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ISHRA NEWSLETTERIsles of Shoals Historical and Research Association Volume 8 Number 1 Winter 1999

FAll MEETING

From Secretary Don Bassett's minutes

The Fall Meeting of the Isles of Shoals Historical andResearch Association was held November 11, 1998, atthe Seacoast Science Center. ISHRA'S new President.,Peter Lamb, welcomed those present as members orguests and invited the latter to join ISHRA. He alsointroduced the other new officers, members of theBoard of Directors, and committee chairpersons.

Treasurer Marybeth Foster reported a balance of $3170,$1024 of which is set aside for the support of theSmuttynose Steward program. ISHRA now has a newaddress: P.O. Box 705, Portsmouth, NH 03801.

Deborah Child, substituting for Maryellen Burke,Collections Committee chairperson, reported on a veryexciting project at the Portsmouth Athenaeum. Thanksto a start-up grant from the Rosamond ThaxterFoundation, the Athenaeum has acquired a scannerand computer, which will be used to develop acomputerized database for approximately 10,000 Isles ofShoals photographs. She invited anyone interested inassisting in this project to volunteer. Volunteers maycall the Athenaeum at (603) 431-2538 to contactDeborah and learn more.

Janice Warren, Publications Committee chairperson,thanked Tricia Miller for her five years as producer ofthe ISHRA Newsletter. At the President's request,members present applauded Tricia for fine work. Janiceasked for someone knowledgeable about desktoppublishing to volunteer for this task by contacting herat (603) 868-2082 or Tricia at (603) 433-1160.

Program Chairman, Richard Stanley, reported thatthere were 31 participants at the 1998 Star IslandWeekend. The weather was perfect and a great timewas had by all. He circulated a sign-up sheet for the1999 Weekend on the second or third weekend inSeptember

Old Business. Past President Bob Hochstetlerpresented the proposed change in the ISHRA Bylawstoraise the dues for individual members to $10 per yearand for Junior Members to $5 per year. In answer to aquestion from the floor as to the reason for the increaseand was a Life Membership being considered, Bob

noted that the increase was to cover increased postalrates, renting of a post office box, newsletterproduction, speaker honoraria, and future ISHRAprojects and activities. As to Life Memberships, henoted that the Board of Directors had discussed themwhen ISHRA was organized, but that norecommendation had been made. If enough membersare interested, the Board will consider the matter. ThePresident requested that a vote be taken on theproposed change in the dues. The increase wasapproved unanimously.

New Business The President noted that now thatISHRA is solidly grounded as an organization, membersshould consider expanding and formalizing its researchmission. He presented the ideal of engaging memberswith similar interests in small focus/study groups whichcould meet independently and report their findings atthe Annual and Fall Meetings. To this end, large sign-up sheets were made available; some suggested areas ufinterest were genealogy, oral history, graphics,publications, ppublicity, a Website, collections, andprograms.

Program Paul Pelletier, Captain of the UNH researchvessel, RjV Gulf Challenger, was the speaker for theevening. Using excellent slides, he described the boatas being a 50-foot, aluminum vessel capable of a speedof over 20 knots. It was built to meet current andfuture research and educational needs in the Gulf ofMaine, some of which Paul described. It has a safe andstable platform suitable for estuarine and coastalresearch, a 6 x 8 foot laboratory below deck, and divingcapabilities facilitated by a water recess at the transom.It can operate year-round and is available for charter bycontacting the Jackson Estuarine Laboratory at UNH at(603)-862-2175, or fax at (603) 862-1102.

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ISHRA Newsletter

Member Activities

WINTER 1999

Letters to ISHRA

Larry Robertson announced that he is presentlyworking on an original ballet, Murders at Smuttynose.The ballet has four goals:1. to bring to life Portsmouth and the Isles of Shoals of

1873 through scenery depicting authentic sites andlocales;

2. to have a pre-performance lobby and/or gallerydisplay of photographs and art work of Portsmouth,the Isles of Shoals, and the trail Louis Wagner[supposedly]took out to and back from Smuttynose;

3. to interpret through dance and music, CeliaThaxter's prose and poetry concerning the Isles ofShoals, the seacoast's musical heritage, andNorwegian folk music; and

4. to bring to life a tale about a murder spree thatrefuses to die.

It is his intent to use the collective artistic result ofthis ballet, the photographs, and a specially made videotape of the ballet as a basis for humanities lecturepresentations that will focus on the historical aspects ofthe 1870s from a religious, social, and legal point ofview.

UNH Professor Christopher Kies will compose musicfor the ballet. The music will be performed live with anorchestra made up of New Hampshire professionalmusicians and students from the UNH Department ofMusic. UNH students who are members of the UNHDance Company will dance the ballet. It will bepresented at UNH in the 1999-2000 spring semesterand possibly elsewhere. Professor Robertson is presentlyseeking funding for the project.

Nancy Meyer asked anyone who has colorphotographs or slides suitable for use in a Star Islandcalendar that she plans to produce for the year 2000 tocontact her at 603-433-9370. The calendars areavailable at the Star Island Gift Shop each summer.

Janet McGee Saunders announced that she washaving an auction, which included some Shoalsmemorabilia and documents in November. Futureauctions will also include similar material. For moreinformation, contact her at 603-642-7805.

PLEASE NOTE:Dues for 1999-2000 are due June 1, 1999.You may pay at the Annual Meeting on May

11, 1999 or send to ISHRA's new address at:P.O. Box 705, Portsmouth, NH 03801. The

new dues are now $10 for Adult Members, $5 forJunior Members and $25 for InstitutionalMembers.

The following is a response to Bob Tuttle's "Ask ISHRA"query about the cannonball that appeared in our February,1998 issue. We hope "Ask ISHRA" will become a livelyclearinghouse for information about the Shoals.

November 12,1998Dear Robert Tuttle,

I am a member of the First Newmarket ColonialMilitia, and when I saw your article about thecannonball found at the Isles, I thought I would seewhat, if anything, I could find out about it for you. Sowhile I was at a re-enactment at "The Fort at NumberFour" (in Charlestown, NH) I asked one of theArtillerymen in the unit if he could shed any light on

this. We went into abuilding where they haveseveral cannonballs ofvarying sizes and found oneabout the size you describe.It apears that what you haveis probably a ball for a sixty-four pounder. (Cannon werenot calibrated by bore size in

the 18th and early 19th Centuries but by the weight ofthe ball they threw.) Metallurgy not being asscientific in those days as it is today, a ball could vary agood deal due to the various impurities in the metal.This was a standard size for the British navy for sometime, and also for the American navy. The Frenchused a weight slightly different, and although the ballswould have varied the same as the British balls did, thebore would have been different.

The reason that there is no hole in this ball for a fusewould be because cannon were used for battering andhad long barrels, therefore you would have to lightsuch a fuse before the ball was loaded into the gun(hardly a safe practice, especially if the piece was notfired right off). Mortars were generally the guns thathad the exploding balls. These were the "bombs"referred to in the Star Spangled Banner. Since themortar had a very short barrel, it could be loaded andjust before it was about to be fired, the fuse on the ballwas lit and then the piece would be set off.

As to how this ball came to be in Gosport Harbor, Ican think of many reasons: from being fired for targetpractice, to just being used as an anchor to holdsomething down, or maybe a mooring buoy, or possibleeven ballast.I hope that I have shed some light on thepossibilities of your cannonball!

Yoursaye,Oley Firth

ISHRA Newsletter

Then and Now: Celia Thaxter's Birthplace

WINTER 1999

THEN NOW

Aproject to commemorate the birthplace of Celia Laighton Thaxter, sponsored by ISHRA is taking shape.Research conducted by Donna Marion Titus, ISHRA Vice-President has confirmed the location as being in

the Federal period house at 50 Daniel Street in Portsmouth, NH, now the City and Country Store. Happily, theowners of the store, John Seath and Glen Gerace, have agreed to allow ISHRA to place a plaque on the front ofthe building. The Rosamond Thaxter Foundation has provided a generous grant to create a plaque indicating thatCelia was born in this building on June 29, 1835. We anticipate collaborating with the City of Portsmouth toorganize an unveiling ceremony on June 29, 1999, the 164th anniversary of Celia's birth. Watch for more detailsthat may include a special evening cruise on the Thomas Laighton and a guest appearance by none other thanCelia herself! The life work of Celia Thaxter is a vital element of the region's cultural heritage. We are proud tocoordinate this project to identify her birthplace permanently and publicly.

THEN NOW

The birthplace of Celia Thaxter is located on Daniel Streetin downtown Portsmouth, NH. The 1834 Portsmouth cityRegister and Directory lists "Laighton, Thomas B., clerk inpost office, h. Daniel" Rosamond Thaxter (1895-1989) inher biographyofher grandmother,Celia, Sandpiper: The Lifeof Celia Thaxter, 1962, cites this location and gives aphotograph of the house shown above. Even then, thelower floor may have been a shop. Eliza and ThomasLaighton, Celia's parents, may have rented the upper twofloors. There were fireplaces in those rooms before recentrenovation to office space. Rosamond Thaxter must haverelied on familyhistory in pointing out this building as theplace where Celia was born. We could find no birthcertificateforCelia on record in Portsmouth City Hall.

We accept Rosamond'sdate of the birth of Celia as June 29,1835. (Sandpiper,paperbackreprint: Pub. P. Randall.)

Or. Dorothy M. Vaughan, Librarian, in her Inventory ofHistoricSrrucrures,February1972, (Portsmouth Athenaeumcalls the architecture "three story Federal," and reports that"this house wasknown as the Cantoon Building,Chamber

(Continued on Page6)

In the 1970's and '80's, many Shoalers will probablyremember that MOE's Sandwich and Sub Shop waslocated in this building. Moe's has now moved furtherwest along the same street to number 22 Daniel Street.Celia's Birthplace is now numbered 50 Daniel Street,and the shop on the ground floor is THE CITY &COUNTRY STORE. They sell fine dishes, glasses,cookware and kitchen items. Owners John Seath andGlen Gerace have agreed to have a plaque noting thatthis is the birthplace of Celia Thaxter, installed on theoutside of their store. This would be the first suchplaque placed on that location. ISHRA members who

have worked for over a year now on this project areMaryellen Burke, Faith Harrington, StephanieNugent, Sharon Stephan, Donna Titus, Peter Lamband the entire ISHRA board. ISHRA is happy to bepart of this project which provides importantrecognition of Celia Thaxter in her native city.

ISHRA Newsletter

WORKING ON STAR ISLAND (Part 2 Of 3)

Winter 1999

Donna Titus has undertaken an oral history projectto record memories of people who comprise theliving history of the Shoals. This is the secondinstallment of her interview with Rosalind Holt.We hope that others who may be doing similarprojects wil/share them with ISHRA members.

Roz Holt is a well-known Shoaler who startedgoing to Star Island at 16 as a conferee in the 1930's.After WW II she worked on Star in a variety of jobsincluding hotel registrar and head housekeeper.Retiring from Star in 1985 she went over to do bird-banding on Appledore for 9 years more. The followingarticle is adapted from a two-day taped interview andvisit to Rozzie's attractive ski-lodge home in the pinesin Franconia where she resides today.

D.T. You went to youth conferences up through1941?

Roz: Yes. In 1949 I took my daughter Carol (Mairs)out there with me to the All Star Conference.Somehow Nancy Atherton Case and I ended up doingroom assignments which we had done for Y.P.R.U.(Young People's Religious Union) back before the war.And of course I knew the layout of the island very well..... I did room assignments first for ALL STAR andRELIGION IN SCIENCE and R.E. (ReligiousEducation), conferences which I attended, then wasregistrar for the whole thing. .Each conference wouldsend out a list of their people and it was my job to fitthose people into the available rooms on the island -which are not at all like a motel where every room isthe same! The island accommodations vary a greatdeal. I had 125 guest rooms to put people in. If theywere all adults we could take 210, and if we hadenough children to squeeze in with their parents wecould take up to 240.

D.T. So you worked out there from 1949 to 1984,but you officially started when?

Roz: At first I was a very happy part-time staffwaitress and chambermaid. 1956 was probably the firstyear I was officially on the payroll. I did a lot of workas a volunteer before that. I was a staff waitress,waiting on the manager and his family.... and the boatcrew who came out late in those days. We had a "BoatTable" because of the boat schedule. And I was doingchambermaiding. Along in the middle of one summerBob Frost (Manager) and Bobbie Wareham (IslandEngineer) came to me and said "Rozzie, we need aHousekeeper - and you're it!" They'd had three peopletry to be housekeeper and none of them wanted to doit. So I did it for about 15 years. At the same time I

was doing room assignments, which took about threeevenings a week at least, plus Friday nights making allthe lists, and every Saturday I was at the front desk.

I was also the Purchasing Agent and did a lotof the supply buying - got a lot of the linens from Searswhich was the only place that had long-length cottonthings for the "Pelicans". The plastics we boughtduring the winter when they were on sale. The papergoods we would buy in August at Portsmouth Paper.By August you had some money and still had theregular truck crew and the boat running regularly tobring stuff ashore. We'd store stuff over the winter -sometimes successfully. One year Edith Pierson and Istored two boxes of the little Ivory Soap Chips, and inthe Spring discovered to our dismay that a rat had gotinto one of the boxes! I spent a long time rescuingthose that could be rescued for the rooms; the restwent into the laundry.

As my children got older I started going outearlier. I did the Housekeeping for Open-Up withBarbara Jean, my daughter. Liz McVey would comewhen she could. We painted the unit buildings inside,woodwork and walls. (The backside of masonite isalmost impossible to paint!) We made curtains to fit.Ginny McGill also made curtains for the units. Ibought window shades and beds. I bought lots offurniture. Every year we would go into Klein'sFurniture and buy 10 or 12 new mattresses, and we'dget rid of as many of the old iron-sprung beds as wecould. They'd been there since the early 1900's. Theiron railings on the side of those old beds bend after awhile, so you have a very awkward spring arrangement.So we were buying new box springs, and a few cribs.

D.T. Some of the hotel rooms were wall-papered,weren't they?

Roz: Dick Soule and his crew had a big guy, OldBill, who would come out and do wall papering. Butwallpaper tended to mildew and it was hard to cleanespecially in the front rooms of "Atlantic". The tworooms Thea Nash (Star Island Corporation AssistantTreasurer, and later, Executive Secretary) had - thewalls would be black in the spring. We just ended uppainting walls. It was more practical.

Room 45 and 46 leaked. 44 was Twissie's. (Ruth M.Twiss, S.Le. Board member and founding member ofseveral conferences.) And at the end of the year wewould wash all the curtains and put them on racks in44, because we knew Twissiewasn't coming until later.

(Continued on Page 6)

ISHRA Newsletter

ISLES OF SHOALS LECTURE SERIES

Winter 1999

The New Hampshire Humanities Council willsponsor a four-part lecture series "A Visit to the Isles ofShoals" during March and April at public libraries inPortsmouth, Manchester, Contoocook and Claremont.

In the first program, Historian Maryellen Burke'sslide show will introduce such "Old Shoalers" asCaptain Samuel Haley and Thomas Laighton, alongwith fishermen, pirates, and, of course, ghosts.

The second lecture will focus on the islands in termsof American colonization, the fishing trade, and piratesand will include discussion of "The Isles of Shoals inLore and Legend" by Lyman Rutledge.

In the third lecture, actor Stephanie Voss will tracethe childhood and young adulthood of Celia Thaxterthrough the time of the building of the AppledoreHouse and the beginnings of her writing fame.

The fourth lecture and book discussion is based onthe book "Poet on Demand - The Life, Letters, andWorks of Celia Thaxter" by Jane E. Vallier.The lectures are free and open to the public. Theschedule is:March 2,9, 16,23: Portsmouth Middle School libraryMarch 4, 11, 18,25: Manchester Public LibraryMarch 30, April 6, 13, 20: Fiske Free Library,

ClaremontApril 1, 8, 15, 22: Hopkinton Town Library,

Contoocook

.The lecture series culminates in May with a one-woman performance, "Of Pirates and Poets: A Visit tothe Isles of Shoals with Celia Thaxter," presented byACT ONE, featuring Voss as Thaxter, photography byPeter Randall, and music by Ed Gerhard, offered atvarious locations around the state, including ThePalace Theatre in Manchester and The PortsmouthMusic Hall.

Shoalers, Arise! A Call to ArmslIn response to our president's suggestion that we now

begin emphasizing ISHRA'S research mission, we mayremember that our statement of purpose as anorganization is that we are "dedicated to locating,collecting, organizing, preserving, and disseminatinginformation relating to the natural and human history ofthe Isles of Shoals". One does not have to have aresearch degree to help fulfill this purpose. We can allbe what the New Hampshire Humanities Council calls,most felicitously, "independent scholars." What Shoalstreasures might we find at flea markets or yard sales (apiece of Celia's painted porcelain?), in old book stores(diaries, journals, postcards, even a letter to or fromUncle Oscar?), or in that old trunk in Aunt Molly's attic(who knows?). We are 250 plus in number, we have arepository in the Isles of Shoals Collection at thePortsmouth Athenaeum, two meetings a year, smallerfocus study groups, and the ISHRANewsletter where wecan share any discoveries. Let's see what we can do!

COURSES, PROGRAMS, AND OUTINGS ATTHE SHOALS, SUMMER 1999

Adult Education Programs at the Shoals MarineLaboratory

There are no prerequisites, but because of coursecontent and the rugged nature of Appledore thecourses are limited to adults and children 12 yearsor older. The total cost includes room, board, and allfield trips but does not include ferry fare ortransportation to and from Portsmouth, NH.

Island Bird StudyFriday, May 21-Sunday, May 23, Total cost $250.

Marine Mammals of the Gulf of MaineThursday, June 24-Sunday, June 25 ,Total cost $525

A Garden is a Sea of FlowersSaturday, July 24-Monday, July 26,Total cost $250.

The following programs are offered concurrently:Thursday, August 26-Sunday, August 29

Seascapes and Landscapes:The Isles of Shoals in Watercolor and Pastels

Total cost $350

Plants of the Coast and Shore:ECologr of Island Plants

Tota cost $350.

Sailing into History:Celestial Navigation & Maritime HistoryTotal cost $450.

For more information and registration material,telephone (607) 255-3717 or write Shoals MarineLaboratory, G-14 Stimson Hall, Cornell University,Ithaca, NY 14853.

Celia's Garden Tours on AppledoreThe tours are held on Wednesdays and are

arranged through the SML office in Ithaca(telephone and address above). The cost is $50 perperson.

Star Island Conferences Conferences begin inJune and end in September. The brochure publishedby the Star Island Corporation in January providesdetai led descriptions and rates. Open Ingregistration is in March and conferences fill quickly.To receive a brochure, send a self-addressed 6" x 911

envelope with 2 ounces postage to Star IslandCorporation, Attention BB, 110 Arlington Street,Boston MA 0211 6.

ISHRA Newsletter WINTER 1999

and they would be safe. Open-Up Memorial Day

somebody would volunteer to iron all those curtains.Susie Manning did a lot of that. Liz and I would getthem down and label the corner of them, where theywent. Alas, that's fallen by the wayside now. curtainsget lost now, even when you make them to gosomewhere.

D.T. Speaking of washing - and water ...

Roz: When they would give the "Fire & WaterTalk" we had four kinds of water: we had drinkingwater from the well, (this was very scarce); rain waterfrom the roofs for washing; cistern water, used in thelaundry: and then water from the ponds. Pond watercould also be used for washing. The pond water outthere was fine up until the time the gulls took over theplace. We had four colors of water in varying shades ofbrown. Then they put the machines in, but thetrouble with distilling the water in those originalconverters, - the cost factor was incredible. Eventuallywe started getting water by way of the SteamshipCompany, pumped into storage tanks on the island. Idon't know how they every managed in the old dayswhen they did all the laundry on the island. When wewashed the towels the laundry crew would spread themout on the far end of center field to dry. Woe if itrained on Saturday Change - Over day! We barely hadenough to go around. We were operating on ashoestring in those days. When I did the registrationfor one of the ALL STAR conferences I think ourbudget was $165. If you can think what they are now...how different that was! Lymann Rutledge was head ofthe (Star Island) Corporation for a good many yearswhen the office was at Arlington Street in Boston. Heput his own money into keeping the island going.Later on he became the historian of the island and wasresponsible for the original issues of Ten Miles Out.Lymann was interested in history and in science. Hewas a whiz at science. Most people didn't know thatabout him but at the "Religion in Science" conferencehe was as much science as he was religion. He'd been aminister of course. Somanypeople contributedtheir skills to the island. Lennie Reed, our chef formany years, Harry Lent (Manager) and his friend HughMatherson did things with their own hands. Theycreated the table in the kitchen from the bowling alley.Ed Donahue was a consultant on refrigeration andfixed the walk-in freezer, a butcher shop where themeat was cut up and taken out. Lennie did a lot of thekitchen design. One summer I was doing Open-Upand they were re-doing the kitchen,

putting sheet rock on the ceiling. I was cooking for12, or as many as 30, under pieces of swinging plastic.The trick was to cook on a four burner gas stove and alittle grill with all the huge utensils that we usedduring the season.... Trawlerswould come up from Gloucester and anchor at the end

of the pier. They'd give Dave Pierson two or three realnice fish and I would try to fit the great big fry pansonto my small 4-burner stove and make lovely friedfish, fresh fish right out of the water, for the people,which they all enjoyed very much.

D.T. Roz, how many managers did you work for?

Roz: I outlasted seven of them, beginning with EdPray. Then Bob Frost, and of course Fred (McGill) washalf time manager every summer, Harry Lent for about15 years, Bob Jorgensen, Pete Mercer, JimSmith ...Then for the last 3 years I worked there I wasAssistant Manager.

D.T. And your children followed in your footsteps?

Roz: Each one of my children was a Pelican in duecourse; Carol, Barbara Jean, and my son, Robert. Morerecently both my granddaughters, Karen and Wendy,worked out there.

D. T. What do you see as the future of Star Island?

Roz: I. wish I knew. I think it's becoming tooelaborate. And whether that will be good or bad, Idon't know. They've increased the capacity of theplace beyond reasonable use of the dining room, or thechapel, or Elliott Hall. When you get over 200 adultsit's just too much... It's a wonderful place for childrenand families, and I think it's only future is to keep thatfamily atmosphere going, allowing children ofconferees to become Pelicans - at least give them achance for one year, - and keeping that continuity,keeping traditions. Otherwise it becomes just anothervacation spot ... Some of the conferences have a greatdeal of staff, the Pelicans now providing theconference services - the conferences used to do that.We've made it into too expensive a proposition, andtoo elaborate. That is one of the things that bothersme. I don't know what the answer is. They're findingout on some of those things '-- you just price yourselfout of the market. It's happened up and down thecoast.

D. T. And it is a simple place.

Roz: It should be a simple place.

Series to be completed in the next ISHRA newsletter

/SHRANewsletter

Director's DeskFrom the SML Director's Desk: Two items of interest

from Dr. Jim Morin, Director of the Shoals MarineLaboratory:

"If you have recently visited the historic Laightongraveyard where Celia Thaxter is buried on AppledoreIsland, you may have noticed that the stone wallssurrounding the graveyard are in disrepair. Last year,Laighton descendants Chris Forbes, Anne Forbes, andJonathan Hubbard were moved to have the stone wallrepaired. Star Island Corporation approved the project,and during the summer of 1998,SML staff assistedwiththe coordination of material deliveries and generallabor. We expect that next summer, the repairs will becomplete. I'd like to give special thanks to theRosamond Thaxter Foundation for helping to fund thisproject."

"Wear and tear on the island takes its toll onvehicles and, though we nurse them along, ultimatelyonly so much can be done. Thus the time has come toreplace the old tractor ("Little Red") on the island and,if possible, purchase another truck. If you know of anyconnections that might prove useful in this regard, Iwould be grateful for leads on used vehicles of thesetypes."

, t -Isles of Shoals Historical and ResearchAssociation Newsletter is produced biannually bythe Publications Committee with support fromISHRA members. Please send your newsletteritems to: Janice Warren 42 Woodman RdDurham NH 03824

Illustrations: Gulf Challenger courtesy of PaulPelletier, THEN, courtesy of Peter Randall,Publisher, NOW, photo by Donna Titus, aerialview, courtesy of Portsmouth Athenaeum,cannonball, photo by David MacEachran.

Contributors: Oley Firth,Dave MacEachran, FredMcGill, Carla Marvin, Donna Titus, Bob Tuttle,Dot Tuttle, JaniceWarren

layout: Kinko's Desktop Publishing

WINTER1999

COURSES, PROGRAMS, AND OUTINGS ATTHE SHOALS, SUMMER 1999

Continued

Star Island ElderhostelTwo Elderhostel programs will be offered in 1999.Total cost $350 per program

Elderhostel IMonday, September 6-Saturday,September 11Natural and Ecological Del ights of the Islesof Shoals,An Experience with the GreatEasternReligions, Popular Songs in New England.

Elderhostel I IMonday, September 13-Saturday,September 18Watercolor - The PerfectOutdoor MediumBirding on an Ocean Island

An Elderhostel catalog can be obtainedfrom Elderhostel, P.O. Box 1959NH,Wakefield, MA 01880.

ISHRA Weed end on Star Island

The weekend is tentatively scheduled for thesecond or third weekend in September. For furtherinformation, contact Richard Stanley. 39 DavisCourt, Concord, MA 01742. Telephone: (978) 369-4648.

UNH Marine Docent Trips to Appledore Island

Tours are periodically arranged and led by UNHMarine Docents. Information can be obtained bycontacting the Sea Grant Extension Program,Kingman Farm, UNH, Durham, NH 03824 or bytelephone (603) 749-1565.

Then: continued from page 3

of Commerce Office at one time. Present use:Navy Uniform Store...This old building has been somuch remodeled and changed that it is hard toknow what it looked like originally. It was the homeof Thomas Laighton in the 1830's and here hisdaughter, Celia, poet of the Isles of Shoals wasborn." Of its historic significance she states "Theonly claim to greatnessthis building has, is the factthat under its roof, Celia Leighton Thaxter was bornin 1835." ... "It's a great pity," Dr. Vaughancontinues, "that the birthplace of a famous writerand poet should have been so neglected anddesecrated. It might have qualified for the NationalRegisterotherwise.

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ASK ISHRAThe above photograph is one of the 10,000 Isles of Shoals photographs that the Portsmouth Athenaeum is

cataloging and trying to identify and date with the help of volunteers. The question is: When was this aerialphotograph taken? Fred McGill, the Star Island historian was asked for his opinion. His response was: ... I will dosome bracketing, as suggested, and set its date as sometime between 1948 and 1955. Clues: It is obvious that whenthat picture was taken, not many stones had been put together to produce William Roger Greeley's "New Gosport"There should, however, be signs of action where Parker Memorial [building] is situated, on the path to the Turnstilejust beside and beyond the Chapel, if 1948 is to be the first year of our estimate. In the picture I don't see muchexcept grass over the ridgepole of the Chapel, but I think I see more than rock protruding from behind it, allowingthe possible presence of a small stone building in tones of gray that suggest bits of a wall and roof. Parker could bethere. The second date in my bracket, 1955, is the year following Hurricane Carol, in which the Old Boiler room'sancient brick chimney plays a part. Those of us who lived on Star during the storm, while the chimney waved like aflagpole threatening to dump itself on the kitchen crew preparing the noon meal for 250 guests - we all vowed thatthe brick menace must be permanently removed. Ibelieve the close-up crew dissected the chimney that very year -though it could have been put over until 1955. The bricks became paving stones out back. Probably there isconfirming evidence on all those physical changes in the many ledgers and other heavy tomes that fill the shelves ofthe locked closet opening off the staircase landing in Vaughn ...

Ath her l'euesti 7"re ere any ot er guesumates:

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