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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...

Standing Together: Seacoast LGBTQ+ Social & Support Groups

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | May 27, 2022 | Announcements, Exhibits

The timing of “Standing Together: Seacoast LGBTQ+ Social and Support Groups” couldn’t be better, according to Tom Kaufhold, who is curating the exhibit opening June 3 in the Portsmouth Athenaeum’s Randall Gallery. “We exist, we have...

Blooming in the Randall Gallery: “The Georgian Garden in Print and in Portsmouth”

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Jul 9, 2021 | Announcements, Exhibits

On July 16, the latest Portsmouth Athenaeum exhibit “The Georgian Garden in Print and in Portsmouth” opens, focusing on Europe’s Georgian period of garden design, its most famous gardener designers, the books that disseminated their designs, and the Portsmouth gardens...

Portsmouth Athenaeum COVID Response

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Mar 16, 2020 | Announcements, Events, Exhibits, Performance

LATEST UPDATE 6/19/2020 The Research Library and Randall Gallery are now open Tuesday through Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. by appointment only. Please call 603-431-2538 or email info@portsmouthathenaeum.org to set up your appointment. Masks are required. For more...

“By the Bottle or the Barrel” Exhibit Talks

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Aug 16, 2019 | Announcements, Events, Exhibits

Saturday, Aug. 17, 201911 a.m.Randall Gallery Sandra Rux, co-curator of the exhibit By the Bottle or the Barrel: 400 Years of Brewing in Portsmouth, will give a gallery talk.  UPCOMING LECTURES: Thursday, Sept. 5, 20197 p.m.Join both Tad Baker, professor of history at...
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Recent News

  • July 2026: The Red Light District
  • Exhibit Shines the Red Light on City’s Past
  • Portsmouth Athenæum Chamber Music 2026
  • Athenæum Interim Director
  • A Letter from Tom Hardiman, Keeper and Executive Director

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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5:30 PM - Franklin Club
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5:30 PM - Athenaeum Annual Holiday Gala
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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
$10.00 - $30.00
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 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 December 2, 2026
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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HOURS

Shaw Research Library
Tuesdays – Saturdays
1 to 4 p.m.
and by appointment

 

Randall Gallery
Tuesdays – Saturdays
1 to 4 p.m.
Latest Exhibit

 

Sawtelle Reading Room

Some Saturdays
1 to 4 p.m.
Calendar of Events
(volunteer-dependent)

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The Athenæum today 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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Located at 6-9 Market Square, Portsmouth, NH.
(603) 431-2538

 

Public entrance shared with Ireland on the Square. Research Library and Gallery located on third floor.  Please call ahead for elevator access.

 

MAILING ADDRESS:
Portsmouth Athenaeum
P.O. Box 366
Portsmouth, NH 03802
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