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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

  • October 2026: National Arts & Humanities Month
  • September 2026: National Wilderness Month
  • Message from Our Interim Director
  • August 2026: Beach Reads
  • July 2026: The Red Light District

Events Calendar

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5:30 PM - Franklin Club
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5:00 PM - Opening Reception for "New Hampshire Women Trailblazers"
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1:30 PM - Members Only History Tour
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
Members Only History Tour
Members Only History Tour
March 7, 2026    
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Building Tours
  • Members Events
1805 Building, Building Tours, Library Room, Sawtelle Reading Room
Have you ever wondered about the history of our collections and the historic building? This March, we are offering free guided tours exclusively for our [...]
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
Events on March 7, 2026
Members Only History Tour
Members Only History Tour
7 Mar 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

 

Building Tours

Calendar of Events

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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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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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