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UPDATE: The lecture, "Save the Date!" Anniversary Celebrations in Portsmouth was originally slated for March 15, but postponed until Wednesday March 29th. Event is full, but if you would like to attend virtually please e-mail info@portsmouthathenaeum.org for the Zoom link.

The 2023 Athenaeum Lecture Series, “Portsmouth, NH: Evolution 1623-2023 Part 2,” begins with “Save the Date!” Anniversary Celebrations in Portsmouth by Tom Hardiman Jr., Keeper and Executive Director of the Portsmouth Athenaeum and an Athenaeum Proprietor. Mr. Hardiman has more than 30 years of experience in the museum, library, and historic preservation fields. He has been Athenaeum Keeper since 2000 and was previously curator of the Saco Museum.  In addition to museum administration, Mr. Hardiman has significant experience with the management, exhibition and conservation of art and artifact collections and with the sensitive conservation of historic buildings. This presentation, in the words of the presenter, “recounts Portsmouth’s relentless obsession with 1623 and other dates that usually require an asterisk and a footnote to justify the celebration.”

The lecture series continues to celebrate our city’s significant anniversaries in Portsmouth’s quadricentennial year. This year, the talks shine a light on Portsmouth’s commerce over 400 years, the historic interiors of those who lived here, and finally, the impact of climate change as evidenced at Strawbery Banke.

Each program begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Shaw Research Library of the Portsmouth Athenaeum at 9 Market Square in Portsmouth, NH (unless otherwise noted). Reservations for each program are required as seating is limited. Please call (603) 431-2538 to reserve. If unable to keep a reservation, please call again to release the seat for someone else.

Attendance at programs is free for Athenaeum Proprietors, Subscribers and Friends. Guests and members of the public are welcome to attend the entire series by becoming a Friend of the Athenaeum for as little as $25 per year, payable at the door. Admission to an individual program is $10.

Every presenter in this year's lecture series is a Proprietor of the Portsmouth Athenaeum, suggesting the breadth of knowledge and interest in its dissemination that characterizes Athenaeum members. Each lecturer looks forward to engaging our audience with their knowledge.