by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Jul 21, 2020 | Announcements, Manuscripts
By Archivist Susan Kindstedt The Athenaeum has two documents signed by Wentworth Cheswill (or Cheswell), a biracial Revolutionary War veteran born in Newmarket, NH, in 1746. Wentworth Cheswill was the son of Hopestill Cheswill and his wife, Katherine Kennison....
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...