3 Portsmouth/NH Based Books

Haunted Portsmouth by Roxie J. Zwicker

A tour of Portsmouth's back alleys and docksides, filled with the lingering whispers and memories of generations long dead. Venture through the haunted past and present of Portsmouth, New Hampshire if you dare. Before Portsmouth was a charming seaside community, it was a rough-and-tumble seaport. Hear phantom footsteps in the Point of Pines Burial Ground and mysterious voices at the Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, haunted by the ghost of its former keeper. Tour guide and hauntings expert Roxie Zwicker takes readers on a tour of the nation's third-oldest city, where buildings and street corners teem with ghostly stories and legends.

Ocean-Born Mary: The Truth Behind A New Hampshire Legend by Jeremy D'Entremont

Meet Mary, ocean-born and named by an infamous pirate. Her birth saved a group of Scottish immigrants aboard a ship bound for New England in 1720. Halfway through the gruelingvoyage, pirates intercepted and captured the vessel. Upon hearing a baby's cry, the pirate captain promised to spare the lives of all on board if the mother named her newborn Mary, allegedly after his beloved mother. The ship arrived safely in Massachusetts, and Mary lived most of her long life in Londonderry, New Hampshire. Discover the house in Henniker, New Hampshire, that Mary is said to haunt and where a pirate purportedly stashed his treasure. Join historian Jeremy D'Entremont as he separates the facts from the fantastic legends shrouding one of New England's most enduring folk tales.

Portsmouth Women: Madams & Matriarchs Who Shaped New Hampshire's Port City edited by Laura Pope

In the history of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, countless women rose above a rigid society to make their marks on the seaport city. In the eighteenth century, Allice Shannon Hight became a successful tavern keeper, outliving two husbands and providing for ten children. Others flourished in more scandalous ventures, like Alta Roberts, otherwise known as the Black Mystery of Portsmouth--always donned in black, she operated a successful brothel at the Roberts House Saloon in the nineteenth century. Even greater achievements would come in later years from the likes of Mary Carey Dondero, who became one of the first women elected mayor in New England. This collection of essays, compiled by author and historian Laura Pope, celebrates the victories--large and small--of Portsmouth's notable women.