J. Dennis Robinson

J. Dennis Robinson is the author of over a dozen popular books and 3,000 published articles, mostly about local history and culture. He lives in Portsmouth, NH by the swirling Piscataqua River. 

Contact

J. Dennis Robinson
Portsmouth, NH 03801
dennis@myseacoastnh.com
Work Phone: 603-427-2020

Available Program Formats: In person presentations only 

Scheduling notes and additional information

Prefer Monday, Wednesday, Friday from April to November. 

J. Dennis Robinson's Programs

1623: The Untold Story of New Hampshire’s Founding Family

1623: The Untold Story of New Hampshire’s Founding Family

Why do we know so little about David and Amias Thompson of Plymouth, England? And why is the little we know so often wrong? Our first European couple “settled” at Rye, NH in 1623. Within five years the Thompsons had abandoned their fishing and trading outpost and disappeared from Granite State history. Popular author J. Dennis Robinson explores the era, unearths the facts, and debunks the myths of our rocky 400-year-old origin tale. 

 

Join us as we celebrate 50 years of bringing the humanities to your community!

Case Closed on the 1873 Smuttynose Ax Murders

Case Closed on the 1873 Smuttynose Ax Murders

For almost 150 years the moonlight ax murder of two Norwegian women on the rocky Isles of Shoals has haunted New England. Popular historian and lecturer J. Dennis Robinson cuts through the hoaxes, lies, rumors, and fiction surrounding the arrest, trial and execution of 28-year old Louis Wagner, who claimed his innocence to the end. If you read the bestselling novel Weight of Water or saw the Hollywood film -- that's not what happened. A longtime summer steward of Smuttynose Island, Robinson lays out the facts based on his book-length study, Mystery on the Isles of Shoals. 

 

Join us as we celebrate 50 years of bringing the humanities to your community!

Treasure from the Isles of Shoals: How New Archaeology is Changing Old History

Treasure from the Isles of Shoals: How New Archaeology is Changing Old History

There is treasure here but not the pirate kind. Scientific "digs" on Smuttynose Island are changing New England history. Archaeologist Nathan Hamilton has unearthed 300,000 artifacts to date on this largely uninhabited rock at the Isles of Shoals. Evidence proves prehistoric Native Americans hunted New Hampshire's only offshore islands 6,000 years ago. Hundreds of European fishermen split, salted, and dried valuable Atlantic cod here from the 1620s. "King Haley" ruled a survivalist kingdom here before Thomas Laighton struck tourist gold when his family took over the region's first hotel on Smuttynose. Laighton's daughter Celia Thaxter spun poetic tales of ghosts and pirates. J. Dennis Robinson, a longtime Smuttynose steward, explores the truth behind the romantic legends of Gosport Harbor in this colorful show-and-tell presentation. 

 

Join us as we celebrate 50 years of bringing the humanities to your community!