Gosport Church, Star Island, Isles of Shoals, Rye, c. 1890. The meetinghouse was built in 1800. To the left of the church is the 1802 parsonage. The island’s rocky landscape was changed dramatically when gulls began to nest on the island and fertilized the plants leading to the thick growth of bushes and poison ivy. (NH Historical Society collection.)

Gosport Church, Star Island, Isles of Shoals, Rye. The little church still sits on the highest point of the island, but its surroundings have changed. At right is the Rev. John Tucker monument, erected in 1914. The second building to the left of the church is the Tucker Parsonage, built in 1927 on the site of the previous parsonage. The white house is one of two remaining cottages from the Gosport era, which ended in 1872. (Peter Randall)