| Rare Smuttynose Island Artifacts Exhibit Opens at Discover Portsmouth |
RUNS THRU AUGUST 31, 2012
The long-buried secrets of
The exhibit is free to the public and opened from 10 am to 5 pm daily from May through August 31.
“If you think you know the Isles of Shoals, think again,” says Maryellen Burke, executive director of Discover Portsmouth. The 1810-era brick buildings, formerly the city library, have just undergone a $1 million renovation. “Prof. Hamilton’s research is literally rewriting history,” Burke says, “and you can only see it here.”
While legend claimed, for example, that Native Americans did not visit the Isles of Shoals 10 miles out to sea from

“We explore the same two acres of
Signed copies of Robinson’s book Under the Isles of Shoals: Archaeology & Discovery on Smuttynose Island will be available in the

In addition to historic artifacts, the book and exhibit feature five original illustrations by seacoast artist Bill Paarlberg. The exhibit also includes multiple slide presentations, scientific charts, a video of the diggers at work, and what Robinson calls “cool big stuff for kids.” The large objects on display include a dugout and a birch bark canoe, reconstructed “fish flakes” used to dry Atlantic cod, and a replica of the porch of the 1846 Mid-Ocean House of Entertainment that once stood on
“You can have your picture taken at an ancient island hotel without leaving the building,” Burke says. “And you might even see a famous Smuttynose murder weapon if you look closely.”
Visitors can view Indian stone tools, rare coins, imported ceramics, early glassware, and the bones of fish and animals. Evidence shows that original settlers ate a wide variety of birds including loon, gull, duck, hawk, and the now-extinct “great auk,” a flightless bird related to the puffin. Remains of seashells from Smuttynose may help unlock the traffic patterns of colonial shipping and offer clues to global climate change.
Sponsors of the exhibit include Smuttynose Brewing Company, SeacoastNH.com, Optima Bank & Trust, Shoals Marine Lab, Treehouse Toys, Speedpro Imaging of Portsmouth, Isles of Shoals Steamship Company, TD Bank, Portsmouth Harbor Cruises, Island Cruises of Rye Harbor, and the
The exhibit is a production of the Portsmouth Historical Society that also owns and operates the