Goodbye to Winter
By Keeper and Executive Director Tom Hardiman Last week we said goodbye to winter (at least according to the calendar). All-in-all, it was a winter to forget. The recent months have been sad for our Athenæum family. Just as we are planning our Memorial Concert on May...A Little Extra Love from Libraries
By Keeper and Executive Director Tom Hardiman I am a life-long library lover and have now reached an age when I think I have literally spent half my life in a library of some kind. A few years ago, my lovely wife bought me a new wallet for Christmas. As I was cleaning...New Books in March
It’s spring! Time for your reading lists to bloom with the new books now available in the library. Proprietors and Subscribers, click on the link below to discover the new books now available in the library. March New Books Not a Proprietor or a Subscriber? Find...Spring 2025 Newsletter
Happening at the Athenaeum The spring Athenæum newsletter is chock full — from a nibble of our newest exhibit, “The Lunch Hour: Portsmouth,” to a look at the “Beauty on the Seacoast and Beyond” lecture series. Meet our 31 newest members...March 2025: Women’s History Month
By Research Librarian Jessica McClain In February of 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued a Presidential Proclamation declaring the week of March 8 as the first national observance of Women’s History Week with the following statement: From the first settlers who came...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...Events Calendar
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5:30 PM - Franklin Club
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1:30 PM - Members Only History Tour
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5:00 PM - Memorial Concert with Cellist Eli Kaynor
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1:30 PM - 1805 Building Tour
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