Portsmouth's North Church

While waiting for the fireworks show last week in Portsmouth, I was chatting with an elderly gentlemen on the park bench adjacent to mine. Sitting directly across the street from the North Church in the center of town, we both gazed at the lovely landmark building. He remarked, "This place wouldn't be the same without that church." Indeed.

Its tall white steeple can be seen not just from many parts of town, but also from miles away. Because Portsmouth is a harbor town situated on the Piscataqua River, there are numerous wonderful vantage points from various bridges as well as from "the other side" in Kittery, Maine.

If you're from this area, or have visited here, the church is no doubt one of the things you think of when conjuring up images of this jewel of the Seacoast.