Captain Edward H. Adams
The reproduction gundalow, Captain Edward H. Adams,
honors the last of the men who piloted gundalows on the rivers
of the basin. It also serves as a reminder of the important role
the river has had in shaping the history of the area.
 The
20th century brought the demise of the gundalow, but Captain Edward
Adams (1860–1950) bridged the gap between the gundalow epoch
and today. He stirred the minds of many of the visitors at his Adams
Point home by arguing in vain for a high sailing vessel clearance
on the proposed Dover Point Bridge (1933), and then, with his son
Cass, building a “pleasure gundalow” (1950). Evoking
the spirit of an age he felt people were ignoring, his determination
and ‘sense of place’ live on through the gundalow that
bears his name.
 Unlike
earlier times, the building of this gundalow was to take its builders
far beyond the region to locate the large and specially formed framework
to complete the vessel. From the main member kilson logs (Fremont,
NH) to the hackmatack knees (Cherryfield, ME), the construction of
the Captain Edward H. Adams became a prime and unusual attraction
at its Strawbery Banke (Portsmouth, NH) site. The stump mast from
Durham, NH and the 69-foot spar from a windjammer in Rockland, Maine
[now a 70-foot purpose-felled Maine White Spruce] completed the search
for parts. In keeping with tradition, most of this gundalow is held
together with 5,000 trunnels (tree nails or pegs).
After three long years of dedicated labor, the gundalow was launched
with the help of oxen on June 13, 1982 to the cheers of 4,000 onlookers–a
new vessel with a new cargo, reaching out to its old region.” [From “The
Piscataqua Gundalow Project” (pamphlet) Alex Herlihy & Paul
Gasowski, 1985]
The Captain Edward H. Adams, a reproduction of the 1886 launched
gundalow Fanny M., has become a symbol of the Piscataqua region,
it’s history and it’s people. To learn more about Captain
Edward Adams, please visit www.izaak.unh.edu/exhibits/shipbld/ADAMS.HTM
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