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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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Events Calendar

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3:00 PM - 2025 PACM Series: Balourdet String Quartet
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5:30 PM - Franklin Club
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5:00 PM - Art 'Round Town for the exhibit "Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall"
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5
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9
5:30 PM - The Historical Development of Our Understanding of the Components of Healthful Nutrition with Dr. Fred Schubert
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11
12
10:00 AM - Portsmouth Athenaeum Book Sale
3:00 PM - 2025 PACM Series: Terra String Quartet
13
14
15
5:30 PM - 2025 Lecture Series: “Art History at the Isles of Shoals” with Douglas Nelson and Sara Morris
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4:30 PM - Athenaeum Tea for New Members
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2025 PACM Series: Balourdet String Quartet
2025 PACM Series: Balourdet String Quartet
September 28, 2025    
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
South Church
  • PACM Concert Series
  • Performance & Concert Series
2025 PACM Concert Series, Balourdet String Quartet, Concerts, South Church
Winners of the 2024 Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Cleveland Quartet Award, the Balourdet String Quartet is known for its fearless creativity and tight-knit [...]
More Info
Franklin Club
Franklin Club
October 1, 2025    
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 exhibit "Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall"
Art 'Round Town for the exhibit "Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall"
October 3, 2025    
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Art Round Town
  • Exhibit Events
Art 'Round Town, Exhibits, Jonathan Mitchel Sewall 1748-1808, Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall, Randall Gallery
Please join us for Art 'Round Town for our latest exhibit, "Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall (c.1770-1808)," curated by Nancy Hammond in [...]
More Info
The Historical Development of Our Understanding of the Components of Healthful Nutrition with Dr. Fred Schubert
The Historical Development of Our Understanding of the Components of Healthful Nutrition with Dr. Fred Schubert
October 9, 2025    
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Discussions
Proprietors, Shaw Research Library
Several cases are examined that highlight our developing knowledge of dietary needs. The discussion begins in the 18th century, when the scourge of scurvy decimated [...]
More Info
Portsmouth Athenaeum Book Sale
Portsmouth Athenaeum Book Sale
October 12, 2025    
10:00 am - 2:30 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum Annex
  • Community Event
Book Sale
170 State Street (next to Temple Israel, look for the garage door) Sunday, October 12th, 10-2:30 No parking in front parking lot off State Street—drop [...]
More Info
2025 PACM Series: Terra String Quartet
2025 PACM Series: Terra String Quartet
October 12, 2025    
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
South Church
  • PACM Concert Series
  • Performance & Concert Series
2025 PACM Concert Series, Concerts, South Church, Terra String Quartet
An internationally acclaimed ensemble, the Terra String Quartet has won top prizes at the Melbourne and Osaka International Chamber Music Competitions and the Fischoff National [...]
More Info
2025 Lecture Series: “Art History at the Isles of Shoals” with Douglas Nelson and Sara Morris
2025 Lecture Series: “Art History at the Isles of Shoals” with Douglas Nelson and Sara Morris
October 15, 2025    
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Discussions
  • Lecture Series
2025 Lecture Series: Beauty on the Seacoast and Beyond, Architecture and Gardens, Art Architecture and Gardens, Douglas Nelson, Isles of Shoals, Sara Morris, Shaw Research Library
The Isles of Shoals have drawn creative people ever since poetess Celia Thaxter hosted a celebrated salon on Appledore island, the largest of the Isles. [...]
More Info
Athenaeum Tea for New Members
Athenaeum Tea for New Members
October 19, 2025    
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Members Events
  • Members Tea
New Members Tea, Proprietors, Sawtelle Reading Room
Please join us for an Athenaeum Tea for New Members from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the Sawtelle Reading Room.
More Info
Events on September 28, 2025
2025 PACM Series: Balourdet String Quartet
2025 PACM Series: Balourdet String Quartet
28 Sep 25
Portsmouth
Events on October 1, 2025
Franklin Club
Franklin Club
1 Oct 25
Portsmouth
Events on October 3, 2025
Art 'Round Town for the exhibit "Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall"
Art 'Round Town for the exhibit "Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall"
3 Oct 25
Portsmouth
Events on October 9, 2025
The Historical Development of Our Understanding of the Components of Healthful Nutrition with Dr. Fred Schubert
The Historical Development of Our Understanding of the Components of Healthful Nutrition with Dr. Fred Schubert
9 Oct 25
Portsmouth
Events on October 12, 2025
Portsmouth Athenaeum Book Sale
Portsmouth Athenaeum Book Sale
12 Oct 25
Portsmouth
2025 PACM Series: Terra String Quartet
2025 PACM Series: Terra String Quartet
12 Oct 25
Portsmouth
Events on October 15, 2025
2025 Lecture Series: “Art History at the Isles of Shoals” with Douglas Nelson and Sara Morris
2025 Lecture Series: “Art History at the Isles of Shoals” with Douglas Nelson and Sara Morris
15 Oct 25
Portsmouth
Events on October 19, 2025
Athenaeum Tea for New Members
Athenaeum Tea for New Members
19 Oct 25
Portsmouth

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