by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Jun 25, 2020 | Announcements, Library, Manuscripts
In the midst of re-numbering the entire library catalog, Librarian Robin Silva has uncovered some interesting history. In October 1907, a book had been discovered in the Athenaeum’s stock room, left there anonymously. Published in 1905, the book was The...
by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Jun 16, 2020 | Announcements, Manuscripts
By Archivist Susan Kindstedt No collection at the Athenaeum provides the names of more individuals of African descent living in Portsmouth than the MS036 North Church Papers, 1640-1970 collection. Although the papers include the names of individuals, the...
by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Jun 11, 2020 | Announcements, Photographs
By Photographic Collections Manager James Smith Pictured here is the relic of the former Portsmouth Bath House in the North End, as identified in this c. 1898 photo album. [Small photograph collection, PS855] In the summer of 1804, the Portsmouth Bath House...
by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Jun 8, 2020 | Announcements
A plea for wisdom These are stormy days. Many of us mourn for friends and family lost to the Covid-19 pandemic. We mourn the cruel and senseless death of George Floyd. We also grieve for the deepening divides and ever-coarsening discourse in our society. We hope that...
by Portsmouth Athenaeum | May 28, 2020 | Announcements, Library
Review by Proprietor Gerald W. R. Ward For more than fifty years, the Dietrich American Foundation of Pennsylvania has played an important role in the world of early American art and material culture. Established in 1963 by H. Richard Dietrich Jr., the collection now...
by Portsmouth Athenaeum | May 21, 2020 | Announcements
By Proprietor Sherry Wood I miss (and worry about) my 7-month-old granddaughter Eleanor, who lives in Brooklyn with her RN mom and IT guru dad. But I also miss libraries, which closed in March when Gov. Chris Sununu’s stay-at-home order was issued. I was smitten at 6...
by Portsmouth Athenaeum | May 13, 2020 | Announcements, Library
Review by Research Librarian Carolyn Marvin Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout features the return of her prickly character Olive Kittredge from the small town of Crosby, Maine. And we, the reader, are so grateful to Strout and so ready to revisit the many villagers she...
by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Apr 17, 2020 | Announcements, Library
This April, while there is a back-order on some new books, we still have added some, mostly by donation, to the library. Proprietors and Subscribers, click on the link below to discover the new books now available in the library: April New Books 2020 Share...
by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Apr 16, 2020 | Announcements, Manuscripts
By Susan Stowe-Kindstedt, Athenaeum Archivist The Athenaeum recently received a generous donation from a descendant of nineteenth-century Portsmouth sea captain Nathan Parker Simes. Simes was born in Portsmouth on August 1, 1833, the son of Ann (Yeaton) and Stephen...
by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Apr 16, 2020 | Announcements
In case you missed the latest Athenaeum newsletter, here is the digital version: Spring 2020 If you would like to receive the newsletter in paper form, please consider becoming a member of the Portsmouth Athenaeum. The newsletter is filled with...
