Isles of Shoals, New Hampshire - Ruined Monument to Man Saved by Pocahontas
- Address:
- Star Island, Isles of Shoals, NH
- Directions:
- Take the ferry from Portsmouth to Star Island. At the turnstile to the Vaughan Cottage Museum, take the poison-ivy-covered path to the south, empty side of the island. You'll see a tall obelisk, but that's actually a different monument. The ruins of the John Smith monument are beyond it. The walk should take about 10 minutes. Wear long pants to protect from poison ivy, and hold a stick above your head to ward off attacking seagulls.
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By 1864, Smith's 250th anniversary, no one called these the "Smythe Isles" any more. A monument was erected to Smith here in that year, but its main purpose was to lure visitors to a new summer hotel. The monument was a tall marble pillar, covered with an inscription, set on a triangular granite base. At the top were three carved heads, representing the heads of the three heathen Turks that Smith had lopped off as a mercenary Crusader in Transylvania.
Granite and marble proved no match for New Hampshire weather. First the heads were blown out to sea. Then the inscription was sandblasted flat. Then the entire pillar was blown away in a storm. In 1914 a bronze plaque was bolted to the ruined base. That's the state of the monument today -- plus 90-something years of abuse from salt, sun, ice, water, wind, and seagull poop. [Roadsideamerica.com Team, 12/03/2005]
Nearby Offbeat Places
- Fort Dearborn, Decoy Ship Building, Rye, NH - 6 mi.
- York's Wild Kingdom, York Beach, ME - 13 mi.
- Hotel with Fake Lighthouse, Hampton, NH - 10 mi.
- In the region: Old Man of the Mountain Consolation Replica, Hooksett, NH - 41 mi.
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