Well protected and seldom frozen over, the harbor of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, near the mouth of the Piscataqua River, was one of the busiest ports of colonial America. Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, the first lighthouse north of Boston in the American colonies, was established at the northeast corner of the town of New Castle in 1771. The light station has been the home to a succession of fascinating personalities and the scene of much human drama. Today, the lighthouse is preserved by the Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation.