The Lunch Hour: Portsmouth, 1800 to 1950
Samuel Johnson in his 1755 dictionary defined the word lunch: “as much food as a hand can hold,” in other words a snack. The main meal of the day, dinner, was a hot meal eaten at home with family and apprentices or field hands, at approximately 2pm. For travelers...February 2025: Black History Month
By Research Librarian Jessica McClain Portsmouth’s Black history begins over 350 years ago in 1645—dating back almost as far as the area’s European history. Though many of their early stories involve enslavement and marginalization, Portsmouth’s Black residents built...2024 Report of the Keeper and Executive Director
Tom Hardiman, Keeper & Executive Director For many years now I have reported that the past year was remarkably successful, but the coming year looks precarious. For once, I am going to tempt fate and report that last year was remarkably successful and the coming...2025 Annual Meeting
Sunday, January 12, 2025 3 p.m. Shaw Research Library and via Zoom The agenda for the 206th Annual Meeting of the Proprietors of the Portsmouth Athenæum will include the following: • Welcome by the Presidento Approval of Minutes of the 2024 Annual Meetingo...January 2025 Reads: National Hobby Month
By Research Librarian Jessica McClain I can’t think of a better way to start off the new calendar year than learning a new hobby or revisiting an old one. This month’s list offers an assortment of books relating to a variety of recreational activities. As a reminder,...New Books in January
Did you have a resolution to read more? We can help. Proprietors and Subscribers, click on the link below to discover the new books now available in the library. January New Books Not a Proprietor or a Subscriber? Find out how you can become a member and support the...Hygge: Cozy, Comforting Reads
By Research Librarian Jessica McClain As the nights grow long and we bid farewell to the daylight, it’s time to create some light and comfort of our own to see us through the coming winter season. In recent years, the Danish concept of hygge (pronounced hoo-gah) has...Carrying Our History: Native American Heritage Month
By Research Librarian Jessica McClain Before the founding of the Portsmouth Athenaeum—before Strawbery Banke—before Pannaway—the Abenaki called the land we now recognize as Portsmouth home. Oral tradition places this community in New Hampshire before Tribal...Fall 2024 Newsletter
Autumn News at the Athenaeum The fall issue of the Athenaeum newsletter takes us from the attic of the Athenaeum (and the final resting place of two fishing spears donated in 1827) to the future of the Portsmouth Archive Project and the state of our State Street...Calendar
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