Douglas Armsden Photograph Project
Douglas Armsden in his studio at 240 Whipple Road, Kittery, Maine, c. 1940s.
Between 2018 & 2021, the family of prolific photographer Douglas J. Armsden (1918-2009) donated his photograph collection to the Athenaeum. Born in England and raised in upstate New York, Armsden and his family settled in Kittery Point, Maine. He captured the essence of mid-20th century Portsmouth, the Seacoast region of New England, and beyond. His work included wedding photography, family portraits, early documentation of historic houses, commercial and scenic images of Maine and New Hampshire, and editorial work for local newspapers and magazines such as The Shoreliner, New Hampshire Profiles, and Down East.
This collection also documents Armsden’s years of service in the Pacific Theater during World War II, and later, his daily life with his wife, Alice Decatur, and their three daughters, as well as family and friends in their “little piece of heaven” along Fernald Cove in Kittery Point.
The photographic images in the collection include print photographs, color transparencies, 35 mm film, and both medium- and large-format negatives.
In 2018, we estimated the archival supplies for the collection would cost $6,500. We reached our goal through a Thaxter Foundation grant, a Portsmouth Flatbread fundraiser, and generous donations from members of the Athenaeum, the local community, and Seacoast businesses. In late 2020 and 2021, we received additional Armsden material. We now need $2,500 to purchase archival supplies for the newer material.
When fully processed and available on our online catalog, this Armsden collection of roughly 30,000 images will nearly double the Athenaeum’s entire photographic collection!
If you would like to contribute to preserving this collection, click on the “Armsden Donate” button for PayPal. Remember, you don’t have to be a PayPal member to use PayPal. You can donate as a guest.
If you would prefer to pay by check, please make it out to to the Portsmouth Athenaeum with “Armsden” in the memo line and mail it to “Portsmouth Athenaeum, P.O. Box 366, Portsmouth, NH 03802.”
Thank you for your support!
Preserve Local History
Does Armsden Sound Familiar?
You may have come across Armsden’s photographs already in our collection. During his lifetime, Armsden donated a collection of negatives (P15 Armsden Photograph Collection). These invaluable historic images depict mid-20th century Portsmouth and other Seacoast locales. While there are duplicates in both collections, the images in P15 are an example of what the new complete Armsden collection will offer.
The existing P15 collection will also be reprocessed. Click here to view the P15 collection.
ARMSDEN PROJECT IN THE NEWS
FEATURED IMAGES BY ARMSDEN
![Flying in for #nationalbirdday 🦅
Did you know before the Great Bay Wildlife Refuge, there was another bird and animal sanctuary in Newington?🐦
Here children are feeding waterfowl along a freshwater pond while it appears their mothers and others look on from the road at Holden's Wild Fish and Game Preserve between the old Dover Road and Piscataqua River in Newington, NH.
Douglas Armsden photographed these images for the article "Bird and Animal Eden" featured in the December 1950-issue of The Shoreliner magazine.
The little boy squatting is John J. Hassett III, and the two blonde older boys are the Hodsdon brothers, John, center, and Tommy, holding the bag of chips. At center is "Billy" the swan.🦢
On the bridge, the little boy dressed as a cowboy is Dennis Clark of Rockhill Avenue. The three women are unidentified, but they are assumed to be the mothers of the children: Nancy Badger Hodsdon, Marjorie Hassett, and Mrs. Clark.
We cropped the first photo to see the people.🔍
In the 4th image, William Young (1917-2008) feeds the waterfowl.
"As soon as William Young of Newington appeared with the pail of grain, all the ducks and geese shot across the pond from the farther side with amazing speed," according to the article caption.💨🦆
"Mr. Young takes care of all the livestock on the preserve. It is estimated that just to feed the ducks and geese on the pond and the fish in it, the cost approaches four dollars a day."
The article mentions the preserve between the old Dover Road and Great Bay surrounding the property of John E. Holden's oil business. Holden (1893-1964), the Newington Fire Chief, owned the Atlantic Terminal Sales Corp., now C. H. Sprague off Shattuck Way (formerly Old Dover Road) on the shores of the Piscataqua River in Newington. From aerial mapping, the two ponds (upper or freshwater and lower or tidal) still appear to exist as wetlands on the property.
[PS1340]
#newingtonnh #holdenspreserve #olddoverroad #douglasarmsden #shoreliner #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #portsmouthnh #nh #Maine #seacoast❤](https://i0.wp.com/portsmouthathenaeum.org/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png?w=1080&ssl=1)
Flying in for #nationalbirdday 🦅
Did you know before the Great Bay Wildlife Refuge, there was another bird and animal sanctuary in Newington?🐦
Here children are feeding waterfowl along a freshwater pond while it appears their mothers and others look on from the road at Holden's Wild Fish and Game Preserve between the old Dover Road and Piscataqua River in Newington, NH.
Douglas Armsden photographed these images for the article "Bird and Animal Eden" featured in the December 1950-issue of The Shoreliner magazine.
The little boy squatting is John J. Hassett III, and the two blonde older boys are the Hodsdon brothers, John, center, and Tommy, holding the bag of chips. At center is "Billy" the swan.🦢
On the bridge, the little boy dressed as a cowboy is Dennis Clark of Rockhill Avenue. The three women are unidentified, but they are assumed to be the mothers of the children: Nancy Badger Hodsdon, Marjorie Hassett, and Mrs. Clark.
We cropped the first photo to see the people.🔍
In the 4th image, William Young (1917-2008) feeds the waterfowl.
"As soon as William Young of Newington appeared with the pail of grain, all the ducks and geese shot across the pond from the farther side with amazing speed," according to the article caption.💨🦆
"Mr. Young takes care of all the livestock on the preserve. It is estimated that just to feed the ducks and geese on the pond and the fish in it, the cost approaches four dollars a day."
The article mentions the preserve between the old Dover Road and Great Bay surrounding the property of John E. Holden's oil business. Holden (1893-1964), the Newington Fire Chief, owned the Atlantic Terminal Sales Corp., now C. H. Sprague off Shattuck Way (formerly Old Dover Road) on the shores of the Piscataqua River in Newington. From aerial mapping, the two ponds (upper or freshwater and lower or tidal) still appear to exist as wetlands on the property.
[PS1340]
#newingtonnh #holdenspreserve #olddoverroad #douglasarmsden #shoreliner #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #portsmouthnh #nh #Maine #seacoast❤
Here's hoping we all get a holiday lift as we head into the weekend.🎄😊
Commercial photographer Douglas Armsden of Kittery Point captured these scenes as workers raised the Christmas tree with ropes & ladders into the middle of the Market Square rotary.💪🌲
On Saturday, Dec. 4, 1954, the front page of the Portsmouth Herald featured a similar tree-raising photo by Armsden with the following caption:
"Up it goes -- The big Christmas tree in Market Square was hoisted into place this week for the holiday season. It will be lit tomorrow and, with the rest of the downtown holiday lighting, will be illuminated every night until New Year's."
"Santa Claus is coming to town— that's for sure," the Herald reported. "The Chamber of Commerce retail board has found a willing volunteer to impersonate Santa in tomorrow's parade through downtown streets for the youngsters of Portsmouth.
"The man in a bright, red suit, behind the bushy, white beard, will be John R. Wiggin of 110 Chapel Street. Seated beside him in the parade, taking the part of Mrs. Santa Claus, will be Miss Helen L. Kelly, secretary of the chamber."🎅🤶
Those overhead Christmas lights must have been a sight in the Square!😍
Okay, but we know you're wondering about the rotary, roundabout, whatabout traffic circle in Market Square.
A little over two years later, in April 1956, the City of Portsmouth announced a new downtown traffic pattern as a "radical departure from the existing setup."
Presented as a trial-basis, the pattern utilized one-way street sections & channelization islands or diverters to improve congestion. And regardless of the trial outcome, the rotary would be removed as the newspaper described it as a long-term source of "traffic tie-ups."
But motorists would still be going roundabout...sort of.
"The heart of the system drawn up by the traffic engineers," the Herald wrote, "centers around the utilization of the area bounded by Daniel, Penhallow, Bow and Market streets as a giant traffic circle."
This traffic pattern is not the same as today's.
[P15.429]
#marketsquare #Christmastree #DouglasArmsden #rotary #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #portsmouthnh #nh #Maine #seacoast❤
Happy Halloween!🎃🎃🎃🎃
Four jack-o-lanterns sit on the front steps of the Armsden family home off Pepperrell Road in Kittery Point, Maine, circa 1950s.
Photographer Douglas Armsden captioned this frightful night photo: Spooks!
[Douglas Armsden Transparencies, P0061_00502]
#happyhalloween #pumpkins #jackolantern #douglasarmsden #transparencies #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #portsmouthnh #nh #Maine #seacoast❤️
We are still hanging out in the South End for another #wherewasthiswednesday🤔.
Pictured is the old Peirce Island Bridge, a wooden plank bridge that once connected the island to the city via the foot of Gates Street. Photographer Douglas Armsden captured this shot in 1940 and another view of fishermen with the bridge in the background in 1951.
In 1923, the City of Portsmouth had purchased Peirce Island for recreational purposes, but the only pedestrian/vehicular access onto the island was from an old causeway on the southern side. This tidal causeway connected Peirce to Shapleigh Island, the first island on the road to New Castle (Route 1B). [Map]
By the summer of 1924, the new Peirce Island Bridge along the back channel was under construction. According to the Portsmouth Herald, a man named Joe Haley was overseeing the workers.
For many years, this wooden bridge served the people adequately, and for decades, it was the site for Memorial Day services.
Unfortunately by 1956, the old bridge was crumbling and beyond any repairs. The city recommended traffic be restricted to only foot or bicycle.
We have included an undated color slide from Alvah C. Card, of Marcy Street, showing the bridge most likely at its end with Brewster's wharf at left. We zoomed in to see the bridge condition and a child on a bicycle.🔎
In the Herald, the city discussed possible replacement plans. One solution involved revisiting the old Shapleigh Island causeway and replacing that with a new bridge; however, there was confusion over who now owned the causeway. Another idea was to purchase a 332 ft. steel bridge for sale in Weehawken, New Jersey.
Eventually in 1958, the Prescott Park Trustees contributed $40,000 (roughly $410,000 today) to build the present bridge on park property off Mechanic Street. In fact, the official name of the bridge is the Prescott Memorial Bridge. There is a marker on the mainland side.
👉You may recall us mentioning the Prescott Bridge a few weeks ago because the Portsmouth Yacht Club clubhouse formerly stood there.⭕️
In August 1959, the old Peirce Island Bridge was dismantled.
[P15.156 & P15.157 from #DouglasArmsden & P0054_0058 from Alvah C. Card.]
Swinging into the weekend or hanging on until Friday?🤔🤷♂️🤷♀️
Either way, we're with you!🤪
These two unidentified youngsters are swinging from a tree in Sea Crest Village, a newly updated neighborhood in Portsmouth, circa 1965-1969.
The photograph comes from a grouping of promotional shots for Sea Crest Village by commercial photographer Douglas Armsden (1918-2009) of Kittery Point, Maine.
[Armsden Photograph Collection, P15.078]
Sea Crest Village replaced Wentworth Acres, a WWII-era wartime housing development built by the Federal Public Housing Authority for hundreds of workers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Following the war, the neighborhood was transferred to private hands and used as rentals, which were in disarray 20 years later.
On December 4, 1964, the new Sea Crest Village advertised the following in the Portsmouth Herald:
"An open invitation to the residents of Portsmouth.
"The restoration of Wentworth Acres has been re-named. A proud old area is receiving a much deserved up-lifting. Fresh paint, new landscaping and a generous application of sincere interest and genuine concern has created a complete change of atmosphere.
"We urge everyone who has an interest in the future of Portsmouth to drive out to Sea Crest Village (nee: Wentworth Acres) and see what can be done to upgrade an area which has been allowed to crumble. Residents of Sea Crest Village are thrilled with the progress taking place. The new concept is only 4 weeks old, but you will be amazed at the transformation.
"Welcome to any and all who wish to visit Sea Crest Village."
We've included the half-page ad used next to this smaller ad.
This area later included Mariner's Village. Now, it's known as Osprey Landing & Spinnaker Point. While today you access these neighborhoods from Market Street (or Market Street Extension), before the 1980s you would have used Cutts Street off Maplewood or Granite Street off Woodbury.
👉Within the Athenaeum archives, you can learn more about the history of this area!🔍
#SeaCrestVillage #ropeswings #summerfun #DouglasArmsden #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #PortsmouthNH #nh #Maine #Seacoast❤
#tugboattuesday brings us a view of Portsmouth Harbor and the Moran tugs tied off Ceres Street, Portsmouth, NH, about 1980.🌊🚢⚓️
According to tugboatinformation.com, we can provide more information on the tugs, which we can use to help date the image.
The E. F. Moran Jr. was built in 1940 by Harry A. Marvel and Co. of Newburgh, NY, as the Joseph Meseck for the Meseck Towing & Transportation Co. of New York, NY. That same year, the tug was acquired by the United States Navy and renamed the Metacom. After six years of work, the tug was placed out of service and stricken from the Naval Register. Within a year, the tug was returned to Meseck and renamed the Joseph Meseck. In 1954, the Meseck Towing and Transportation Co. was acquired by the Moran Towing Company of New York, NY, where the tug was renamed as the E.F. Moran Jr. According to the Portsmouth Herald, Moran acquired the Portsmouth Navigation Company in February 1968.
The Bath of New York tug spent nearly thirty years assisting vessels navigate along the Piscataqua River. Built in 1908 by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company of Newport News, VA, the tug was known as the Bath. In 1958, the tug was acquired by the Portsmouth Navigation Company. In 1986, the tug was acquired by the Hartley Marine Services Inc. of Boothbay Harbor, Maine. By 2009, the tug was in Haiti.
In 1950, the Marie Moran was built by the Jakobson Shipyard Inc, of Oyster Bay, New York, and named the Hazleton. In 1963, the Moran Towing Company purchased the tug, renaming her. In 1984, the tug was purchased by the R.J. Casho Marine Towing Company of Wilmington, DE, and renamed the Marie Casho. Two years later, she was purchased by the Penobscot Bay Towing Company and renamed the Captain Bill. Since 2004, the tug was reefed off of Bayhead, NJ, as part of an artificial reef program, where it was renamed the Veronica M.
The color transparency was created by commercial photographer Douglas Armsden (1918-2009), of Kittery Point, Maine.
[Douglas Armsden Transparencies, P0061_00040]
#MoranTowing #Portsmouthtugs #tugboats #DouglasArmsden #workingwaterfront #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #PortsmouthNH #nh #Maine #Seacoast❤
Happy Juneteenth!
Today, the @blackheritagetrailnh held the the public art event "The Art of Erasure: Gone But Never Forgotten" off Church Street in Portsmouth. Artist Napoleon Jones-Henderson led the program of about 60 participants in creating the mural, which he called the "Memorial of the African Burial Ground."
According to BHTNH, "the eradication of the African Burying Ground in the 19th century serves as a literal example of the erasure of Black people from New Hampshire’s history. This history of erasure serves as a metaphor and inspiration for the creation of [this] short-lived public art project as a social critique."
From our archives, here are a few Douglas Armsden photographs from 1946 showing the building that stood on the site, once the home of Pomp and Candace (Wentworth) Spring. A former enslaved man, Pomp (1766-1807) opened a bakery on the property.
Last November, a marker was placed on the site by the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire on the corner of Church & Porter street.
The following information comes from an article about the marker by Ian Lenahan of the Portsmouth Herald.
"According to historians Valerie Cunningham and J. Dennis Robinson, the Springs’ story goes as follows: Pomp, whose true name is unknown, was born in 1766 in Kittery Point to a woman named Phyllis, who was enslaved by Simon and Mercy Sewell Frost.
At an unknown date later on, Pomp moved in with the Rev. Alpheus Spring and his family in Kittery, though that area is now Eliot, Maine. Rev. Spring died in 1791 and afterward, Pomp moved to Portsmouth, where he bought a home at the corner of Porter Street and Church streets for $475. In 1792, he spent $300 to expand the lot and purchase the bake shop next door."
The building was razed in 1946 for the Comfort Station, which opened in 1948, but has since been demolished.
[Armsden Photograph Collection, P15.043 & P15.443]
#Juneteenth #pompspring #blackheritagetrail #douglasarmsden #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #PortsmouthNH #nh #Maine #Seacoast❤
#WaybackWednesday takes us to lower Congress Street when it was open to two-way traffic, circa 1948.
So many neon signs including the Blue Goose Restaurant. What a sight Congress Street must have been at night!😍
You may recognize the buildings and businesses on the south side including the Clarke's Clothes of Distinction, the brick Kearsarge Hotel and further up Winebaum's Newsstand (that sign ❤). In Market Square, we see the North Church and Moulton's Restaurant. Beyond is the old Memorial Bridge.👋
On the north side, the buildings in the immediate foreground include signs for Hassett's music store and Kauf's Auto. These buildings were demolished during urban renewal in the early 1970s. If you can see through the signs, you'll see Liggett's Drugs and the Arcadia Theater in the extant Franklin Block.
What it would be like to drop into this photograph's time period?
Until one of us develops a time machine, we'll just have to rely on our museums, historical societies, libraries, and archives (ahem, like the Athenaeum😏) to take us back.
Local photographer Douglas Armsden (1918-2009) took this photo, so we have him to thank for taking us on this particular trip and for taking us on so many others. Thank you, Cap'n.🙏
We are in the last hour of @nhgives, and we need you to steer us to our final destination for funding our Armsden Project.
We still need $1,000 to reach our goal to purchase archival supplies for the Armsden photograph collection. That's $10 from 100 people who love getting lost in the history of an Armsden photo.
👉Link in bio to donate.
🚨Day of giving ends at 5 p.m.
Thank you to those who have already helped us reach $1,500! We are overwhelmed at your generosity.☺️
#CongressStreet #DouglasArmsden #neonsigns #nhgives #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #PortsmouthNH #nh #Maine #Seacoast❤
Photos by commercial photographer Douglas Armsden (1918-2009), of Kittery Point, Maine.
Support the Armsden Project during @nhgives. From now until 5 p.m., your donation will help us purchase archival supplies for the #DouglasArmsden negatives. If 100 people donated $20 each, we'd reach our goal.🏆
👉Link in bio.