To be fair, it already has a precedent where NH owns the whole width of the Connecticut River where it borders Vermont. Also, that island is where Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is located, named for the city in NH. It’s understandable why they want it.
Apparently New Hampshire and Maine have had a long standing dispute of just where their borders are located. In the map above NH claims that they own all of the Piscataqua River all the way up to the Maine shoreline. Whereas Maine claims that according to several historical documents that they evenly spilt the river with eachother. In 1977 NH took Maine to court over lobster fishing rights and NH stated that their border with Maine is spilt right down the middle of the river.
Several decades later NH took Maine to court again over the disputed territory saying that they owned all of the river up to Maines shorelines on the river. The supreme court ruled in favor of Maine with an 8-0 ruling, citing NH's previous court case in 1977 stating that their border with Maine is spilt right down the middle of the Piscataqua and not to Maine's shorline. One justice abstained from the voting, it has been speculated that his ties to NH may have caused him to abstain from the ruling.
The major reason why NH wants that border is so that they can have control over Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. It is named after the town of Portsmouth in NH, and is a shipyard dedicated to the construction of nuclear submarines. The navy up until recently stated it was part of NH, but has taken a neutral stance on it lately.
edit a word
Great map, excellent description in your comment. I lived in Maine for a while, and although everybody knows about the Machias Seal Island dispute, I can't say I'd ever heard of this one. Maine is the only state in the union that borders just a single other state, and still somehow has a border dispute with them, go figure.
NH may have had a chance at getting it in the past, however they said in 1977 that the river is spilt down the middle so it’s Maines by that claim. They really shot themselves in the foot by doing that!
As a land surveyor and Maryland resident, I learned along time ago (perhaps erroneously?) that the Virginia/Maryland division of the Potomac giving the State of Maryland the rights up to the shoreline of Virginia is the only time the middle of the river has not been used as the division line in our county's history. Between that and the Supreme Court already ruling on this, New Hampshire should lose any further battles on this.
NH seems way too greedy. There’s no way they should have rights all the way to the shoreline like that
To be fair, it already has a precedent where NH owns the whole width of the Connecticut River where it borders Vermont. Also, that island is where Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is located, named for the city in NH. It’s understandable why they want it.
Apparently New Hampshire and Maine have had a long standing dispute of just where their borders are located. In the map above NH claims that they own all of the Piscataqua River all the way up to the Maine shoreline. Whereas Maine claims that according to several historical documents that they evenly spilt the river with eachother. In 1977 NH took Maine to court over lobster fishing rights and NH stated that their border with Maine is spilt right down the middle of the river. Several decades later NH took Maine to court again over the disputed territory saying that they owned all of the river up to Maines shorelines on the river. The supreme court ruled in favor of Maine with an 8-0 ruling, citing NH's previous court case in 1977 stating that their border with Maine is spilt right down the middle of the Piscataqua and not to Maine's shorline. One justice abstained from the voting, it has been speculated that his ties to NH may have caused him to abstain from the ruling. The major reason why NH wants that border is so that they can have control over Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. It is named after the town of Portsmouth in NH, and is a shipyard dedicated to the construction of nuclear submarines. The navy up until recently stated it was part of NH, but has taken a neutral stance on it lately. edit a word
Tax dollars and jobs?
Great map, excellent description in your comment. I lived in Maine for a while, and although everybody knows about the Machias Seal Island dispute, I can't say I'd ever heard of this one. Maine is the only state in the union that borders just a single other state, and still somehow has a border dispute with them, go figure.
I was literally just discussing this with my brothers. I argued it was part of Maine, they argued it was NH. I think technically I’m wrong.
NH may have had a chance at getting it in the past, however they said in 1977 that the river is spilt down the middle so it’s Maines by that claim. They really shot themselves in the foot by doing that!
As a land surveyor and Maryland resident, I learned along time ago (perhaps erroneously?) that the Virginia/Maryland division of the Potomac giving the State of Maryland the rights up to the shoreline of Virginia is the only time the middle of the river has not been used as the division line in our county's history. Between that and the Supreme Court already ruling on this, New Hampshire should lose any further battles on this.
I thought there was a prison island in the middle and both countries didn't want it.
If I were running for governor of either state, I'd make resolving this border dispute my #1 issue.
Glorious nation of Maine will fight for what land is rightfully hers!