J. Dennis Robinson

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It is the homicide that will not die. On March 5, 1873, two Norwegian women were murdered in the night on barren Smuttynose Island, ten miles out from Portsmouth, N.H., at the Isles of Shoals. The killer was captured and hanged, but the tragic tale of Karen and Anethe Christensen lives on. The moonlit ax murder has been adapted into the novel and film, Weight of Water, a popular ballad, a play, even a ballet and comic book. Each summer I mow the lawn where the bodies once lay. The house where it all happened is long gone, but the 1770-era Haley House next door survives. My wife, Maryellen, and I are among the volunteer stewards. Her birthday is March 5. That’s spooky.   

Capt. Samuel Haley and his wife raised 11 children in this bare-bones two-room cottage. They are buried behind the house on an island now occupied only by seagulls, muskrats—and us. Haley had his own cherry orchard, distillery, bakery, boatyard, store, and—like everyone on the Shoals—he fished. Poet Celia Thaxter lived in the Haley House as a child. She wrote a poem about the 13 shipwrecked Spanish sailors who, legend says, are buried here too. Celia also wrote passionately about the Smuttynose murders. She knew the victims and Maren Hontvet, the only survivor, who hid all night among the icy cliffs where birdwatchers now roam.  

To Visit: Visitors who have their own boat are welcome on this private island from June to October when stewards are in residence. A printed walking tour and nature trail are available. The three-fourth-of-a-mile-long island is ideal for hiking, but wear good shoes and beware of poison ivy. There are no public facilities (no dock, water, electricity or restrooms.) Fires, dogs, and camping are prohibited. Those who want to view the Haley House from a distance should contact  www.islesofshoals.com and www.uncleoscar.com for narrated summer boat tours in season.