Over 100 years ago,  the foresight of a few men, well versed in the history of the Piscataqua River Basin, decided to pool their libraries and talents to mutually strive to instill a sense of the preservation of history of the area. They formed; Piscataqua Pioneers. 

This scene is looking east from New Hampshire Shores, the first entry point to New Hampshire and Maine in the Piscataqua Region. with the Isles of Shoals (Smith's Isles-cira.1614) barely visible and looming in the distance.

FOREWORD

By William G. Drew

from the book,

Piscataqua Pioneers:

Selected Biographies of Early Settlers in Northern New England

        It was fish, furs, and forests that beckoned men to seek their fortune.  Perhaps the Vikings were the first Europeans who ventured into the Piscataqua Region.  We know from his detailed maps of the geographical features that the Italian explorer Verrazano did an extensive search of the area in 1524. Europeans were harvesting fish in the North Atlantic waters all during the 16th century, but it wasn't until late in the century that keen interest in exploration began to flourish in England.  The search for sassafras and gold prompted organized ventures to the northern New England region.