Local History: Isles of Shoals, Tuesday July 9
June 19, 2019
Local History Talk
The Tragedy of the Waitresses and other Historical Vignettes
The Isles of Shoals in Brief
Tuesday July 9 | 7 – 8:30 PM
The library’s Local History series features authors and experts on local history topics. The series will continue with speaker Melissa Saggerer, back by popular demand to discuss the history of the Isles of Shoals!
The nine Isles of Shoals are full to the brim with history and steeped in intrigue. Take an hour to travel through the various epochs of native prehistory, fishing village, hotel era, and conference era. We will stop along the way to illustrate some of the fascinating events and also lesser known curiosities that sparkle through the fabric of time. The Tragedy of the Waitresses details a doomed sailing outing, we’ll also discuss a woman who lived on Duck Island, Celia Thaxter’s bear, and more.
Melissa Saggerer worked on Star Island for eight summers. She was curator of Star Island’s Vaughn Cottage library, museum and archives for five of those years. She has served as a White Island Lighthouse steward and set foot on all nine Isles of Shoals. Melissa has degrees in
Anthropology and Library Science. She’s spoken on many historical topics at the islands as well as at the Seacoast Science Center and the Portsmouth Athenaeum.
