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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

  • November 2026: Hunger and Homelessness Awareness
  • October 2026: National Arts & Humanities Month
  • September 2026: National Wilderness Month
  • Message from Our Interim Director
  • August 2026: Beach Reads

Events Calendar

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5:30 PM - Franklin Club
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5:00 PM - Art 'Round Town for "The Red Light District: Vice in Portsmouth, NH, at the Turn of the 20th Century"
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3:00 PM - 2026 PACM Series: Balourdet String Quartet
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2:00 PM - 1805 Building Tour
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5:00 PM - BOOK TALK: "Captain John Manley: Patriot, Privateer, and America's Forgotten First Hero" by Kenneth M. Sheldon
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14
1:00 PM - Final Day for "The Red Light District: Vice in Portsmouth, NH, at the Turn of the 20th Century"
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2:00 PM - 1805 Building Tour
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2:00 PM - 1805 Building Tour
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2:00 PM - 1805 Building Tour
5:30 PM - Franklin Club
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5:30 PM - Athenaeum Annual Holiday Gala
5
Franklin Club
Franklin Club
November 4, 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 "The Red Light District: Vice in Portsmouth, NH, at the Turn of the 20th Century"
Art 'Round Town for "The Red Light District: Vice in Portsmouth, NH, at the Turn of the 20th Century"
November 6, 2026    
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Art Round Town
  • Exhibit Events
Exhibits, Randall Gallery, Red Light District
Join us for Portsmouth's Art 'Round Town featuring our latest exhibit "The Red Light District: Vice in Portsmouth, NH, at the Turn of the 20th [...]
More Info
2026 PACM Series: Balourdet String Quartet
2026 PACM Series: Balourdet String Quartet
November 8, 2026    
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
St. John's Episcopal Church
  • PACM Concert Series
  • Performance & Concert Series
2026 PACM Concert Series, Balourdet String Quartet, Concerts, St. John's Church
Currently the first ever Quartet-in-Residence at the Seattle Chamber Music Society, the Balourdet Quartet is acclaimed for its vibrant energy and masterful blend of technical [...]
More Info
1805 Building Tour
1805 Building Tour
November 11, 2026    
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Building Tours
1805 Building, Building Tours, Library Room, Sawtelle Reading Room
Come view our 200+ year-old historic membership library. This 45-minute tour takes you through spaces usually reserved for our members. The tour will start at [...]
More Info
BOOK TALK: "Captain John Manley: Patriot, Privateer, and America's Forgotten First Hero" by Kenneth M. Sheldon
BOOK TALK: "Captain John Manley: Patriot, Privateer, and America's Forgotten First Hero" by Kenneth M. Sheldon
November 12, 2026    
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Book Talks
  • Discussions
Book Talks, NH Authors, Shaw Research Library
At the beginning of the American Revolution, Captain John Manley was a hero. His daring naval exploits were celebrated in song and reported in newspapers [...]
More Info
Final Day for "The Red Light District: Vice in Portsmouth, NH, at the Turn of the 20th Century"
Final Day for "The Red Light District: Vice in Portsmouth, NH, at the Turn of the 20th Century"
November 14, 2026    
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Art Round Town
  • Exhibit Events
Exhibits, Randall Gallery, Red Light District
This is the final day to see our latest exhibit "The Red Light District: Vice in Portsmouth, NH, at the Turn of the 20th Century."
More Info
1805 Building Tour
1805 Building Tour
November 18, 2026    
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
$0.00 - $10.00
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Building Tours
1805 Building, Building Tours, Library Room, Sawtelle Reading Room
Come view our 200+ year-old historic membership library. This 45-minute tour takes you through spaces usually reserved for our members. The tour will start at [...]
More Info Book Now!
1805 Building Tour
1805 Building Tour
November 25, 2026    
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
$0.00 - $10.00
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Building Tours
1805 Building, Building Tours, Library Room, Sawtelle Reading Room
Come view our 200+ year-old historic membership library. This 45-minute tour takes you through spaces usually reserved for our members. The tour will start at [...]
More Info Book Now!
1805 Building Tour
1805 Building Tour
December 2, 2026    
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
$0.00 - $10.00
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Building Tours
1805 Building, Building Tours, Library Room, Sawtelle Reading Room
Come view our 200+ year-old historic membership library. This 45-minute tour takes you through spaces usually reserved for our members. The tour will start at [...]
More Info Book Now!
Franklin Club
Franklin Club
December 2, 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
Athenaeum Annual Holiday Gala
04 Dec
December 4, 2026    
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Members Events
More information forthcoming.
More Info
Events on November 4, 2026
Franklin Club
Franklin Club
4 Nov 26
Portsmouth
Events on November 6, 2026
Art 'Round Town for "The Red Light District: Vice in Portsmouth, NH, at the Turn of the 20th Century"
Art 'Round Town for "The Red Light District: Vice in Portsmouth, NH, at the Turn of the 20th Century"
6 Nov 26
Portsmouth
Events on November 8, 2026
2026 PACM Series: Balourdet String Quartet
2026 PACM Series: Balourdet String Quartet
8 Nov 26
Portsmouth
Events on November 11, 2026
1805 Building Tour
1805 Building Tour
11 Nov 26
Portsmouth
Events on November 12, 2026
BOOK TALK: "Captain John Manley: Patriot, Privateer, and America's Forgotten First Hero" by Kenneth M. Sheldon
BOOK TALK: "Captain John Manley: Patriot, Privateer, and America's Forgotten First Hero" by Kenneth M. Sheldon
12 Nov 26
Portsmouth
Events on November 14, 2026
Final Day for "The Red Light District: Vice in Portsmouth, NH, at the Turn of the 20th Century"
Final Day for "The Red Light District: Vice in Portsmouth, NH, at the Turn of the 20th Century"
14 Nov 26
Portsmouth
Events on November 18, 2026
1805 Building Tour
1805 Building Tour
18 Nov 26
Portsmouth
Events on November 25, 2026
1805 Building Tour
1805 Building Tour
25 Nov 26
Portsmouth
Events on December 2, 2026
1805 Building Tour
1805 Building Tour
2 Dec 26
Portsmouth
Franklin Club
Franklin Club
2 Dec 26
Portsmouth
Events on December 4, 2026
04 Dec
Athenaeum Annual Holiday Gala
4 Dec 26
Portsmouth

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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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