Isles of Shoals

Group of small islands lying in the Atlantic Ocean 16 km/10 mi southeast of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. They are located partly within Rockingham County, New Hampshire, and partly within York County, Maine.

The Isles of Shoals were sighted by Captain John Smith in 1614. Star, Lunging, White, and Seavey islands belong to New Hampshire, while Duck, Appledore, Malaga, Smuttynose, and Cedar islands are part of Maine. At low tide, White and Seavey form one island. Appledore, the largest island, covering 1.6 sq km/0.6 sq mi, was once the home of the poet Celia Thaxter. The Appledore Hotel, owned by her father, was a summer retreat for major literary figures and painters until it burned down in 1914; the artist Childe Hassam painted the island. Shoals Marine Laboratory is also sited on Appledore. Star Island has a resort hotel. The area has been the subject of occasional boundary disputes between Maine and New Hampshire fishermen.