FAQ: Thinking of Visiting the Isles of Shoals?

Here’s our response to some of the most frequently asked questions from readers. Always check with your ferry and destination sites before travel since weather and other conditions can change at the last minute.

Where are the Isles of Shoals?
You’ll find them just 10 miles out from Portsmouth Harbor in New England in the USA. They can be seen from the mainland on a clear day and are about 7 miles out of Rye Harbor, NH

How many islands are there?
The standard count is nine islands, although this figure varies through history. Early explorers listed 18 isles and rock outcroppings. Seavey Island is connected to White Island at low tide, and Malaga is sometimes considered an extension of Smuttynose. These are very small rocky islands like Square Rock, that are uninhabitable and not counted among the nine today.

What are their names?
Appledore, Smuttynose, Malaga, Duck, and Cedar are in Maine. Lunging, Seavey, White, and Star are in New Hampshire.

Why are they located in two different states?
The Isles were so valuable in the early 1600s for their shoals of fish, English investors John Mason and Ferdinando Gorges divided their real estate holdings in New England; they split ownership up the center of the Piscataqua River on the mainland and out to the Gosport Harbor at the Isles of Shoals. Mason got the New Hampshire Islands and Gorges got the territory of Maine. Neither man, for the record, ever set foot on the real estate they believed they owned.

Who owns the two islands I can visit?
The 1875 Oceanic Hotel on Star Island is the standard first-time destination. Once the island fishing town of Gosport, NH, Star is owned by the nonprofit Star Island Corp and is the site of many summer conferences. There is a little museum there as well and interesting historic monuments. You can sign up for a summer conference, book a short stay, or wander the island for a few hours from a summer ferry. There is a gift shop, a bookstore, a snack bar, and a porch with an expansive view. Appledore Island in Maine, once the site of the Appledore Hotel, now houses the Shoals Marine Lab operated by the University of New Hampshire and Cornell. Tours of Celia Thaxter’s island garden are available in season. Check the website for possible courses, tours, and volunteer opportunities.

What’s on the other islands?
Except for White and Seavey Islands, all of the Isles are Shoals are privately owned. White, home of the lighthouse, is owned by the State of New Hampshire and Seavey is a bird sanctuary. It is inaccessible to the public, but volunteer opportunities are available. Duck Island is home to seals and birds. Lunging and Cedar Islands are privately owned by longtime Shoals families. Smuttynose is also privately owned, but accessible to visitors during the day in season. A group of volunteer on-site stewards monitors Smuttynose. There is a rugged walking trail, but there are no public facilities.

Did Indigenous People live here?
Seacoast Natives occupied this region for at least 12,000 years before European colonizers arrived. Recent archaeology digs on Smuttynose Island show evidence of Indigenous hunters dating back at least 6,000 years.

How can I reach the Isles?
First-timers often begin with a narrated tour around the islands. The Isles of Shoals Steamship Company (M/V Thomas Laighton) and Heritage Cruises are located in Portsmouth, NH. The Uncle Oscar offers tours out of Rye Harbor. The Thomas Laighton and Uncle Oscar offer brief stopover tours of Star Island. Many visitors arrive on private boats that moor in Gosport Harbor, but space is limited in season. Only Star Island welcomes drop-in visitors, although Smuttynose Cove can be reached by small boats. Check with the Shoals Marine Lab on Appledore before attempting a visit. Cedar, Lunging, White & Seavey are inaccessible without advance permission.

Are there cars on the Isles?
A few old vehicles transport luggage and supplies from the dock to the hotel at Star Island and to the dorms and teaching halls at Appledore. Otherwise, there are no vehicles at the Shoals.

Can I camp or bike on the Isles?
Sorry, there is no facility for camping on any of the Isles of Shoals and no public roads.

How can I stay overnight at the Oceanic Hotel on Star?
The original Oceanic Hotel opened in 1873 and has been the site of summer conferences for more than a century. Conference attendees stay at the Oceanic or in a number of overnight houses on the island. The conferences are run by the Star Island Corporation, founded by members of the Universalist Unitarian and Congregational churches. The hotel looks and operates much as it did 100 years ago, including shared bathrooms, limited showers, communal dining, and strict rules about smoking, alcohol consumption, etc. This is an amazing vintage experience, not for everyone, and not a luxury venue. There is no swimming pool, spa, weight room, TV set, bar, vending machine, etc. There are spectacular sunsets, fresh salt air, and lots of communal connections, artistic inspiration, and intellectual stimulation. It can be a bit like camping indoors. Their Star Island office is located in Portsmouth, NH.

What about staying on Appledore?
Also owned by the Star Island Corporation, Appledore is leased to Cornell and the University of New Hampshire for their summer marine biology programs.The Shoals Marine Lab also has offices in Portsmouth, NH on the mainland at Creek Farm. Registered students, mostly of high school age. live in dorms on the island, and there is a wide variety of classes available.

Who was Celia Thaxter?
Born in Portsmouth, NH, Celia moved to the Isles with her family at age four and lived much of her life there. Her poetry became hugely popular in the second half of the 19th century. Her book Among the Isles of Shoals (1873) is a must-read for first-time visitors. She held summer salons attended by famous literary figures like Whittier and Hawthorne as well as prominent artists of her day including Childe Hassam. She is buried on Appledore.

Can I see Celia’s famous island garden?
Although the 19th-century hotel and Celia’s cottage on Appledore are gone, a dedicated group of volunteers keeps up a recreation of her famous “Island Garden.” There is a fee for visitors and a significant walk from the boat along dirt roads. For the latest details on fees and visit times, check the Shoals Marine Lab website.

Is the story “Weight of Water” about the Smuttynose Murders true?
Not exactly, Anita Shreve’s bestselling novel (also a motion picture) is based on a real double ax murder case that happened on Smuttynose Island in 1873. The novel, however, is fictional, not accurate. The murders were committed by itinerant fisherman Louis Wagner who attempted to rob the Hontvet House and killed two young Norwegian women. Convicted, Wagner was hanged in 1875 without admitting guilt.

Are the places to hike on the Shoals?
Not really. These are very small islands. There is a path around the perimeter of Star and Appledore, but circumnavigating the islands would take minutes, not hours. The paths may be rocky and there is lots of poison ivy and unfriendly seagulls during breeding season. The Smuttynose Island path may or may not be cleared from the cove to the cairn at the back of the island. Those who wish to attempt the path during daylight in season are advised to wear hiking shoes, long pants, and, during breeding season, carry a stick. The stock, held over your head, is to distract seagulls that will attack and spray unwanted visitors during breeding season in the early summer. Gulls nest on the ground and there are up to 400 nesting pairs of gulls and blackbacks on Smuttynose, which is a Main bird sanctuary.

What about ghosts, shipwrecks and buried treasure?
Legends abound and Shoals lore is full of fascinating stories. There is evidence that at least one pirate visited the Shoals, but buried treasure was never possible on islands that are mostly solid rock with almost no vegetation or soil in the early days. A number of ships wrecked at the Isles and divers often brave the dangerous currents around the islands. The best references for this mostly mythical information come from Among the Isles of Shoals, The Isles of Shoals in Lore and Legend, and Ten Miles Out. There are graves on many of the islands, including the Caswell Cemetery on Star, the Laighton family plot on Appledore, and the tiny Haley cemetery on Smuttynose. Most of the tombstones are weathered and grave rubbing is not permitted. The “tallest tombstone in New Hampshire” to Rev. John Tucke is a 20th-century granite obelisk on Star Island, where you will also find the Beebe Cemetery and the battered Captain John Smith monument. Smith names the Shoals “Smith Isles” after his 1614 visit and coined the name “New England” in his map, although he never returned to found a colony as planned. Stories of “Babb the Butcher” and Blackbeard’s wife were like catnip to Victorian tourists, but largely imaginary.

What is ISHRA?
The Isles of Shoals Historical and Research Association was founded in 1985 to promote the study of the Isles. The group now numbers over 200 members, and readers are encouraged to join and support their work. Through the aid of the Portsmouth Athenaeum, ISHRA members are currently cataloging and scanning thousands of Isles photographs for research. The Portsmouth Athenaeum online catalog is an invaluable resource for history and genealogy buffs.

Copyright J. Dennis Robinson, all rights reserved.