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| READ OUR MAIL June 2003 Mailbag (c) SeacoastNH.com |
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June 21 SEE YOU ON JULY 1 We're "on island" so we won't be adding any new mail for a week. Before leaving, however, we rushed a half dozen new and old stories online so you will have something to read in our absence. Get outside. Take your vitamins. We'll be back soon. Your Humble Editor http://www.seacoastnh.com/new.html June 20 NAVY PRISON “CASTLE” WAS BRUTAL PLACE To Whomever will be concerned, Why do people have to lie and hid the real truth to make thier community look better ?. Thats whats wrong with our children now-a-days dont you see, thier parents are thier examples. A Boy at the age of 17 , your evil Castle, Portsmouth prison ruined my life and the lives of Alot of other young boys: You all should tear down that ex-prison and be ashamed you even allowed it to exist. Young boys were tortured there for alot of years. boys were forced to hang themselves because of the 95% sadistic young guards there. How do I know this to be true ?, because I myself ( Now age 60. ) at age 17 spent a little over a year there as a nameless inmate ( You were called by a number, no name. ). punishment, heres a small one considering what others recieved, because a young crazy marine guard did not like me ( I was a nice kid. ) he ordered me to by myself ( For no reason. ) to clean a big dormitory and when I refused, I was ordered to the Hole for 30 days on bread and water ( Military law says only 3 days. ), I was placed in a ice cold cell ( It was winter time. ) naked, a cell with no blanket, sink, toilet or lights for 30 days on bread and water ( Total days intake, 16 slices of bread and 6 small cups of water. ). Because of the extreme cold, I came down with the dread"ed Scarlet Fever which kills people, but those guards thought it funny and refused me treatment untill I was released from the Hole. This is the way the whole prison was run for many long years and alot of young boys died there. When the childs family came during several investigations we were all ordered to keep our mouth shut: some imates did over 30 days in the hole on bread and water. Boys had to hang themselves because they could not handle the constant abuse. Well you know what ?, Ive feared the military for many long years ( All our guards were marines. ) , but now that Ive had three heart operations, open heart bypass 14 months ago, I dont have much longer to live because I cannot stop smoking, and I cannot hide the truth any longer. Ive notified many publishers and alot of other people and thruth about that evil place will be known.The boys familys will know the truth ( Theres no stoping it now. ), and Im sure several lawsuits will be filed agianst the evil guards who worked there. I know that none of you all Im sending this to is responsible, Im not crazy ( Smile. ), but mabie some of you all will now dig into the truth of what truly happened at that prison. No its not some great monument to be proud of, its a monument for evil. If you need more information, please contact me at............Others thinking of even making a movie about that prison. ML http://www.seacoastnh.com/postcards/yard1/ph11.html June 18 JEWETT WAS ALSO HOTEL MANAGER My great grandfather, Amory Jewett, Jr., MD was a manager of Wentworth by the Sea in 1876. I quote, "The house ... will open this season June 15 under the management of CHARLES E. CAMPBELL, and AMORY JEWETT, M.D." William A. Jewett of McLean, VA EDITOR’S REPLY: We did mention this news clipping in building the history of the Wentworth Hotel book. But the Jewett era was fleeting at best. The Campbells weathered only a few years before going bankrupt. It is possible that Jewett was related to both Campbell (possibly through his wife Sarah) and to Daniel Chase who financed the hotel. But by 1879 they were all out the window and tycoon Frank Jones had taken over and begun creating the Wentworth we know today. http://seacoastnh.com/wentbysea/campbell.html June 16 IRISH FAMINE SHIP COMING TO TOWN I read somewhere that the replica of the Irish immigrant ship - Jeanie Johnston - was to visit Portsmouth. Have not been able to locate exact dates, the local contact, or a web site for the ship. (Believe it is currently in Philadelphia.) Thank you for any information you can provide. Mary G of Hampton, NH EDITOR’S REPLY: We found the JEANIE JOHNSTON web site in Google and the visit to Portsmouth, NH is listed as 7th August - 11th August., Tours 10am to 6pm, rain of shine. The event is sponsored by the Portsmouth Maritime Commission (PMC) that is also bringing back Paul Jones ship THE PROVIDENCE. July 17-24 We got that info from the PMC telephone hotline - (603) 431-SHIP – which we found by searching our own web site! For other tall ships from the PMC in the past see our SHIPYARD section below. http://www.jeaniejohnston.net/ http://seacoastnh.com/shipyard June 16 THOSE LIGHTHOUSES AGAIN I am looking for information on lighthouses in the area of Portsmouth. We will be coming on Friday and I realize I haven't left much time to get info. We are just coming to the area and have no real set plans on what we want to do or see while in the area. Perhaps, you could give us some helpful info to make our trip a memorable one. We have never been there before and not knowing any thing about the area - hopefully you could give us some ideas. We just get an idea in our head and we take off, not knowing what to expect. Some people say we are crazy to just take off but that's the adventure we seek. We will be staying at the Anchorage Inn, Rochester, NH. Any suggestions you could pass on would be greatly appreciated. Please help us enjoy our stay. Nancy in Richmondville, NY EDITOR’S REPLY: That’s why we created GOseacoast.com. Doesn’t take much time to click through hundreds of things to see and do in our “clickable seacoast”. You’ll find all the lighthouses there under MARITIME – or just type “lighthouse” into the search box. For details on each go to www.lighthouse.cc that offers extensive details. Sign up for a cruise to the Shoals for sure and pick from hundreds of historic sites. Then go to the Dining and Lodging listings on SeacoastNH.com. For background, we have over 3,000 pages of info on line – all free and accessible 23/7. http://www.goseacoast.com June 14 NEW CASTLE BARBECUE I heard about an area in Newcastle that can be used for barbecue party and also is near an ocean. Is it true that it costs $3/person? Can you send me more information about that area? Maybe the expenses, environment, condition, rules, and map. Thank you so much for your time. Efitanes H. EDITOR’S REPLY: Goseacoast includes a photo of Great Island Common which does currently cost $3 per person. Three lighthouses are visible and there is a small beach nearby, but when the small park is full, it closes, so be wary. Alcohol, boat launching and animals are not allowed. Ball playing is. This info comes from the town web site: “The Town-owned Great Island Common, a 31 acre ocean side park, is the Town's recreational centerpiece. The Common is open to residents without charge, and to non-residents for a small fee. The Common is ideal for outdoor sports activities, picnicking, family gatherings, and swimming. Ample parking and toilet facilities are available on the "Common" as well as swings, and other playground equipment for the youngsters. Adjacent to Great Island Common is New Castle Beach. Access to New Castle Beach is via Ocean Street or the Common and is open to the public. Parking is very limited at "the beach". http://www.goseacoast.com June 12 OLD MAN OF THE SHORE Do you have any information about a rock formation called "Old Man of the Shore" ? I came across it at a website listing many such natural formations, but have had no luck in finding out more about it (e.g., could I visit it?). It is possible that it does not even exist, I guess - I'm assuming that the info on the website was valid. Thanx so much for your help. P.S. I love this website ! I spent a couple of hours last night just reading about Isles of Shoals and their history. Paul B in Medfield, MA EDITOR’S REPLY: I wonder if this is the image you’re thinking of? This pile of rocks is supposed to look like George Washington and comes from a late 1800s tourist guide book to South Coast Maine. Where it is today or whether it weathered away, I don’t know. The second link is our tribute to the other old “weathered” man. http://www.seacoastnh.com/earlyphotos/memoriesmaine/ph2.html http://seacoastnh.com/poems/oldman.html June 10 GIOVANNI WHO? I see you support the work of Giovanna Neudorfer regarding New England's (also in New York State) stone chambers, standing here from the past. You should realize her work is now old and challengeable. It takes into account nothing discovered since the 1970's. She and other archaelogists-by-training had an axe to grind with biologist Barry Fell, now deceased. He had intruded on their careful territory, offering too many theories too fast. His personality and the reactions of status quo / for-hire state archaelogists bear little on the fact of these amazing stone chambers. I sat in one on Dec. 24th, during the 10 days of winter solstice. What Neudorfer and others call a "smoke hole" (no sign in the chamber of smoke stains or deteriorated stone)actually let in a shaped light that traversed the back and east-side wall in a calculated way. The chambers are crafted by math masters with intent to shape natural light in a man-made dark space. That is the fact. Let Neudorfer's reactionary, defensive theory of "root cellars" be put to rest. This construction is not about vegetables saved over winter. The facts of the stone chambers to now are clouded by territorial theories. Let's get past that. For one thing, let's have them registered as artifacts deserving protection by law. Lynn R. Chong of Sanbornton, NH EDITOR’S REPLY: Actually we only made one passing reference to Neudorfer five years ago in a letter to a reader online. We were simply offering further reading to a person interested in America’s Stonehendge. Or Mystery Hill Caves. Thanks for your note. June 08 ABOUT ELDREDGE BREWERY I am writing to ask if you have any information on the Eldridge Brewing Company. A distant relative, John NEWICK, was superintendent of the company in 1915 according to the History of Rockingham County. John was also elected to the Legislature in 1904. Do you have any informaion or photos of the brewey? Any help would be most appreciated. Many thanks Jennie JAMES in Tokoroa, New Zealand EDITOR’S REPLY: We already one late 1800s image of that brewery on line at the link below. According to “Building Portsmouth” by Richard Candee, the Eldredge Brewery began brewing ale on the site of the former Portsmouth Stocking Factory on Creek Street around 1858. The Eldredge family is well known in town and you can research them via correspondedn with the Portsmouth Public Library, The Portsmouth Athenaeum and Strawbery Banke. You’ll find all of those facilities on SeacoastSearch.com. http://www.seacoastnh.com/arts/mon12.html June 07 SMUTTYNOSE AFTERMATH My own curiosity, after reading the novel, evoked a different question than "who did what where and when?" I wondered what happened the those who remained? What happened with John, with Maren and with Evan? Did they all go in separate directions as the novel intimated? If so, why? I have not been able to find that information on your site. Do you know where any information with regards to that would be? Ken Huffer EDITOR’S REPLY: You’ll find many of your answers by combing our Smuttynose site. John stayed in Portsmouth and remarried and had a chicld. Maren and Evan returned to Norway. There is, to our knowledge, nothing published on the topic except for the materials listed in Smuttynose 101. A few documents exist in Norway and in Portsmouth regarding the aftermath, but they have never been collected or published in one spot. We've never actually seen any documents indicating what happened to the survivors, other than Lous Wagner who was hanged. We'll keep looking. http://seacoastnh.com/smuttynose/ |
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