

I don't know if this would qualify as a story about seacoast N. H., but...my mother was engaged to a Merchant Marine during WWII. He was aboard the USS Salman, headed for Nova Scotia. Tshey were constantly sending letters to one another. He had sent her a diamond ring & expected to come home to Wilton, N. H. where they would be married (within 2 weeks). The last letters that had been sent (through the censor) were returned to her. The family was told by the government that his ship was overdue.

In 1957 his name was added to the memorial in Hampton, as being lost at sea. It wasn't until about 1990 that her fiance's brother, (who had been trying for YEARS to find out what happened) found the information in a book that listed the date when the ship was sunk by the Germans & that within 8 minutes, all were lost. I have their last letters & newspaper articles. He was Jonathan Philander Ring, Radio Operator. My mother has always been haunted by this. Until being given a copy of the information from Jonnie's brother she had always wondered (&hoped) that he was still alive.

Thanks again for the great paper.
Priscilla in Francestown

EDITOR’S REPLY: Keep those reader stories coming. Sorry, we have no added info on the Mast Swamp incident. It would be fascinating to find a story that connected black history and witchcraft, but we fear there is little to be found on a late 17th century anecdote. You might start with the local libraries (see them in COMMUNITY section of SeacoastSearch.com) and with area historical Societies. The Stratham Historical Society just got a new web site. You’ll find that too in SeacoastSearch.com. http://www.seacoastnh.com/arts/please110401.html

April 26
SLEEPING IN A LIGHTHOUSE
Once I have read in a journal that there is a Lighthouse Hotel in Island.Since, I was searching in the Net and brochures etc. Unfortunatly Without success. Do you know about that and if yes I would be more than greatful if you could tell me where I can get some informations about it. Best wishes, Ulli
Ulrike Steinacher of Sprachreisenabteilung

REPLY FROM JEREMY D’ENTREMONT: There are many lighthouses with overnight accommodations, and I have what I think is the most complete list available on my site. This person might have read about Rose Island in Newport, RI. It's not exactly a hotel, but it's a lighthouse on an island and you can stay there. It's so popular that I believe it's currently booked at least three years in advance.
http://lighthouse.cc/links/overnight.html

April 26
WHERE OCEAN BORN MARY?
You've got something wrong. The original town was called Nutfield. Later it was called Londonderry. However, the earliest portion of the town is what is now East Derry. In the mid-nineteenth century, the town of Londonderry split in two. The newer, western portion retained the name Londonderry, while the older, eastern section--the portion settled during Ocean Born Mary's lifetime--became Derry. I know you already got this but I just wanted to mention that I always wondered why there was a beer brewed in Londonderry called Nutfield Ale. This explains it.
Young Lady
http://www.seacoastnh.com/arts/please042101.html

April 26
LIKES NHEVENTS.com
I think you should add nhevents.com to your website. They do an outstanding job of keeping up with things that are happening throughout the state and would be a valuable resource for people looking for things to do.
Beth Quarm Todgham

EDITOR’S REPLY: The problem of how to keep up with Seacoast events is one that has stumped every web site. A full time paid staff person is required, we believe, to collect and update a constant flow of listings. The software is available, for a fee, but so far nobody has come up with the funding to staff a really good online calendar. We have met with a number of agencies and discussed the problem in the hope of finding a central events listing source that all sites like ours can like into. Meanwhile, our EVENTS page merely links to sites we know that have calendars, and, we agree, this NH events site should be among them.
http://seacoastnh.com/events/index.html

April 26
PIRATES LEFT FEW TRAILS
Hi my name is matt i have discovered a trail marker in my yard .cut into stone .have great reason to believe this was left by a pirate. this stone i think may be the stone head that is missing from the memorial on the isle of shoals would you or someone you know like to see a picture of it.
Matt

EDITOR’S REPLY: That would be quite a discovery. We’re not sure what stone head is missing at the Shoals, but we’re eager to see that picture. Pirates, who certainly did visit the Shoals, left very few markers, as we understand, their goal being mostly to stay invisible and attract little attention. Our romantic movie image of them is likely far from the reality of a group that was likely pretty sleazy, the counterpart of a modern day car thief at best.
http://seacoastnh.com/arts/please100700.html

April 26
PICTURING WBS
My husband would like a picture of the Wentworth by the Sea as an anniversary gift. Where can I find one? Are there any reprints available of the older pictures on your website??
Veronica of Hampton, NH

EDITOR’S REPLY: We’re not aware of a large picture available of the old hotel, other than what you might find on eBay. Mostly we find old postcards, hotel brochures and small objects. There are glossy photos of the WBS hotel reproduced this year in the calendar by Piscataqua Savings Banks and another of the cover of the calendar of the Seabrook Nuclear power station. Both of those are free. We can assume, once the hotel is open in a year, that there will be plenty of souvenirs items available then. Our images come from the private collection of the Friends of the Wentworth and no reproductions are currently available, which is why we have put so many images online for viewers to see.
http://seacoastnh.com/wentbysea/

April 26
DOWNS & SON ON SPRING HILL
Do you know anything of W. Downs & Son, Spring Hill in Portsmouth. I found a wonderful old jug marked with this name. I know that the Dolphin Striker was once the Spring Hill Tavern, I'm wondering if you have any information on the W. Downs & Son name and what it was. Thank you.
Lisa in Greenland, NH

EDITOR’S REPLY: We don’t offhand, but there are ways to find out. The best bet is the old City Directories, usually printed annually, that list alllocal businesses at the turn of the last century. Without a date, however, you’ll have to pick a year at random and work outward until you find the year the company was active in town. Copies of the directories can be found at both the Portsmouth Public Library (special collections and history room just behind the main desk) and at the Portsmouth Athenaeum which is open limited hours to the public. See our latest article on the Spiring Hill Market from a time long before milk bottles.
http://seacoastnh.com/brewster/132.html

April 25
SPEAKING OF ESTHER IN JUNE
Dennis, express thanks to you also for a great article on “Ess”. Please be reminded that we are planning a big Hats off to Esther Day, June 22, Porstmouth, 1:00 at Unit. Church, hope you can come, let me know if want to say something,,spread the word, thanks again.
Richard and Marty Buffler
http://www.seacoastnh.com/arts/please031002.html

April 20
THE UNFLAPPABLE POET ESTHER X 2
Just wanted to say that the Esther Buffler piece was a well done heart-felt description of a beautiful person. Although I now live in Florida, I am a Massachusetts born and raised, 61 years, (1 mile from Salem N.H.),I will always be a New Englander in my heart. I look forward to Seacoast NH monthly. I guess she was the ONE. -- Fred Valerioa in Hollywood, FLA

I really enjoy your newsletter. I do have a comment regarding the article on Esther Buttler. I suggest that if you all are going to write about someone and wet their appetite for possibly buying their book or CD (in this case), it would be helpful to let subscribers know where such could be purchased and perhaps offer a link. I did browse your online store, but could not find the CD of High on Poetry. Any idea where I could purchase it? I tried good old Amazon.com but it was not listed there. -- Marty Draper

EDITOR’S REPLY: Thanks. We’ve not seen the Esther CD in stores for a couple of years, but we talked to the Portsmouth Poet Laureate program people last night. They say the CD is now available at RiverRun (603-431-2100 ) the new bookstore in Portsmouth. You can find their web site in SeacoastSearch.com. For books, try bibliofind.com or abe.com. String of Beads and Unflappable Women are still on Amazon.com as well.
http://www.seacoastnh.com/arts/please031002.html

April 18
READER IN KOREA RELATES TO LOW VISION EDITOR
I've been reading your newsletter from Pyongtaek Korea and Fussa, Japan. Got hooked on it while doing genealogy research on my SHACKFORD clan while stationed overseas when Brewster Rambles had an article about Joshua SHACKFORD, a sailor from Portsmouth and have enjoyed it since.

Your last article on low vision got my attention. I'm married to a wonderful guy with similar vision issues. Took me 5 years of marriage to start to understand that he really couldn't see his eyeglasses that were four feet away (us nonlow vision folks don't get it sometimes). He had 20/400 vision for 40 years and was actually blessed with the additional problem of cataracts. But they had to be blown out two years ago right after the eye specialist world realized that they could implant new lenses right atop the eye surface. (We learned about the difference of front of the eye specialists and back of the eye specialists and how residents all love a peek at this unusual problem and that docs often forget that he's a person and sometimes try to peek at the back of his eye without introducing themselves...). Anyway this new technology brought him up to 20/40 or so but as you probably know, normal vision test methods don't measure nasty things like big floaters and retinal scars so these measurements don't really mean a thing to low vision folks (something I'm slow to grasp all this since I can see without floaters getting in the way). As a family, we're now dealing with the end to his driving which is a non issue on a tiny Air Force base where you can walk everywhere or easily use public transportation but is about to become a new issue since we're up for reassignment in 90 days and are balancing my job challenges with a need to be in a place with quality public transportation... He's in the finance and budget world and is busy sorting out 8s from 9s and 5s from 6s and figuring out when to tell folks he can't see the difference and when to keep mum about it. Meanwhile I'm learning not to leave stuff in the house on the floor in a new location and we're learning about enlargers and big monitors and other tools that help.

Anyway that's a long explanation to a big THANK YOU for sharing your story. It is real helpful to hear personally from someone who shares this type of a problem and succeeds so well at publishing an amazing comprehensive and dazzling newsletter that combines genealogy and history of such a neat place (Portsmouth, NH). Your newletter is such a constant quality product that a story from you, the editor and creator seems very personal, like I know you and we've never met, only have shared a bit of research together along with a previous thanks for this product...

Sometime in the next five years depending on where I get assigned next, I plan to head up through New England to deepen my hobby research on the SHACKFORD family and reexplore the area where I grew up (Topsfield, MA).

Portsmith was on my list of places to go and checking out the SeaCoastNH.com was on my list of things to visit. Perhaps we'll get a chance to meet sometime then.
Joanne Parkes in Korea

April 17
SORRY THE OLD FOLKS MIGRATED
This is such a cool site! Keep them coming. It makes me sad that my clueless ancestors ever left Dover, not much I can do about it, except log on.
Wentworth (!) Foster of Mill Valley, CA

April 17
THEY DON’T MIND TYPOS ON COCOA BEACH
Dear Editor: Thank you for the best laugh I have had in a very long time. I am still a laughin and a grinnin. The article about the typos was way beyond funni!:>) I too have a horrible time spelling, but until recently, had notin to blame it on. I think it is genetic because my children also did have the same problem. They do claim though, when compimented on thier good spelling, that it was thier Mom who taught them to spell. Hmm pondering that thought, but anyways, who cares, what ever worked, great! Now I just blame my typos on tired fibro fingers. The really scary thing is..... there are alot of people out there who understand words with typos. LOL Hmmmmm something else to ponder. I wonder if the people who are pointing thier finger have nothing else better to do then find mistakes. Here is a thought why not write them back and ask for thier help in editing? I bet they will run screaming. LOL -- From a large surfing area Cocoa Beach and the home of the space shuttle Merritt Island...... make all the typos you want. I love reading about home.
Suzy Moore in Cocoa Beach

April 17
WHITE ISLAND LATEST
In searching the internet I found an article that J. Dennis Robinson wrote in January about the White Island Light. Has any progress been made?
Todd A. Mooradian, Ph.D., College of William and Mary

EDITOR’S REPLY: We don’t know. The Boston Globe picked up the story and interviewed us and all the kids and key players, so the story is now out to the public. In the next few weeks we plan to follow up with the LighthouseKids.com at North Hampton school who got the whole story started. And this summer, if the wind is right, we’ll take you all on a Disposable Camera Tour of White Island.
http://www.seacoastnh.com/arts/please012802.html

April 14
RELATED TO LANGDON
I live in Syracuse ny and am a living decendent of john Langdon my grandmother just passed away last week on my mothers side and she was also a descendent of john Langdon. My moter is still alive and a decendent of john Langdon. Please reply with info I would like to know our true family liniage and admire mr. Langdon for what he did.my whole family will be waiting for your reply. thank you. p.s. there are other relatives still living from mr. Langdons liniage
Carl A. Smith III

EDITOR'S REPLY: Thanks for the note. We'll forward our "genealogy" letter via email. We simply are unable to provide extensive family research for readers. With the Langdon family, your best bet is to contact the NH Historical Society in Concord, NH that has many Langdon records, or the John Langdon house in Portsmouth, NH operated by the SPNEA. Or search online for Langdon Family genealogy sites. Be prepared to spend months, dollars, maybe years in filling out your family tree. It is a fascinating hobby.
http://www.seacoastnh.com/houses/langdon/index.html

April 11
PNY NAVY DAY 1945
My reason for writing is that I am doing some research on a souvenir item that shows an old submarine with the number 9 on it. It also has the wording P.N.Y. NAVY DAY and the date 1945. Was there such a day proclaimed at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in 1945? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Carl Hutchinson

EDITOR’S REPLY: Navy Day was created by the Navy League on Friday Occtober 27, 1902 as a way to pump up public relations and civilian activity in support of the US Navy. President Teddy Roosevelt wanted to build the world’s biggest Navy and needed the public to be enthusiastic about the idea. The date was Teddy’s birthday. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, already more than a century old at the time, opened its gates to a grand celebration. That info is from “Do Your Job: An Illustrated Bicentennial History of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard 1800-2000” by Richard Winslow (Peter E Randall, Publisher, 2000). There is no mention of Navy Day in 1945, but it must have been a joyous one following the end of WW2. The old Number 9 must indicate the last of the S-class submarines built at the yard. S-9 was launched from the historic Franklin Shiphouse (see below) on June 17, 1920, so this would have been its 25th anniversary. As a footnote to history, since Prohibition was then in effect, s-boat 9 was christened with a large bottle of grape juice, alcohol not being legal at the time.
http://www.seacoastnh.com/navyyard/history.html
http://www.seacoastnh.com/navyyard/yardyarn.html

April 11
WHERE WAS PAUL JONES 1773-1775?
The book "The John Paul Jones- Willie Jones Tradition" by Elizabeth H. Cottenpublished by the Heritage Press of Charlotte, N. C. in 1966, states that John Paul Jones spent some time in Buckingham County , Virginia beginning in 1773. I can find no other reference to his Buckingham County connection. Can you enlighten me about this?
John B. Kolcum

EDITOR’S REPLY: In READ OUR MAIL ARCHIVES you’ll find scores of letters from readers tracing ancestry to John Paul Jones. Often they refer to the Willia Jones theory that reportedly explains why John Paul changed his name to Jones upon his arrival in the Colonies. Our only response is to keep referring readers to the famous Jones biography by Samuel Eliot Morison. Morison. Morison tosses off the “Willie Jones myth” in the appendix of his book. He refers readers to his detailed scholarly debunking of the story in William and Mary Quarterly (XVI. No 2, April 1959). According to Morison, North Carolina and Virginia residents hold to the story as “almost an article of faith”. But there appears to be no evidence of the story at all. Morison offers other plausible explanations of JPJ’s whereabouts during the “lost” 20 months of this life that has led to a wide variety of legends.
http://www.seacoastnh.com/mail/indexarch.html
http://seacoastnh.com/jpj/

April 08
KIDS WHO DIG ARCHEOLOGY
Hello. I have an 11-year old son interested in becoming an archeologist. Do you know of any summer programs with an archeological theme in New Hampshire? Thank you.
Smartchickens

EDITOR’S REPLY: Check the two address listed in the previous email (scroll down) for starters. We don’t know of any program specifically for young children – and that’s a real shame. This is when kids get most interested in this field. You might talk to Don Foster at Phillilps Exeter Academy who teaches Archeology there. And check out the new archeology exhibit at the Children’s Museum in Portsmouthth.
http://www.seacoastnh.com/history/prehistoric/index.html

April 08
WHO TO CONTACT RE: INDIAN ARTIFACTS
Can you help me? I am looking for an organization to contact re areas where there may be Indian artifacts. Do you know what organization or people to contact to preserve areas where artifacts are found. I appreciate your help.
Sonya O'Brien

EDITOR’S REPLY: Start with the NH Archeological Society (PO Box 405, Concord, NH 03302) and the NH Division of Historical Resources (PO Box 2043) also in Concord.
http://www.seacoastnh.com/history/prehistoric/guideart.html

April 08
DINING AND DANCING? HERE?
I've searched your site for fine dining and dancing and have not been able to find anything in the seacoast area. Can your recommend such a place? I lived in Boston for quite sometime and enjoyed the combination of dinner and dancing. I've yet to find such a place in the seacoast area.
Glenn

EDITOR’S REPLY: We don’t know offhand of classy place that offers dancing with fine dining on a regular basis. We have about 50 fine dining sites listed in our directory, and places to dance, but not a combo of ballroom dancing and dining. A person in-the-know suggested occasional such eventings at the Governor’s Inn in Rochester or swing nights at the Muddy River or dancing at the Rockingham Ballroom. But we’re afraid Boston is the fancy dine and dance nigh – unless readers want to tell us
http://www.seacoastsearch.com

April 05
WAS CELIA’S UNCLE SUNK ON POCAHONTAS?
You have been recommended as a good source for information about the Brig Pocahontas. If possible I would like to learn more about the vessel and it's demise. Interestingly, Celia Laighton Thaxter saw the brig firing warning shots from the light house on White Island just before the wreck and was the subject of her poem "The Wreck of the Pocahontas". From what I gather, Mark Laighton (Celia's uncle) may have been at the helm when it went down. What did the vessel look like and what was it doing out in that gale? Thanks for whatever help you might offer.
Mary Leighton Proebstle

EDITOR’S REPLY: Sorry, all we know about the POCAHONTAS is what appears on our web site, in Celia’s poem, and the commentary that you have certainly already read in Lyman Rutledge’s book “Isles of Shoals in Lore and Legend.” The theory, that Rutledge advances there, as I read it, says that the Pochontas MIGHT have been the same ship that was captained by Thomas Laighton’s brother Mark. According to Ruttledge, Laighton had gone to Portsmouth to see off his brother in 1833. It seems all but impossible to imagine that Laighton’s brother would have been killed in a rare ship accident within view of the very lighthouse Laighton managed – and that he would not have written a word in his journal. If the Pocahontas was indeed a Spanish ship returning home, it seems unlikely Laighton would have been aboard. But theses stories, to my knowledge, have never been fully researched. Celia is only now coming into her own as a literary figure of note, and we have not had scholars focusing on her work the way the do on poets within the sanctified circle of American Lit heavyweights like Emily Dickinson. The field is wide open for researchers like yourself. A good starting place is the new book “Heavy Weather and Hard Luck” by Kenneth Martin that deals in more detail with Portsmouth’s flirtation with the Whaling industry during this period. Since Thomas Laighton was a key player in this industry, Martin’s book may provide interesting background. He writes about Pocahontas, but mentions Mark Laighton only in the context of Lyman’s book and says Mark “reportedly” went to sea in 1833, making no connection to him and the wreck.
http://seacoastnh.com/celia
http://seacoastnh.com/whaling/index.html

April 04
WENTWORTH BY THE SEA ONLINE AT LAST
We’ve gotten a lot of mail from readers who want to book rooms at Wentworth by the Sea which will be open in one year. For all those who have found our history web site while searching for the official hotel web site, the web site address is linked below. We look forward to following the building process and welcoming the old hotel back to the Seacoast.
The Editor
http://www.wentworth.com

April 03
ENTER THE LIGHTHOUSE
Hi there. I was looking on the web for a lighthouse that we can go into ..... We are planning on a vacation up in New England this summer and I would really like to see a lighthouse...... I have loved lighthouses for a long time and I think it would be so nice to be able to see one close and see how they work..... They are very interesting to me ..... Could you let me know if there are any between New Hampshire and Maine that are open to the public ?
Linda

EDITOR’S REPLY: We clearly remember going inside a lighthouse on Cape Cod complete with a guy in an old lighthouse keeper’s uniform, but we defer to the experts on this one: JEREMY D’ENTREMONT REPLIES: I'm very involved with New England lighthouses, so your email was forwarded to me. You might be interested in visiting Portsmouth Harbor Light in New Hampshire. We have a local group, the Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, and we're having four open houses this summer. They're all on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the dates are June 9, July 21, August 18, September 15 and October 13. If you can't make any of those dates I can sometimes give tours if I have enough notice.

Very few lighthouses in Maine are open to the public. I highly recommend Portland Head Light, which has a museum in the keeper's house. I also recommend the Cape Neddick "Nubble" Light in York, Maine. It's on an island just offshore and is very popular with photographers. And if you're going that far, I recommend Pemaquid Point Light in Bristol, Maine, about 2 hours north of Portsmouth. It's an incredibly beautiful spot. You should check my website below. I have sections on every lighthouse in New England.
http://lighthouse.cc

April 02
REPRODUCTION OF INDEPENDENCE
I have a copy of the Declaration of Independence, in the bottom left hand corner it say presented by the John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company. Do you know how old this is, and is this something that was sent out in the 1920's?
Pete

EDITOR’S REPLY: That’s exactly what it sounds like. Although the company told us they have long abandoned their patriotic promotional campaign, this was a popular theme for insurance companies from the late 1800s right up through the bicentennial. John Hancock Insurance made the most of their adopted name by producing a large number of educational products based on a flag-waving rosy interpretation of early American history. Our site lists a 28 little brochures that were issued largely in 20s and 30s, and are collectible – but not valuable – items today. Your copy of the Declaration certainly falls into that category and could even be much newer. Its value is in the words written on it, not the paper.
http://seacoastnh.com/jpj/johnhancock.html

April 01
RUSSIAN WEB SITE ON PORTSMOUTH TREATY
Hi! If you want to look a site on Russo-Japanese war at the sea 1904-1905, I invite to visit mine website. Here there is a detailed description of the ships, arms, people and course of historical events. It is a lot of photos and drawings. Yours faithfully
Vseslav
http://vscharodei.narod.ru/

EDITOR’S REPLY: Thanks. Two years of high school Russian, and I couldn’t read much of the site, and readers should prepare for an extraordinarily long load time. But it’s great to have resources that take us to historical site. We spend so much time around here thinking of the treaty that we forget about the deadly war that precipitated it. Thanks again.
http://www.seacoastnh.com/navyyard/1905treaty.html

April 01
CHAMPIONSHIP TIDAL
I am trying to find out what time low tide will be For Sunday March 31st, at Rye Harbor. thank you for your help
Donna T in Holderness, NH

EDITOR’S REPLY: For online tide charts, you just can’t beat this siteMaineHarbors.com, that also covers NH.
http://www.seacoastsearch.com/feature35.htm