New Hampshire's seacoast may be just 18 miles long, but what it lacks in length, it makes up tor with centuries of fascinating maritime history. Portsmouth developed along the banks of the Piscataqua River to become the state's colonial capital and a center of trade and shipbuilding. Portsmouth Harbor's 1771 lighthouse was the first lighthouse established in the American colonies north of Boston. A few miles offshore, Native Americans were fishing and hunting at the archipelago known as the Isles of Shoals for centuries before the islands were developed by European fishermen and settlers in the 1600s, and a lighthouse was established at the southernmost island in 1821. Inland, three wooden lighthouses were built on Lake Sunapee in the late 1800s to guide steamships full of vacationers to their destinations around the lake. All of these locations have stories to tell of dedicated keepers and their families, shipwrecks, rescues, and much more. Jeremy D'Entremont is a longtime board member of the American Lighthouse Foundation, historian for the United States Lighthouse Society, and founder of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses. He is the author of more than 20 books and hundreds of articles on lighthouse history.

The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the country. Using archival photographs, each title presents the distinctive stories from the past that shape the character of the community today. Arcadia is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage, making history available to all.