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Walking in the Footsteps of a Patriot

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Jun 17, 2025 | Announcements, Exhibits

By Sherry Wood Soon after George Washington was named commander of the Continental Army in 1775, Portsmouth’s Jonathan Mitchel Sewall wrote the words to a song that would be sung in taverns and on battlegrounds during the Revolutionary War. Sewall, the subject...

The Lunch Hour: Portsmouth, 1800 to 1950

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Mar 1, 2025 | Announcements, Exhibits

Samuel Johnson in his 1755 dictionary defined the word lunch: “as much food as a hand can hold,” in other words a snack. The main meal of the day, dinner, was a hot meal eaten at home with family and apprentices or field hands, at approximately 2pm. For travelers...

First in the Nation: New Hampshire Presidential Primaries – 1920 to 2020

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Jan 26, 2024 | Announcements, Exhibits

Since 1920, New Hampshire has hosted the first presidential primary in the nation. As a small state with a long tradition of political engagement, New Hampshire has an extraordinarily successful record picking the primary candidates who ultimately win their respective...

Peace, Love & Portsmouth: Celebrating the City’s Cultural Renaissance through the Lens of J. D. Lincoln

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Jul 28, 2023 | Announcements, Exhibits

If there was a bird’s eye view of Portsmouth’s sea change in the 1970s, it was from Grace Casey’s peacock chair at the River House on Bow Street. The work of the photographer she chose to document the decade is featured in a free exhibit opening Aug....

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...

George S. Wasson, Artist & Author of Kittery Point

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Jul 26, 2022 | Announcements, Exhibits

The works of noted maritime artist and writer George S. Wasson (1855-1932) of Kittery Point will be exhibited in the Randall Gallery beginning Aug. 5. The exhibit is being put together by a group of admirers of Wasson, including Proprietors Wendy Lull and Lauren...
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Franklin Club
Franklin Club
February 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
Franklin Club
Franklin Club
March 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
Opening Reception for "New Hampshire Women Trailblazers"
Opening Reception for "New Hampshire Women Trailblazers"
March 6, 2026    
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Exhibit Events
Exhibits, NH Women Trailblazers, Randall Gallery
The New Hampshire Women Trailblazers exhibit is a tribute to NH women who challenged social, economic, and political barriers. The exhibit will run from Friday, [...]
More Info
Events on February 4, 2026
Franklin Club
Franklin Club
4 Feb 26
Portsmouth
Events on March 4, 2026
Franklin Club
Franklin Club
4 Mar 26
Portsmouth
Events on March 6, 2026
Opening Reception for "New Hampshire Women Trailblazers"
Opening Reception for "New Hampshire Women Trailblazers"
6 Mar 26
Portsmouth

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