Portsmouth Athenæum

A non-profit membership library, gallery, and archive, incorporated in 1817 and located in the heart of historic Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

The research library will be closed to the public on Wednesday, July 16, and Thursday, July 17,  for staff in-service day. The exhibit gallery will be open from 1 to 4 p.m.

The third-floor Shaw Research Library and Randall Gallery are open to the public from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday thru Saturday. For elevator access, please call (603) 431-2538.

We have temporarily suspended tours of the Sawtelle Reading Room and 1805 Building.

UPCOMING EVENT

Franklin Club

Franklin Club

August 6, 2025    
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
The Junto, also known as the Leather Apron Club, was a club for mutual improvement established in 1727 by Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia. The Leather [...]

HOURS

 

Shaw Research Library &

Randall Gallery

 

Tuesday through Saturday
1 to 4 p.m.

 

 

Reading Room Tours

Unavailable at this time. Check back soon.

EXPLORE THE ARCHIVES

The Athenæum houses an outstanding collection of documents and artifacts relating to local history. It also preserves what is undoubtedly the finest collection in the state of materials relating to the history of New Hampshire’s only major seaport.

July 2025: Get Outside and Explore!

July 2025: Get Outside and Explore!

By Research Librarian Jessica Zaricki This month, we’re focusing on our National Parks here in New England and around the country, as well as the history of those lands, and the people who fought for their conservation. Travel to the Western US might not be in the...

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Portsmouth Athenaeum Chamber Music 2025

Portsmouth Athenaeum Chamber Music 2025

The Portsmouth Athenaeum presents this annual series of chamber music concerts held in historic venues around Portsmouth. This year, the public is invited to attend the following four chamber concerts: NEAVE TRIO SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 3 p.m. The Dance Hall, Kittery,...

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Walking in the Footsteps of a Patriot

Walking in the Footsteps of a Patriot

By Sherry Wood Soon after George Washington was named commander of the Continental Army in 1775, Portsmouth's Jonathan Mitchel Sewall wrote the words to a song that would be sung in taverns and on battlegrounds during the Revolutionary War. Sewall, the subject of an...

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