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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

  • Athenæum Interim Director
  • A Letter from Tom Hardiman, Keeper and Executive Director
  • June 2026: Pride Month
  • May 2026: Jewish American Heritage Month
  • April 2026: National Poetry Month

Events Calendar

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5:30 PM - Franklin Club
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5:30 PM - 2026 Current Event Series presents "PFAS Contamination at Pease: A Community Perspective"
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5:00 PM - NH Gives: Athenaeum Building Facade Renovations
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5:30 PM - 2026 Lecture Series: "Gen. William Whipple: Seaman, Soldier, Statesman and Signer of the Declaration of Independence" with D. Allan Kerr
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1:30 PM - 1805 Building Tour
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5:30 PM - Franklin Club
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Franklin Club
Franklin Club
June 3, 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
2026 Current Event Series presents "PFAS Contamination at Pease: A Community Perspective"
2026 Current Event Series presents "PFAS Contamination at Pease: A Community Perspective"
June 4, 2026    
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Discussions
  • Lecture Series
2026 Current Events Series, Andrea Amico, Shaw Research Library
Andrea Amico is a nationally recognized PFAS advocate and co‑founder of the Testing for Pease community action group, where she has led efforts since 2014 [...]
More Info
NH Gives: Athenaeum Building Facade Renovations
NH Gives: Athenaeum Building Facade Renovations
June 9, 2026 - June 10, 2026    
5:00 pm
  • Community Event
  • Fundraiser
NH Gives 2026 will support phase one of a planned three-phase multi-year restoration for the Portsmouth Athenæum’s landmark historic buildings located at 9 and 6-8 [...]
More Info
2026 Lecture Series: "Gen. William Whipple: Seaman, Soldier, Statesman and Signer of the Declaration of Independence" with D. Allan Kerr
2026 Lecture Series: "Gen. William Whipple: Seaman, Soldier, Statesman and Signer of the Declaration of Independence" with D. Allan Kerr
June 17, 2026    
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Discussions
  • Lecture Series
2026 Lecture Series: The Spirit of 1776: Revolution Constitution Independence, D. Allen Kerr, Proprietors, Shaw Research Library
Founding Fathers such as Jefferson, Franklin, Adams and Hancock have become mythic figures over the past two-and-a-half centuries, and the entire nation will be celebrating [...]
More Info
1805 Building Tour
1805 Building Tour
June 20, 2026    
1:30 pm - 2:30 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
July 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
Events on June 3, 2026
Franklin Club
Franklin Club
3 Jun 26
Portsmouth
Events on June 4, 2026
2026 Current Event Series presents "PFAS Contamination at Pease: A Community Perspective"
2026 Current Event Series presents "PFAS Contamination at Pease: A Community Perspective"
4 Jun 26
Portsmouth
Events on June 9, 2026
NH Gives: Athenaeum Building Facade Renovations
NH Gives: Athenaeum Building Facade Renovations
9 Jun 26
Events on June 10, 2026
NH Gives: Athenaeum Building Facade Renovations
NH Gives: Athenaeum Building Facade Renovations
9 Jun 26
Events on June 17, 2026
2026 Lecture Series: "Gen. William Whipple: Seaman, Soldier, Statesman and Signer of the Declaration of Independence" with D. Allan Kerr
2026 Lecture Series: "Gen. William Whipple: Seaman, Soldier, Statesman and Signer of the Declaration of Independence" with D. Allan Kerr
17 Jun 26
Portsmouth
Events on June 20, 2026
1805 Building Tour
1805 Building Tour
20 Jun 26
Portsmouth
Events on July 1, 2026
Franklin Club
Franklin Club
1 Jul 26
Portsmouth

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