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2023 Lecture Series: The Life, Near-Death, and Revival of Wood Island Station with Sam Reid

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Apr 14, 2023 | Announcements, Events

Wednesday, April 19, 2023 5:30 p.m. Shaw Research Library   Proprietor Sam Reid will give a talk entitled The Life, Near-Death, and Revival of Wood Island Station. The Wood Island Life Saving Station sits on a small island next to the Maine/New Hampshire border...

The Wentworth Takeover: How One Family Dominated Portsmouth and New Hampshire 1715-1775

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Mar 31, 2023 | Announcements, Exhibits

Exhibit Curator Sandra Rux said that after arriving in New Hampshire in the 1630s, the Wentworth family gradually became more important through the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th centuries. Friends and adversaries referred to the family as the “Wentworth...

Handel and Haydn Society Concert

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Mar 18, 2023 | Announcements, Events, Performance

Thursday, April 27, 2023, 7:00 p.m. St. John’s Episcopal Church, 101 Chapel Street, Portsmouth   The Performance Committee of the Athenaeum is pleased to announce that Boston’s acclaimed Handel and Haydn Society is coming to Portsmouth to celebrate the City’s...

2023 Lecture Series–Portsmouth, NH: Evolution 1623-2023, Part 2

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Mar 10, 2023 | Announcements, Events

The Athenaeum lecture series continues to celebrate our city’s significant anniversaries in Portsmouth’s quadricentennial year. This year, the talks shine a light on Portsmouth’s commerce over 400 years, the historic interiors of those who lived here, and finally, the...

2023 Lecture Series: “Save the Date!” Anniversary Celebrations in Portsmouth with Tom Hardiman Jr.

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Mar 3, 2023 | Announcements, Events

UPDATE:  Due to weather and unexpected illness, the lecture, “Save the Date!” Anniversary Celebrations in Portsmouth, has been postponed until Wednesday March 29th. The time will still be 5:30 p.m. The program is at capacity, and if you are interested in...
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Recent News

  • October 2026: National Arts & Humanities Month
  • September 2026: National Wilderness Month
  • Message from Our Interim Director
  • August 2026: Beach Reads
  • July 2026: The Red Light District

Events Calendar

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11:00 AM - Curator Tour and Seacoast Village Project Community Awareness
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5:30 PM - Franklin Club
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5:00 PM - Art 'Round Town for the exhibit "Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall"
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3:00 PM - 2025 PACM Series: Piano and Cello Duo—Jessica Xylina Osborne (piano) and Yi Qun Xu (cello)
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11:00 AM - Athenaeum 101
1:00 PM - "Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall" Closing
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5:30 PM - Franklin Club
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5:30 PM - Athenaeum Holiday Gala
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Curator Tour and Seacoast Village Project Community Awareness
Curator Tour and Seacoast Village Project Community Awareness
November 1, 2025    
11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Exhibit Events
Exhibits, Jonathan Micthel Sewall 1748-1808
Join guest curator Nancy Hammond for a tour of her exhibit "Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall" in the Randall Gallery. Following the [...]
More Info
Franklin Club
Franklin Club
November 5, 2025    
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Franklin Club
Franklin Club, Sawtelle Reading Room
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 [...]
More Info
Art 'Round Town for the exhibit "Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall"
Art 'Round Town for the exhibit "Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall"
November 7, 2025    
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Art Round Town
  • Exhibit Events
Art 'Round Town, Exhibits, Jonathan Mitchel Sewall 1748-1808, Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall, Randall Gallery
Please join us for Art 'Round Town for our latest exhibit, "Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall (c.1770-1808)," curated by Nancy Hammond in [...]
More Info
2025 PACM Series: Piano and Cello Duo—Jessica Xylina Osborne (piano) and Yi Qun Xu (cello)
2025 PACM Series: Piano and Cello Duo—Jessica Xylina Osborne (piano) and Yi Qun Xu (cello)
November 9, 2025    
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
St. John's Episcopal Church
  • PACM Concert Series
  • Performance & Concert Series
2025 PACM Concert Series, Concerts, Jessica Xylina Osborne, St. John's Church, Yi Qun Xu
Yi Qun Xu, winner of the New York International Artists Cello Competition, has been praised for her “masterful technique” and “rich tone” (The Day). A [...]
More Info
Athenaeum 101
Athenaeum 101
November 15, 2025    
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Members Events
Orientation
This introduction to the Athenaeum and its resources is designed to help new members, prospective members, and generally curious members find what they are looking [...]
More Info
"Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall" Closing
"Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall" Closing
November 15, 2025    
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Exhibit Events
Exhibits, Jonathan Mitchel Sewall 1748-1808, Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall, Randall Gallery
Last day to see our current exhibit "Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall (c.1770-1808)," curated by Nancy Hammond. Exhibit is open from 1 [...]
More Info
Franklin Club
Franklin Club
December 3, 2025    
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Franklin Club
Franklin Club, Sawtelle Reading Room
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 [...]
More Info
Athenaeum Holiday Gala
05 Dec
December 5, 2025    
5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
  • Members Events
This is an invite-only event.
More Info
Events on November 1, 2025
Curator Tour and Seacoast Village Project Community Awareness
Curator Tour and Seacoast Village Project Community Awareness
1 Nov 25
Portsmouth
Events on November 5, 2025
Franklin Club
Franklin Club
5 Nov 25
Portsmouth
Events on November 7, 2025
Art 'Round Town for the exhibit "Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall"
Art 'Round Town for the exhibit "Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall"
7 Nov 25
Portsmouth
Events on November 9, 2025
2025 PACM Series: Piano and Cello Duo—Jessica Xylina Osborne (piano) and Yi Qun Xu (cello)
2025 PACM Series: Piano and Cello Duo—Jessica Xylina Osborne (piano) and Yi Qun Xu (cello)
9 Nov 25
Portsmouth
Events on November 15, 2025
Athenaeum 101
Athenaeum 101
15 Nov 25
Portsmouth
"Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall" Closing
"Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall" Closing
15 Nov 25
Portsmouth
Events on December 3, 2025
Franklin Club
Franklin Club
3 Dec 25
Portsmouth
Events on December 5, 2025
05 Dec
Athenaeum Holiday Gala
5 Dec 25

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The Portsmouth Athenæum is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit and continues a long tradition of mutual improvement by maintaining a library of over 40,000 volumes and an archive of materials relating to local history. The Athenæum also sponsors exhibitions, concerts, lectures, and other educational and cultural programs.

 



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