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| READ OUR MAIL September 1999 Mailbag SeacoastNH.com |
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September 30 AN AWARD A DAY KEEPS THE PROCTOR AWAY Congratulations on your fantastic Q&A section on your site. While others only have info and FAQs, you add the expertise and personal response to individual questions. We've linked to your site and offer you a Featured Xpert Award because we recognize the value of personalization you give to your users. Be proud of your achievement since your site is rated in the top 500 of the 13,000+ sites we've reviewed! Our goal is to refer more users and leads to YOU, so show the world that you are featured on XpertSite.com! Steve Yin Awards@XpertSite.com http://www.xpertsite.com/ EDITOR'S REPLY AND MESSAGE TO OUR "USERS": We get a lot of these awards from "expert" and "homework" sites that send questions our way. Some are good, some just "farm" our poor volunteer efforts to sell banner ads on their own sites. On first glance, this site appears to be among the better ones. We show up under "Geography" because we're essentially a regional site. Search on "NH" and we pop up. Search on "New Hampshire" or "history" and you have to dig around a little. We are concerned about all sites that "frame" information, since it limits readers from seeing the URL and thus limits their ability to know where they are on the web. We've written back to this company, as we do to all of them. Amazingly, many sites will give us an award as a valued expert, but won't return our email! We'll see how this one goes. Will we get reasoned, focused reader mail and lots of new subscribers to our newsletter? Or will we get more letters like: "Who invented the cotton gin in 100 words or less? I need this tonight, so please write back quick." We send all those kids a nice polite form letter that starts: "Sorry, We Did Our Homework 20 Years Ago. " Our goal is promote thinking. Then again, as former teachers, we question the value of the question in the first place. But let's not go down that road right now. The mailbag is filling up again. September 29 FORT CONSTITUTION LIGTHOUSE MOVED? Concerning the "mysterious old picture" of Fort Constitution from the Copley collection: based on research I've done, the lighthouse has always been in the same general location since 1784. It is basically correct in this picture. The Light KEEPER'S House has been moved from its original location, 1000 feet away, near the location of Battery Farnsworth, when that structure was built. Just thought you might want to know. Pete Payette sitecr1@go.com EDITOR'S REPLY: We got our info from a person writing a book about the lighthouse who has done years of research, so we're caught in the cross- But we suspect Pete is right. Hoping to get more online about the famous fort. We have lots of superb photos, which we hope to present next year, but those are all from the post-Revolutionary War days. Old David Brothers stereoscopic cards show a very different lighthouse too-short and squat. Readers should note that Pete Payette's web site is the best thing going for Piscataqua fort enthusiasts. The gateway to his research is below and readers can see the picture we are talking about on our site. http://www.seacoastnh.com/arts/fort.html http://www.geocities.com/nhfortress/ September 29 CYBER TOUR OF FORT STARK I will be visiting the region October 9 & 10 and I am interested in visiting Fort Stark and Fort Constitution. Is fort Stark open for tours? What are the hours of operation? Mercier, Bob rmercier@marinenv.com EDITOR'S REPLY: New Castle resident Ralph Morang filed this response: Fort Stark is a state park, located at the end of Wild Rose Lane in New Castle. It was an active fort from the Revolution through WW II. It has mostly WW II buildings and gun installations, some open, some fenced off. There is a small parking lot which is locked at 4 pm. The hours this time of year may be 10 am to 4 pm. There are no services. There is a telephone number in the state park guide: 436-1552." Fort Constitution operates much the same way. We recently talked to an authority at the NH state level who lamented that there is no nonprofit agency to oversee the touring and maintenance of NH's most famous military site. The state pays only for minimal grooming and upkeep and appears not much interested in its historic sites. Links below will take you to our article on Fort William and Mary (Constitution).
But we're saving the best for last. Peter Payette has put together an astonishingly detailed web page on Fort Stark which you will find below. CLICK ON HIS LINK and you may not need to visit the site.
September 28 HANG ON TASMANIA, JENNY LIND BOOK COMING I would appreciate it if you could give me information about the Jenny Lind Figurehead on the Nightingale. Particularly who the carver was. I'm interested in cabinetmakers, framemakers and carvers, and look forward to hearing from you Robyn Lake, Tasmania, Australia lake@vision.net.au EDITOR'S REPLY: Just as a rule of thumb for readers, all the info we know on history topics is already online. We have "given" it to the world by creating the web site and paying to keep the data online for readers who can access it an no cost at any time. Our policy is to put as much data as we can find online, but snail-mailing materials or doing additional research is not usually possible due to the flood of requests and a lack of free time. That said, we have good news for Robyn in Tasmania. Karl Eric Svardskog, the man who discovered the Jenny Lind figurehead in a Swedish barn, is writing a book. It is his theory that the sculpture once adorned the Portsmouth-built clipper ship Nightingale. His book will be published by Peter Randall press around April, 2000, and we expect to give it plenty of coverage. Unfortunately, the identity of the 19th century carver is all but impossible to confirm, though there are likely candidates. We'll keep you posted on this story as it develops. We hear rumors that the author will be on this side of the pond in Octiber. http://www.seacoastnh.com/tjioct97.html#jenny September 25 SEACOASTNH RESCUES GEORGE WASHINGTON Dear Friends, Compatriots and Countrymen: Once again seacoastnh.com has come to the aid of their country. Within minutes after receiving an email that was sent across the country to hundreds of Sons of the American Revolution compatriots, to the effect that a history teacher is teaching that George Washington died of syphilis, I was able to counter with a quote from your web site that was the perfect answer. Detestable ideas, such as that, need to be squelched IMMEDIATELY, and you provided the ammunition. Forgive me for not asking your permission first, but I know you feel as strongly as I do that our Greatest American had to be defended.
My wife and I will be in Portsmouth around October 6th where we will
celebrate my wife's birthday at "Asia," one of our favorite restaurants (we
lived in Hampton for seven years). We will also be visiting our youngest
son, John , and his wife in Seabrook, and will finally get our first look at
our youngest grandchild who was born last November.
If you get a chance, please visit our website (click below) where we have some of the finest American Revolution links, including one to your web site: "NH's "Colored Patriots" of the American Revolution,
September 23 GET THAT TALKING TABLE OVER TO THE ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, FAST! i would like to know .if u have any info about furniture made from the wood of Old Ironsides from the 1920s. I have a table that said it was made by some of the wood. it was made by Berkey & Gay Furniture Co. any info..u might have would be nice or if u could point me in any dir. to look for info. Tom Mello Massman49@aol.com EDITOR'S REPLY: We don't know beans about antique furniture, but a few minutes on the web and we learned that Berkey & Gay Furniture was a "prestigious" factory in Grand Rapids, MI. They are listed today as an historic manufacturer of Arts & Crafts Movement furniture and that philosophy ties in well with your recycled Old Ironsides wood. Some of this furniture is highly prized by collectors today, so you may very well have yourself a winner. Look for a book by Witherell called "Late 19th Century Furniture by Berkey and Gay". Then click below on the Antiques Roadshow web site -- and please don't forget to forward us that 20% consulting commission. Feel free to donate the table to our web site office which is sadly lacking in antique furniture. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/roadshow/home.html http://www.seacoastnh.com/ussconstitution/index.html September 23 DEFENDING REV. BACHILER'S HONOR I read your article written by J. Dennis Robinson on Goody Cole "The Hex-ploitation of Goody Cole"). I found the article well written and highly entertaining, HOWEVER, please tell Mr. Robinson that is was never really PROVEN that the Rev. Steven Bachiler had an affair. Most of the allegations were given by his adulterous second wife, Mary. Give grandpa a reasonable doubt here. Thank you, from a direct descendant of the Rev. Steven Bachiler. (Genealogy: through Deborah Wing and downward through Deborah Dungan to Ruth Large to Samuel Brown to Hannah Brown Ogle to Elizabeth Ogle and Thomas Jennings downward to my great grandmother Dora California Dalton and eventually to me.) Sheila Anderson-Lewis MAGICKRN@aol.com http://www.seacoastnh.com/arts/please102498.html September 22 ORACLE HOUSE WAS NOT IN RED LIGHT DISTRICT I recently took this photo of the Oracle House. I don't know if you want to post it on your web site, but I thought I'd send it anyway. My Great Aunt Alta used to own the brick building across the street and my father and uncles lived in the white house to the right of the Oracle House. (click to see Charles' pic) That home was owned by my Great Grandfather William. Charles Hayward bboop50@hotmail.com EDITOR'S REPLY: We know all about that there Oracle House. It's now a gorgeous bed and breakfast and we had some amazing vittles there a few months back at a reception for some Spanish TV visitors. What a great history the building has! Built it 1709, it was moved twice (around 1800 and again in 1935) to get to the corner of Marcy and Court where it sits today. It's best known as the home of the Portsmouth Oracle, an early New Hampshire newspaper. Actually the house was not at this site when your Aunt Alta owned the last of the bordellos in the Seacoast "red light" district. To see two pictures of her from the research by Kim Crisp click below: http://www.seacoastnh.com/20th/prostitute.html September 22 DINNER CRUISE TO DIE FOR I will be in Portsmouth the weekend of October 16th. We would like to go on a dinner cruise. What is available? Tracey Miner tandjminer@sprintmail.com EDITOR'S REPLY: Not a lot of dinner cruises from this harbor since only one large boat, but you lucked out. The Laighton is offering on that very night a dinner theater cruise with a murder mystery! Check under special events on their web site. http://www.islesofshoals.com/ September 21 CASTLES IN NH? My best friend is planning a wedding, and has heard mention of one, or more, castles in New Hampshire. Any information would be appreciated. Jean Siegel Jms@claritech.com EDITOR'S REPLY: Our crack stock photographer Ralph Morang came up with this list: (1) Castle in the Clouds, Moultonboro (really a big cottage)l (2) Searle Castle, somewhere around Plaistow; (3) Castle Hill, Ipswitch, MA. The only additional one we could think of is (4) unn …New Castle? September 20 TOO COLD TO SWIM? Is it possible to swim in the water there, or is it too cold? Sara S staplets@seattleu.edu KEN MITCHELL REPLIES: Hi, I'm the weather guy for the SeacoastNH site you recently asked a question concerning water temps and swimmability. Hope this little summary helps. In the winter, ocean temps bottom out around 45 degrees. I'm often amazed to see dogs splash right into this stuff mid-Winter, but I've yet to see a human attempt it other than in those special clubs where a bunch of folks with a mini-death wish plunge in in January for a few seconds to see if their hearts can take it.
During the summer, the temps warm up to the upper 50s and low 60s at worst
(which is still bone-chilling cold and has quite a deterrent effect on
swimming for very long if you can get in)..this happens with winds off the
land (westerlies) as cold water wells up from below as the surface water is
pushed away from land. If we have a sea breeze, however, the opposite
effect occurs, and the warmer surface water poools up at the shore. At
times like these, temps can reach the low to even mid 70s, which is pretty
good..you get used to it in about 4 minutes and can have considerable fun
thereafter. So yes, the oceans here a swimmable..but the Gulf of Mexico it
ain't!
Hope this helps and thanks for the question! (Read Ken's forecast daily or visit his online Weather Workshop, exclusively on SeacoastNH.com)
September 18 TRUCK THAT BOAT FROM TEXAS I am interested in having my 40 ft. wooden sailboat trucked to Portsmouth.... Could you provide me with the names of boatyards and marinas who allow live aboards? I'll be there for 6 months out of the year only. I'm a freelance writer and sailboater. I plan to write articles on events, people I meet, and anything else I get interested in. Right now I have zero information and would be very grateful if you could provide me with some on your area. J. W of Kemah, TX ssh@pier45.com EDITOR'S REPLY: Online we have only our marina listing. Liveabroads are required to wear flashing red helmets while on the mainland. Is it the same in Texas? What could one possibly find to write about up here? http://www.seacoastnh.com/touring/marinas.html September 18 WHERE IS TOM BAILEY GONE NOW? Where could I find more information on his life and achievements? In what newspapers from that times period would I most likely find this information? I need to find newspapers or magazines or any article from that time period that would help me to better understand this great author of the gilded age. Please help. N. L. Wojcik nwojcik@hotmail.com EDITOR'S REPLY: Whenever we want to know about Thomas Bailey Aldrich, we just go to our own web site which seems to have more than any we've found. The Aldrich Hotlinks section will lead to web resources. You should read the only two key books, his biography by Ferris Greenslet (1908) and "Crowing Memories" by his Mrs. Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1920). Both are usually available on Bibliofind.com. He was editor of Atlantic Monthly, so that got him a little notoriety and mention in magazines. As to finding the newspaper from the era - he was in tons. It's all pick and shovel work. We include an early appearance in the Portsmouth Journal in 1853, but you'll have to roll up your sleeves and get to the microfilm machine. Let us know what you find. http://www.seacoastnh.com/aldrich http://www.seacoastnh.com/brewster/18.html September 17 THE "PLAINS" INDIANS OF PORTSMOUTH Where in relation to Portsmouth was the area known in colonial times as the "Plains"? J. Brewster jbrewster@pacbell.net THE EDITOR OF THE NH GAZETTE REPLIES: Dear Mr. Brewster The Portsmouth Plains are south of Middle Street, and north of Greenleaf Avenue, between Peverly Hill Road on the west and the Route 1 bypass on the east. From "They Came to Fish," by Ray Brighton (Page 11) "Not until the turn of the 18th Century did anyone build a house on the now familiar downtown section, and that was where the Eagle studio is now. (updated). A few hardy souls had, of course, pushed as far inland as the Plains, and they were on the frontier as the Indian raid of 1696 proved. "A party of Indians were known to be marauding in May, 1696, when they killed a Dover man, John Church, near his home. They came to Portsmouth by canoe from York, landing their craft at Sandy Beach (Wallis Sands) 23 and hiding them the night of June 25. At sunrise they struck the tiny settlement at the Plains, which was a little east of the Little League ball park." "Panicking, the inhabitants ran out of their houses and 14 of them were killed. Mrs. Mary Brewster was scalped, but lived to become the ancestries of Charles W. Brewster, "The Rambler". Four were taken prisoner but were rescued when a company of militia trailed the Indians through Great Swamp and surprised them where they had stopped on a hill in what is now Rye to eat breakfast, and Breakfast Hill is the name it has borne ever since. "The Indians fled to their canoes. Boatmen tried to cut them off in their flight, but the Indians outsmarted them by going to the outside of the Isles of Shoals. Yes, hard though it may be to believe, Portsmouth. where Little Leaguers now play baseball, was once the frontier."
It's in "The Annals of Portsmouth," by Nathaniel Adams, on Pages 102 &
103, too. I think the militia used to hold musters at the Plains.
Steven Fowle, editor of The New Hampshire Gazette, September 17 "CARING FOR MO" DEBUTS ON PUBLIC TV JBC Communications invites you to tune to New Hampshire Public Television (Ch. 11 in Durham, NH), Sunday September 19 at 9 PM, for the premiere of the award-winning documentary, "Caring For Mo". The film will also be rebroadcast Wednesday, October 6 at 10 PM. This moving film allows the viewer to follow one woman's battle with breast cancer as seen through the eyes of still photographer Cindy Gourgue and producer Jay Childs. The film, produced for the NH Breast Cancer Coalition by JBC Communications, addresses many issues associated with breast cancer, and also the roles of doctor and patient in working together to fight life threatening illness. Jay Childs jbccomm@nh.ultranet.com http://www.nh.ultranet.com/~jbccomm/ September 16 RIDE THE DREAM, WET BUT HAPPY Today's ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Bike Bridge has been CANCELLED by the City of Portsmouth due to the heavy rains associated with Hurricane Floyd. They are busy preparing for disaster relief. BUT... We will still be meeting downtown at 4 PM to ride out to and over the Bridge. Then we are on to Redhook to celebrate. Bring your raingear! We will reschedule and let you konw the dates. Todd Elsworth todd@besavvy.com EDITOR'S REPLY: And well you should celebrate. Anyone who bikes should check out the web site of this great group that is creating a Seacoast path so desperately needed. Kudos from your friends at SeacoastNH.com http://www.sabronline.org/ September 15 BUOY HAS GULL PROBLEM Looking for a way to keep gulls etc and their residue off a sailboat moored in Plaice Cove Bob MOYNIHAN Rmoyniha@aol.com EDITORS REPLY: Sorry, we sent this one around to our all-volunteer board of Brainiacs and got back no serious answers. "Sink your boat; it's the only solution!" was the kindest response we received. You may want to call experts on our Marinas list below. The editor's grandfather at Cape Cod used to put a wooden owl on the top of the mast which worked for awhile to scare gulls. Eventually, they sorted out the hoax and the dark scarecrow became a "snowy" owl and a perch for the dominant gull. Tourists may look in awe and wonder, but we still call them "rats of the air." http://www.seacoastnh.com/touring/marinas.html September 13 A SIMPLE BAND OF BLACK BRICK Wonderful newsletter , as usual!. RE: Abraham Lincoln in Manchester, --on one of the side streets perpendicular to Elm and west towards to river, there is a street (possibly Kincaid?) and the office buildings have a row of black bricks about waist-height. These were a memorial to Lincoln. I wonder, are there any other cities in NH that have this touching and little-known detail? Christy Day Daychristy@aol.com EDITOR'S REPLY: Fact or fiction? That's exactly the kind of hidden history detail we love. If others have details about the impact of Lincoln's death on NH, we'd love to hear about these sad subtle memorials. You can see the draping of Ford's Theater in this illustration below. http://www.seacoastnh.com/lincoln/assassination1.html#1 http://www.seacoastnh.com/arts/please081699.html September 11 VOSS IS FANTASTIC I saw "Of Pirates and Poets" at the Lebanon Opera House in Lebanon, NH this spring, and it was Fantastic! Pat M Patricia.McClellan@Dartmouth.EDU http://www.seacoastnh.com/shoals/poets.html September 11 MOORING NEAR PORTSMOUTH HARBOR My husband and I have spent this summer on the seacoast after buying a bigger sailboat which we have moored at Great Bay. We were previously lake sailors and this is a new and exciting experience! We love exploring Portsmouth and the area but it takes so long to get there from the bay and we have to time our journeys! How does one find a mooring or boat slip in Portsmouth or Southern Maine, especially one that doesn't cost an arm and a leg! If anyone can offer advice for next season we promise to spend more time (and money) exploring the seacoast!! Thanks in advance. DeeAnn Dubois ddubois@jlc.net EXPERTS REPLY: (From David Ruppert in Cape Neddick, Maine: In a federally dredged harbor it is everyone's right to have a mooring. However you have to sign up and wait. Where Federal monies are used, all is fair in love and war. My family (The Hutchins) were some of the original signers for the Kittery Charter 1678 or 79 and I am still waiting on the York Harbor list. But when I had a boat I was able to find a mooring. You have to talk to the harbor masters. There are always moorings whose owners are either away or not using them. A little work and you could be happy. (From Nate Hazen at Great Bay) Going down onto the waterfront and schmoozing seems to be one way. I know of someone who got use of a mooring that way - two seasons and counting. Not that that would help someone from a distance. It's a bad go to try for the open ocean from the Great Bay (living there myself). Offer good luck!
(From Rod Philbrick in Kittery, Maine) I got my mooring by putting an ad in the local paper and looking for someone who was willing to give one up. I took a couple of years, but paid off. A mooring is only a few dollars, $45, I think. There is still enough dock space for rent, but expect to pay at least $1000/year.
September 10 MARY ANN'S DISHES I have a set of dishes that came from a sailboat or yacht named the Mary Ann from Portsmouth. I am seeking any information you can give me about this boat. The dishes have a sailboat on them with a rope design net and the mane Mary Sue, Portsmouth. I think it may have been in Portsmouth during the 40's? Any help or direction you can give me would be appreciated. Thanks, Kelli Magnus munchking@centuryinter.net EDITOR'S REPLY: Ouch! Not much to go on here expect the chance that a reader may have a clue. Tracking an individual pre-war sailboat without a name is real needle in the haystack work, Our volunteer researchers all went home. The paid researchers are still here if you want to employ them. September 09 OK, OK, WE'RE FROM NH, ALREADY! YOU MIGHT BE FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if you can name all four seasons, but, YOU'RE CERTAINLY FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if they are Tourist, Foliage, Ski and Mud. YOU MIGHT BE FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if you own flannel shirts. but, YOU'RE CERTAINLY FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if you wear one with a tie. YOU MIGHT BE FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if you own a pickup truck. but, YOU'RE CERTAINLY FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if the truck is 4-wheel drive, has a gun rack, a plow on the front and a dog in the back. YOU MIGHT BE FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if you attend church suppers. but, YOU'RE CERTAINLY FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if that's considered a night out on the town. YOU MIGHT BE FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if you live in a white cape, but, YOU'RE CERTAINLY FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if there is a picket fence around the house, a garden in the back, a woodpile somewhere, some appliances on the front lawn, and a rusty pick-up pushed into the woods. YOU MIGHT BE FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if you say "Ames-es", but, YOU'RE CERTAINLY FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if you do all your shopping there. YOU MIGHT BE FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if you read the Union Leader, but, YOU'RE CERTAINLY FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if you believe it. YOU MIGHT BE FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if you know everyone in town, but, YOU'RE CERTAINLY FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if they're all related to you. YOU MIGHT BE FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if you go to the dump on Saturday, but, YOU'RE CERTAINLY FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if you leave with more than what you brought. YOU MIGHT BE FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if you change the oil in your Car yourself, but, YOU'RE CERTAINLY FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if you pour it into the fenders and the doors when you're done. YOU MIGHT BE FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if you but a ticket to the fireman's ball, but, YOU'RE CERTAINLY FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if you actually attend. YOU MIGHT BE FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if you carry a beeper, but, YOU'RE CERTAINLY FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if the only time it goes off is when there's a fire in town. YOU MIGHT BE FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if you uncle is the chief of police, but, YOU'RE CERTAINLY FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if he's also the road agent, dog catcher, dump keeper, town clerk, and a selectman. YOU MIGHT BE FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if you know the back roads, but, YOU'RE CERTAINLY FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE if you drive them to avoid the toll booth.
Thanks for this submission from skipb@nh.ultranet.com who got it from
sunpit@mediaone.net who got it from amythyst@megalink.net and on and on.
September 09 WHICH DUBUQUE ARE YOU? Tim are you a descendant of Julien Dubuque 1762. This might be an odd question to you but I am a descendant over here in Saskatchewan and have been trying to track down a Family tree. So until I can get the family tree I am unable to verify anything. Sorry to trouble you with my wants, but thought I'd try any ways. R Campbell RayCampbellSK@netscape.net EDITORS REPLY: Hi Ray, Looks like you are on a "Dubuque" geneology search and you found me from a search engine. I am quite sure the answer is no, I am not a direct or indirect descendant of Julien Dubuque whom the city Dubuque, Iowa is named for. I believe my paternal grandfather - Albert Dubuque came down from the Nova Scotia region with about 12 brothers and sisters aprox 80 years ago. I believe he was both french and some indian descent. He is passed away now but I will ask my grandmother (91 yrs) the next time I see her for some additional information. Hope this helps....tim dubuque, webmaster SeacoastNH.com September 08 THRILLED WE GIVE A DAMM I am just thrilled at the excellent job you have done on the Woodman's Damm Garrison. Maybe I am prejudiced, but one of my direct ancestors, James Nute, was father of Damm's wife, Martha, and obviously he and brothers and sisters of Martha, living next door, would have helped in its construction and visited very frequently! You can't imagine how excited I am that you have done such a neat job putting it on the Internet -- and Tom's photos are excellent! -- it really captures the essence of the historic building. How appreciative I am that the families who owned it kept it going -- and that you selected it for a House of the Month. I check your sites of interest every month -- and thank you very, very much. Congrats on your recent honor -- well deserved. Mentions of the Garrison will be sent to a bunch of relatives around the country, I assure you. Peggy Fish GrannyFish@aol.com http://www.seacoastnh.com/woodman/garrison/index.html September 07 FIRST TIME SHE SAW THE POLAR BEAR My grandparents are the curators of the Woodman Institute in Dover, NH. I will never forget the first time I took a trip there- I was five years old and in Kindergarten, and as soon as we walked through that door, that giant polar bear, in all his white intense glory, was towering over me, speaking volumes about the past from which he came. Needless to say, I was nearly knocked out of my red rubber boots! I'm 25 now, and even now when I walk through that door, that Polar bear, still towering over me, seems to give me a rush of adrenaline as he threatens an attack, frozen in time. The Garrison, as well as the extinct birds, the two headed snake, Lincoln's saddle and the cannon ball from the war have also been my favorites since childhood, not to mention the six foot iguana and the giant insects... Laurie A. Couture Zowie@ttlc.net EDITOR'S REPLY: We feel five years old every visit too - awesome. We have in hand the images for the third part of the series, The Hale House, and look forward to completing this photo tour in about a week. http://www.seacoastnh.com/woodman/index.html http://www.seacoastnh.com/woodman/garrison/index.html September 07 ANOTHER MYSTERY STONE FISH? Hey, I've got a stone fish, too! I found mine in a large Eastern PA. river. I believe its origins are indian related. My stone is approx. the same size as yours is, but mine is flatter, sunfish shaped. Its eyes and mouth resemble your fish - from a frontal view. The one eye on my stone is missing the center pupil stone, but both eyes are clearly defined. The mouth is deeply etched, and a bit crooked. However, my stone is clearly the work of human hands, not nature. It was an exciting day, when I found it. Please respond, maybe I can send you a picture. (The frontal view in the bottom looks exactly like my fish.) John D rexrex@csrlink.net EDITOR'S REPLY: We eagerly await your photos. Maybe we've started discovered some sort of ancient store fish species! The Internet meets the Stone Age at the Millennium. Seems somehow appropriate. Readers who have no idea what we are talking about should click below: http://www.seacoastnh.com/tji/stonefish.html September 04 HOLLAND TUNNEL VISION Thank you for taking the time to read this. I have a project in school (sophomore in high school) that involves me researching Dutch Explorers. I know this sounds out-there but this website and all the others talks about all the other countries in the world except for Holland. I would greatly appreciate your assistance in providing a website or any knowledge on the topic. Thank you dearly Callie M goinbck2ca@aol.com EDITOR'S REPLY: Callie, we were just about to put aside our plans for an Antarctica web site and move on that Holland idea, when we discovered this button called "Search." It must be the same button the early explorers from Holland used. We looked under "Durch history" and "Dutch explorers" and it seems a couple hundred people have beat us to the punch. Darn! Well, back to Seacoast, New Hampshire. http://www.holland.com/ http://www.iinet.net.au/~cari/maritime.html http://www.tranquebar.dk/dutch.htm http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Styx/6497/malabarD.html September 03 READER SEARCHES FOR HEREDITARY ILLNESS My mom was born Sept.25,1926 at the Eliott Hospital in Manchester, N.H. My nana was not married at the time. Her name was Catherine Veronica McCormick. Nana lived in Boston but spent a lot of time in N.H. She married in 1930 and mom was adopted by my Grampy, Thomas E. Connor. On mom's birth certificate it was odd to me. It said Constance Frances McCormick also known as Constance Frances Thompson. Mom was saddened that she did not have a connection to her "father" and would not talk about it. She died last year .It was always rumored in the family that mom was the daughter of a member of a political family in N.H. Nana was a personal secretary to the son, I believe, of (name withheld) of the S.S.Pierce Co. for many years, so nana did meet some prominent people. I am sure. I could be way off base here, but mom did say it was a political person and the name is (name with-held) .
I have been sick for 5 years now and have not had any
improvement I am getting worse. The illness affects my auto-immune
system. I have looked into my father]s family and as much as I could in my
mom's to see if there may be a "hereditary" factor. No luck so far, then
it dawned on me about mom. I know it is a long shot, but i have to do it
. I need to know I did everything I possibly could to help myself and my
2 children. Boy, I think this has turned into a book not an
E-mail!!!!! Sorry. I know it is a difficult task and you are not
genealogists, but if you could pass this letter along, I would be very very
grateful. Respectfully
September 02 THE ENVELOPE AGAIN PLEASE… Sorry, no time for letters today. We're only about 30 behind at the opening of September, but we're off to Portland, Maine today. Seems Interface Monthly magazine has some sort of award with out name on it thanks to letters from loyal SeacoastNH.com readers. We don't have a clue, just an invitation to show up and about two hours for a haircut and shirt-ironing. You'll get the results in our upcoming newsletter which should be in youyr mailbox late this weekend or Monday at the latest. Stay the course, Your Humble Editor info@seacoastnh.com September 01 HAIL GARBLED HALE I friend just passed on a very garbled version of your article concerning John Wilkes Booth. Seems believable, so I am now at work trying to get the kids at the office to print it for me. Also mentioned is another article you penned concening Senator-Ambassador Hale. Something titled along the lines of "Hale Hale the Hypes all Here". If it is not too much trouble, and not too long, could you e mail that to me also. Seems that somewhere in the garbled words there was mention of a catalog which you offered. My interest is really in Lincoln and his assassination, so if you have anything further available on that I would appreciate hearing from you. JGMILLERCW@aol.com EDITOR'S REPLY: Garbled? Hmmmm, You better get the kids in the office to brush up their computer skills. Better yet, get online yourself. Sorry, no catalog. Nothing for sale from us on this one -- just lots and lots of free history articles. You can see them all on the AS I PLEASE directory. Four now related to Lincoln, plus our recent tour of his death site. Best bet is to skim our stuff, then move to the Lincoln Hotlinks section. Ebay.com and Bibliofinc.com are crammed with people trying to make a buck of Lincoln Assassination fanatics. Our readers can look forward to the first ever photo tour of the JP Hale House Museum in Dover, coming up in September. It's an Internet first. (In As I Please look for: "Hail Hale, the Hype's All Here","The NEW Dying Words of John Wilkes Booth", "The Day Lincoln Died Again" and "Shakespeare, Lincoln, Lucy and John" http://www.seacoastnh.com/arts/please.html http://www.seacoastnh.com/lincoln/links.html |
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