Celia Laighton Thaxter
(1835 - 1894)

The poet of the Isles of Shoals lived half her life on the barren islands 10 miles off the Maine and NH coasts. Raised in a lighthouse, her rocky life story is as compelling as her writing. Her father's hotel on Appledore Island became host to many of Boston's best known artists and writers. Her 1873 memoir Among the Isles of Shoals is still a popular guide among Shoalers today. Her writing, her poetry and her painting are the topics of continual intrigue. This site is the most complete coverage of her life and work available online.

See all articles

VISIT ALSO: Smuttynose Murder Site
VISIT ALSO: Isles of Shoals

OUR TOP CELIA THAXTER WEB PAGES

William Dean Howells 1st Impressions 

Appledore Hotel photo 

Photos Around Appledore Island 

Nathaniel Hawthorne Visits the Laightons in 1852 

The Caswell and the Laightons 

Celia and the Legends of Sam Haley

NEW BIOGRAPHY OF CELIA PUBLISHED

First Steps to Repair Celia's Lighthouse

Inside White Island Light

A Message from Hog Island

Celia's 1847 Letter

EXCLUSIVE NEW PHOTOS: Celia's Mystery Cloak

Four Poems About Birds

The Simple Art of Celia's Brother Oscar

The Crack in Celia's Lighthouse

One Woman's Work: The Paintings of Celia Thaxter

Graves of Levi & Celia's Sons in Kittery, ME

Inside Whittier's Home

Whittier House Postcards

Celia's Three Norwegians

Original Smuttynose Murder News Clips

Black Heroes, White Poets

Celia's Ties to Kittery, Maine

Talk about Celia on Isles BB

Exclusive New Feature:

Celia Thaxter's Life Timeline

Did Celia Predict Titanic Sinking?

See Birthplace Location

Celia Thaxter Birthplace Dedicated

How Much Time Did Celia Really Spend on the Isles? (essay)

Celia Thaxter Museum on Star Island

Inside the Vaughn Memorial Thaxter Collection

Celia Thaxter Internet Hotlinks

Playing Celia is Serious Business (Stephanie Voss)

Celia Thaxter by Olive Tardiff

Digging Into the Spaniards' Graves

OUR CELIA POEMS ONLINE

Butcher Bird, Swallow, Kingfisher 
& Burgomaster Gull

Karen, Thora and Lars

Connoisseur

"A Tryst"

Land-locked & Sandpiper

The Spaniards' Graves

OUR ONLINE PROSE BY CELIA

"A Memorable Murder"

Letter to Friend on Smuttynose Murder

Child's Story: "The Sandpiper's Nest"

OUR MISCELLANEOUS CELIA IMAGES
(Those not linked to key articles listed above)

Early Postcard of Celia's Cottage on Appledore

Celia's Cottage from "Early Memories"

Celia's Salon from "Attractive Bits"

Laighton Graves on Appledore by Peter Randall

Laighton Graves, Celia's Garden & Appledore Hotel site from "Disposable Camera Tour"

Celia's Garden by Peter Randall

CELIA THAXTER'S CIRCLE
Her friends, family and visiting Appledore artists

JAMES T. ANNIE FIELDS
"The Lucky Horseshoe" 

Nathaniel Hawthorne: We Visit his Birthplace

UNCLE OSCAR LAIGHTON
"UNCLE OSCAR" Oscar, Celia's Brother
Poems and Pictures by Uncle Oscar

OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES
As a Young Man
As an Old Man

JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL

JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER
Holmes, Celia and "Wreck of Rivermouth"

Whittier's Anti-Slavery Ode to NH

Whittier and "Hampton Beach"

Whittier's "Changeling"

Whittier Poems on SeacoastNH

Copyright © 1997-2004 SeacoastNH.com.
All rights reserved.