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1623: The Untold Story of New Hampshire’s Founding Family by J. Dennis Robinson

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Nov 8, 2023 | Announcements, Events

November 30, 2023 5:30 p.m. Shaw Research Library   Why do we know so little about David and Amias Thompson of Plymouth, England? And why is the little we know so often wrong? Our first European couple “settled” at Rye, NH in 1623. Within five years the Thompsons...

2023 Lecture Series: Water Has a Memory: Sea Level Rise, Our Past, Our Future with Rodney Rowland

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Nov 2, 2023 | Announcements, Events

Wednesday, November 15, 2023 5:30 p.m. Shaw Research Library & Zoom   This year’s series concludes on November 15 when Rodney Rowland presents Water Has a Memory: Sea Level Rise, Our Past, Our Future. Strawbery Banke Museum is confronting the impacts of and...

2023 PACM Concert: ASMI Trio

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Oct 13, 2023 | Announcements, Events, Performance

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29, 3 p.m. ASMI TRIO at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 101 Chapel Street, Portsmouth The Altschuler Summer Music Institute develops musicians of all ages through participation in masterclasses, private lessons, and performances with renowned...

2023 Lecture Series: At Home in Portsmouth, 1750 – 1850, with Jane C. Nylander

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Oct 6, 2023 | Announcements, Events

Wednesday, October 18, 2023 5:30 p.m. Shaw Research Library & Zoom   A long-time student of New England interiors, Jane C. Nylander’s talk on October 18, At Home in Portsmouth, 1750 – 1850 will weave together a host of primary sources to expand our...

2023 PACM Concert: Rasa String Quartet

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Sep 26, 2023 | Announcements, Events, Performance

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8, 3 p.m. RASA STRING QUARTET at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 101 Chapel Street, Portsmouth Currently in residence at Philips Exeter, Boston-based Rasa String Quartet violinists Maura Shawn Scanlin and Kiyoshi Hayashi, violist Emma Powell, and...

Nancy R. Hammond Book Signing and Talk

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Sep 21, 2023 | Announcements, Events

Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023 5:30 p.m. Shaw Research Library   A presentation and book signing by Proprietor Nancy R. Hammond, whose new book, The Life and Times of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall, 1748-1808, Poet – Lawyer – Patriot, resurrects a forgotten Portsmouth...
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Recent News

  • April 2026: National Poetry Month
  • On The Road Again, again
  • 2026 Lecture Series: The Spirit of 1776: Revolution, Constitution, Independence
  • March 2026: Smuttynose Island Murders
  • NH Women Trailblazers Exhibit

Events Calendar

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5:30 PM - Franklin Club
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5:00 PM - Art 'Round Town for "New Hampshire Women Trailblazers"
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5:30 PM - 2026 Lecture Series: "Revolution Comes to the Seacoast" with Dane A. Morrison
7:00 PM - ArtsAthenæum 2026 presents West Point Brass Band – Regimental Brass Quintet
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3:30 PM - New Member Tea
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1:30 PM - Members Only History Tour
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3:00 PM - ArtsAthenæum 2026 Poetry Reading with Mary Buchinger
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5:00 PM - Art 'Round Town for "New Hampshire Women Trailblazers"
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Franklin Club
Franklin Club
April 1, 2026    
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 "New Hampshire Women Trailblazers"
Art 'Round Town for "New Hampshire Women Trailblazers"
April 3, 2026    
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Art Round Town
  • Exhibit Events
Exhibits, NH Women Trailblazers, Randall Gallery
Join us for Portsmouth's Art 'Round Town featuring our latest exhibit "The New Hampshire Women Trailblazers," a tribute to NH women who challenged social, economic, [...]
More Info
2026 Lecture Series: "Revolution Comes to the Seacoast" with Dane A. Morrison
2026 Lecture Series: "Revolution Comes to the Seacoast" with Dane A. Morrison
April 15, 2026    
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Discussions
  • Lecture Series
2026 Lecture Series: The Spirit of 1776: Revolution Constitution Independence, Dane A. Morrison, Proprietors, Shaw Research Library
UPDATE: IN-PERSON SEATING IS NOW FULL. YOU MAY JOIN THE WAIT LIST OR WATCH VIA ZOOM (SEE BELOW). Four months before the "shot heard round [...]
More Info
ArtsAthenæum 2026 presents West Point Brass Band – Regimental Brass Quintet
ArtsAthenæum 2026 presents West Point Brass Band – Regimental Brass Quintet
April 15, 2026    
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
North Church
  • ArtsAthenaeum Performance Series
  • Performance & Concert Series
ArtsAthenaeum Performance Series 2026, Concerts, North Church
UPDATE: Unfortunately, this event has been canceled with the West Point Band hoping to reschedule this fall. We apologize for any inconvenience. The Portsmouth Athenæum [...]
More Info
New Member Tea
New Member Tea
April 19, 2026    
3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Members Events
  • Members Tea
New Members Tea, Proprietors, Sawtelle Reading Room
Please join us for an Athenæum Tea for New Members from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the Sawtelle Reading Room.
More Info
Members Only History Tour
Members Only History Tour
April 25, 2026    
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
$0.00
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Building Tours
  • Members Events
1805 Building, Building Tours, Library Room, Sawtelle Reading Room
Have you ever wondered about the history of our collections and the historic building? This March, we are offering free guided tours exclusively for our [...]
More Info Book Now!
ArtsAthenæum 2026 Poetry Reading with Mary Buchinger
ArtsAthenæum 2026 Poetry Reading with Mary Buchinger
April 26, 2026    
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
$0.00
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • ArtsAthenaeum Performance Series
  • Performance & Concert Series
ArtsAthenaeum Performance Series 2026, Concerts, Poetry Readings, Shaw Research Library
The Portsmouth Athenaeum is delighted to welcome celebrated poet Mary Buchinger for a special reading on Sunday, April 26. Mary is the author of six [...]
More Info Book Now!
Art 'Round Town for "New Hampshire Women Trailblazers"
Art 'Round Town for "New Hampshire Women Trailblazers"
May 1, 2026    
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Art Round Town
  • Exhibit Events
Exhibits, NH Women Trailblazers, Randall Gallery
Join us for Portsmouth's Art 'Round Town featuring our latest exhibit "The New Hampshire Women Trailblazers," a tribute to NH women who challenged social, economic, [...]
More Info
Events on April 1, 2026
Franklin Club
Franklin Club
1 Apr 26
Portsmouth
Events on April 3, 2026
Art 'Round Town for "New Hampshire Women Trailblazers"
Art 'Round Town for "New Hampshire Women Trailblazers"
3 Apr 26
Portsmouth
Events on April 15, 2026
2026 Lecture Series: "Revolution Comes to the Seacoast" with Dane A. Morrison
2026 Lecture Series: "Revolution Comes to the Seacoast" with Dane A. Morrison
15 Apr 26
Portsmouth
ArtsAthenæum 2026 presents West Point Brass Band – Regimental Brass Quintet
ArtsAthenæum 2026 presents West Point Brass Band – Regimental Brass Quintet
15 Apr 26
Portsmouth
Events on April 19, 2026
New Member Tea
New Member Tea
19 Apr 26
Portsmouth
Events on April 25, 2026
Members Only History Tour
Members Only History Tour
25 Apr 26
Portsmouth
Events on April 26, 2026
ArtsAthenæum 2026 Poetry Reading with Mary Buchinger
ArtsAthenæum 2026 Poetry Reading with Mary Buchinger
26 Apr 26
Portsmouth
Events on May 1, 2026
Art 'Round Town for "New Hampshire Women Trailblazers"
Art 'Round Town for "New Hampshire Women Trailblazers"
1 May 26
Portsmouth

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