ASK, RANT OR PRAISE, BUT NEVER IGNORE

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THANK YOU NOTES FROM READERS
(1) wonderful job.. love the website as I am a transplant from the NH seacoast... all comes flooding back to me when I read the great web site.. Keep up the good work
From Pat

(2) Congratulations on the popularity of your fine and informative web site. I've enjoyed your writing over the years and I'm glad others are picking up your by-line. I still hopefully open the NH Gazette looking for your column, but, I guess, change is the only constant in life.
JCK

(3) Editor, Thank you for your site in preserving our New England. My family originates from this area and if by possible could you point to any resources on other lightkeepers on the Isle of Shoals. Sprays of Salt by John W. Downs has been of great value as that is my family connection. The hardships faced makes one proud of their ancestors !Best regards,
Frances Southern

(4) I enjoyed the May/June 2008 issue, although my busy schedule allowed me to squeeze in only three stories. And I copied all three of them into new documents on my computer.One document, SCENIC WALKS, dealt with Rogers Park in Kittery and the Jewett Walk in South Berwick. I lived in Kittery for 8 years, but I don't recall ever hearing of Rogers Park. I have gone through South Berwick many times and occasionally stopped at stores or places to eat, but never gone for a walk there. Maybe this year I'll do both of these walks! The other one I copied was about Celia Thaxter's Garden. I have taken the boat to the Isles of Shoals several times, but never set foot on land there. This story tempts me to, but this 70-year arthritic one suspects that visit is beyond her capacity.Well-found thanks!
Carol S

ANOTHER STARK POCKET WATCH
I have a very old pocket watch - inside it is engrave with the name: Gen. Stark. I was wondering how I could get this authenticated? Do you think a museum may be interested in it I live in Pennsylvania. Thank you for any help.
Loretta Potvin

FROM THE EDITOR: Thanks for your note. We received a similar email a ways back in October 2005. You can read that response in our archived letters page We are not antique dealers, but have seen the Gem Stark and Molly Stark pocket watches go by continually on Ebay. One is on there now with a starting bid of $10. I assume this is a reproduction line of a popular 19th century product that was mass-produced. Try clicking on this link. If it does not work,. just go to Ebay and type in the name of the item and see if a large number of them come up. The engraving appears to be machine made if it matches the one you have. Not sure why the Starks were associated with pocket watches, but I assume they were a male and female set of watches popular in their day and named for a famous couple.

STICKING UP FOR VIRGINIA SENIORITY
Dear Editor: I have long enjoyed your letters and articles. I love your humor. I am 72 years old, and came across the following. I hope you enoy it.

The Old Dominion
(Excerpted from the Reader’s Digest of May 1935)

The school history I studied as a boy was written by a lopsided historian, and his "lop," like that of many another of his kind, led him to give the impression that the all-important early colonies were those of New England. I read a great deal about the Mayflower, but not a word of the Susan Constant. Yet the Susan Constant landed the Jamestown settlers more than a dozen years before the Mayflower landed her shipload of eminent furniture owners of Plymouth. Plymouth itself had been visited years before by Captain John Smith of Virginia, and it was he, not the Pilgrims, who named the place.

Not only did the first English colony establish itself in Virginia, and the first known tobacco come from there, but the history of the Old Dominion is in every way more romantic and heroic than that of any other state. The first popular government existed there long before the Revolution, and at the time of the break with the mother country, Virginia was the most wealthy and populous of the colonies. The Declaration of Independence was written by a Virginian, and made good by the sword of another Virginia. The first President of the United States was a Virginian; and while the whole of New England has produced but five presidents, Virginia has given us eight. –Julian Street, American Adventures.

Yours Sincerely in Spoofs, Puns and Gotchas.
Leon F, Case

BETTY & BARNEY IN LOVE
The best observations yet on the story of Betty & Barney Hill  (click to read the article ).  Betty did want to "get off that farm" and "be somebody" and she attained that. Although her credibility diminished towards the end of her life, she didn't really care. She loved Barney, and she loved her "little friends" and the promise that "they"might change the world for the better ... if people would just believe hard enough. We all thank you for the love story, and the good memory of Betty & Barney Hill ...
Best wishes ...
Dennis Dupuis, North Hampton

BEN & TEDDY ON JOHN PAUL JONES
John Paul Jones … "One hell of an interesting mortal." JDR

My friend, J. Dennis Robinson, knows his John Paul Jones (JP).He knows that JP was partly "discovered" (by Benjamin Franklin), and, partly "created" (by Teddy Roosevelt). They both saw JP as "a real" comic book hero, who had the potential to persuade and inspire, if given the right opportunities (whether he was alive, or even dead).

What Ben saw in JP …

Ben Franklin knew that JP was a self-indulged egomaniac who liked nothing better than a good fight, but he also knew he was one hell of a sailor, and that he hated the British navy, enough to go after them on their own "turf." (John Paul could even speak French!)

Ben was desperate to get the King of France to believe in America, so that he would allow France to "jump in" and join the fight with America, against the mighty British Empire.

Ben knew he had his man in John Paul Jones, as JP was itching to get back at the British, as they did not believe he was worthy of becoming a British naval officer!

Ben also knew that he needed to help JP get a ship; a very fast and agile ship. And thanks to finest group of boat builders in "the New World" (from Kittery, ME and Portsmouth, NH), JP got just what he needed …the fastest little jewel around … the Ranger!

Ben knew JP would head straight for his homeland of Scotland, to "show off a little," and, to terrorize the British countryside, and any British ship (of any size) that he came across!

Imagine how cool it would be, Ben thought, if an American naval vessel could "capture" a British fighting ship (in their own back yard no less!), and then tow it to France, while flying the colors of the American colonies. Now that would persuade the King of France to teaming up with us against the British!

What Teddy saw in JP …

As J. Dennis said, President Roosevelt was "looking for an iconic American naval figure, to build favorable public opinion for his costly Great White Fleet." And, who better embodied that legendary fighting spirit than John Paul Jones!

Teddy knew that John Paul struck a nerve with the American people. After all, he did help us defeat the British navy! And he did this mainly by striking fear in the British people. Every British child lost some sleep, after being told bedtime stories of "the pirate" John Paul Jones. He scared the British (the old naval empire) and inspired the Americans (the world’s newest naval empire). John Paul Jones was, and is, the father of the American navy!

From Dennis Dupuis, North Hampton, NH

ABOARD THE RANGER
I was just looking up John Paul Jones and I remembered that my wife told me that one of her ancestors served on the Ranger during the American Revolution. Her family originally came from Dover, New Hampshire and had lived there since 1642. The house that now stands there in Dover is the second home as the first home was destroyed by indians. The house has fallen to disrepair as the new owner made apartments out of it. My question to you is, would you have any records to the crew that was aboard the Ranger? Would you have any names I could look at?
Ron A. Rudat

EDITOR’S REPLY: There is no perfectly complete list of crewmen on the Ranger, but a good one is available in the appendix of the book John Paul Jones and the Ranger (1994) edited by Joseph C Sawtelle. Copies are available from used book sites and may still be available from Peter E Randall, Publisher as part of the Portsmouth Marine Society Series. 

Definitely want to do that. All that prevents us is time, data and money. Started the process, but it is time consuming for one solo editor and needs to be kept up since rules and venues change. If you can help us think of a way to gather the data from all the local seacoast towns and keep it up to date, I'll build the section. I just hate to put up a less-than-detailed sections, and of course as soon as we do, it gets grabbed by other sites. So it is important to keep the data flowing. How to that -- as one unpaid guy -- I am still unsure. Maybe we need a small loyal network of contributors.  Not only what places to take the dog, but also which lodging sites accept pets for tourists, and maybe even which stores welcome then. And then, of course, vets, dog supplies, doggie events.  And we want pix of  these places don't we, and directions?  Dog people tend to be disciplined, so maybe we can create that network, then we can go looking for a doggiie sponsor to cover the costs . Let me know what you think -- JDR
 

LIVED IN 1695 SHERBUREN HOUSE
Hi I saw your picture of the Sherburne House...My mom's family grew up there back in the 30's...her parents were James and Florence Mayers...My mom was Catherine Mayers (Carter)...they also lived in the Marconi House (the other side of the Player's Ring)...there's actually a picture in the Sherburne House of my cousins...on the second floor left hand side...my Mom told me many stories growing up there...she passed away on August 23, 2007..
.Kim Carter

FB111 CRASH
I work over on Commerce Way. Frequently my friends and I walk in the back around the Spinnaker Point Condo and Osprey Landing. We've gotten into discussions in the past about the FB-111 that crashed in that area back there in the Early 80's. Do you have any info on it? Locations/Dates?
McLin Patrick

EDITOR’S REPLY: Funny you should ask. One of our readers has been researching the event for over a year, interviewed witnesses, checked military files and even located the ejected capsule. An article on the topic is in the works for SeacoastNH.com and will likely also appear in my biweekly history column in the Herald. I won't promise WHEN, but soon we should know all. I hope to dig into the materials in May or June. -- JDR

BIKING THE SHOALS – NOT
I am planning on writing an article for my college magazine and taking my mountain bike to the Isles of shoals to tour the island, are there many trails or areas for biking on the islands? Can take a bike to the Isles of Shoals? I am planning on going up next weekend.
Thomas Johnson

EDITOR'S REPLY: I'm not aware that it is possible or allowable to bike on any of the islands. Have never seen a bike out there. The islands are tiny and you can walk around them in minutes. The trails, thick with poison ivy, are filled with sharp stones. cliffs, gulls and narrow even for a pedestrian in most area. Definitely nothing available on Smuttynose or White which do not allow vehicles of any kind. You could check with StarIsland.org about Star and the Shoals Marine Lab about Appledor, which is the only island where a bike would be of any use at all. But as faras I know, all are sanctuaries for wild birds and not likely to welcome bikes. I strongly suggest that you go out there and look at the islands first. You may be surprised at what you see. There are lots of great islands in New England for biking, but the Shoals is not among them. I suggest Pike’s Island or Chebeague.

IN SEARCH OF WBS MUSICIANS
Nicole at the Portsmouth Library suggested that you may know if any record was kept of the entertainers who performed at the Wentworth. Apparently that information wasn't published in the Herald. Did the Bakers print daily/weekly event schedules for the guests? I'm most interested in the acts that appeared in the summer of 1949.
Eric Metcalf

THE EDITOR REPLIES: No one that I know has ever put this information into any accessible form. The best archive of material is in the Smith Collection at the Portsmouth Athenaeum in Portsmouth, NH, a private library that has a nice web site. You likely won't find a complete list of the items there, but there are a few musical schedules. My guess is that the material does appear in the Portsmouth Herald, but you would have to go thru each paper on microfilm. I remember seeing a number of entertainment notices in the paper while researching my book on WBS. Whether they were posted during the exact year you are looking for is another matter, but events were often posted when the Smiths were trying to attract outside visitors. When the events were strictly for guests, they did not. There was a daily printed menu and schedule of events since WBS had its own printing press. That began in the 1800s, and I believe was continuing during the 1940s. The second best source is the hotel itself which has received lots of contributed materials from guests in recent years, but I do not believe it has been cataloged and it is unlikely they would look thru the items if you asked, although if you visited the hotel, they might let you look. Also the New Castle Historical Society has a few items from the hotel, but finding a specific sheet of paper from a specific year would be like finding a needle in a haystack. You could set your eBay preferences to search for the item automatically, and if it comes up, eBay will send you an email. Dick and Genie Court who ran the entertainment program there for years still live in Portsmouth, but I believe your item is from an era before they arrived. There are a number of WBS ephemera collectors out there, but no way I know of finding them easily, other than asking the hotel or contacting dealers. Anyone who collectd this info would be creating a great local resource for others. WBS entertainers often played venues nearby at the same time, so a check of Portsmouth Music Hall records might be of some value too. Good luck in your search.