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portsmouthathenaeum

Non-profit membership library, historical research center, museum & exhibit gallery. #CollectPreserveShare📖 Local History.

Happy Fourth of July!🇺🇲🎆 Here is the Fou

Happy Fourth of July!🇺🇲🎆

Here is the Fourth of July parade float for the F. W. Peabody Music Store of Congress Street. The photograph was taken on Court Street near the intersection of Pleasant Street, about 1912. (PS2943OV)
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Accompanying this photograph was a typewritten and undated letter from Jennie Pinder Brownell (1888-1979) of Sagamore Avenue addressed to Loretta Hassett Slawson (1889-1980), a Proprietor of the Portsmouth Athenaeum and the namesake of the mezzanine reading room.
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The letter identifies all the participants on the float. Loretta is standing on the far left holding the banner while Jennie is seated next to the piano. Loretta's father Joseph M. Hassett was the manager of F.W. Peabody's, and he is believed to be standing alongside the float. Within a few years of this photograph, Hassett would become the owner of the music store.
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We also share an excerpt from Jennie's letter as she fondly recollects, "How many changes Loretta, have come into your life and mine since then. I am not sure - but I remember that our hats were large and lovely - made of crepe paper --and perhaps my sister Hattie helped to make them."
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We tip our own crepe paper hats to honor them while we wish you all a memorable and festive Fourth of July. Stay safe.
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#happyfourth #parades #courtstreet #lorettaslawson #jenniebrownell #starspangledbanner
#freemusicarchive #portsmouthathenaeum
#collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #portsmouthnh #nh #maine #seacoast❤

Alcove in the Library Room, April 2020.😍📚 #f

Alcove in the Library Room, April 2020.😍📚 #fridayfeels
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#1805building #1817library #libraryroom #librariesofinstagram #portsmouthathenaeum #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #marketsquare #portsmouthnh #nh #maine #seacoast❤️

#mansardmonday vibes👋 . This undated photograph

#mansardmonday vibes👋
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This undated photograph shows the mansard roof on one of the few brick houses that once stood on Hill Street in Portsmouth's old North End.🧱 [PS1420]
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In 1869, William Andrews (1826-1895) purchased the lot from the Hill family heirs and built this house. The son of a sea captain, Andrews was a brick and stone mason from #NewburyportMA, who now lived in Portsmouth and advertised his trade from nearby Bridge Street. A veteran of the Civil War, Andrews served in the 35th Massachusetts Infantry and fought in the battles of Antietam and Fredericksburg. In February 1863, he was mustered out after being wounded in both thighs and suffered from paralysis in his left leg. In the 1870s, Andrews, his wife Mary Anna Small (1823-1913), and possibly all of their five children lived here.
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For perspective we are including a few images from the Sanborn maps. The 1878 Sanborn map indicates there was even a popcorn manufacturing business happening in the basement. #wearehereforthat🍿
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Also we thought it would be nice to focus on the unidentified people seen in the photograph. Based off this research, they are likely William and Mary Anna Andrews along with one of their daughters. In the 1880 census, daughter Mary W. Andrews (1852-1891) was still living at home. That year, Mary wed in Portsmouth to a mason (who possibly worked for her father) named Fred Merril of Orono, Maine.
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Unfortunately, this brick house was demolished during the Vaughan Street Urban Renewal Project, c. 1968-1972. As part of urban renewal, plans had included extending Maplewood Avenue from the North Cemetery through the North End neighborhood to the intersection of Congress, Middle and Islington streets. The path of this new road was just west of the house. The brick house and this section of Hill Street are now the site of Portwalk Place.
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We have a few more photographs of the Andrews house from its existence into the 20th century, but we'll save them and the stories of the then-occupants for another marvelous mansard day.
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#williamandrews🇺🇲 #hillstreet #demolished #hillstreetblues🙁 #northend #portsmouthnh #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #nh #maine #seacoast♥️

#flashbackFriday takes us back to last year and th

#flashbackFriday takes us back to last year and the discovery of this sign in the attic of the Press Room on Daniel Street.🕵️‍♀️🕵️🌈
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From 1957 to 1975 the second floor of the Press Room building was home to the Sagamore Republican Club, a gay social club.
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The sign was found during renovations of the Press Room, and co-owner Chris Greiner brought the sign to the Athenaeum a few hours before the opening of the then-exhibit "50 Years of Seacoast LGBT History: Rainbow Reflections." Founder of the Seacoast LGBT History Project and exhibit curator, Tom Kaufhold instantly added the sign to the exhibit. Greiner had found a reference to the club in an article about the upcoming exhibit written by Proprietor Sherry Wood.
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The sign is now part of the Seacoast LGBT History Project collection currently in process at the Athenaeum. If you know more information about the club, please contact us at info@portsmouthathenaeum.org
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#happypridemonth #PRIDE #loveislove #sagamorepublicanclub #danielstreet #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #portsmouthnh #nh #maine #seacoast🌈 #seacoast♥️

A little in-house #throwbackthursday from the MS00

A little in-house #throwbackthursday from the MS001 Portsmouth Athenaeum records.⏳📃
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In the midst of re-numbering the entire library catalog, Librarian Robin Silva uncovered some interesting history.
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In October 1907, a book had been discovered in the Athenaeum’s stock room, left there anonymously. Published in 1905, the book was "The Clansman: An Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan" by Thomas Dixon Jr. At the time, the Athenaeum cataloged the book and gave it the object ID #22568.
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Author Thomas Dixon Jr. was a known white supremacist and supporter of the Ku Klux Klan. "The Clansman" was published second after Dixon’s first book, "The Leopard’s Spots," and before his book "The Traitor." These titles formed a best selling trilogy that was adapted for the film "The Birth of a Nation."
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While initially cataloged, "The Clansman" did not stay long in the Athenaeum. In 1908, just a few months after being accessioned, the book was deaccessioned, and its accession record erased. Around April of that year, a new book was given its former object ID number.
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Evidence of "The Clansman’s" short history at the Athenaeum could only be found in this deep dive into the library records in the MS001 Portsmouth Athenaeum manuscript collection.
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For further perspective, the Athenaeum collection includes the pamphlet "As To the Leopard’s Spots: An Open Letter to Thomas Dixon, Jr.," by Kelly Miller (Object ID 36114). Miller was a Howard University faculty member, mathematician, sociologist, and author. The pamphlet argues against allegations of African American inferiority touted by Thomas Dixon Jr.
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The book cover of "The Clansman" is courtesy of Wikipedia.
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#deaccession #talesfromthestacks #library #collectpreserveshare📖
#localhistory #portsmouthnh #nh #maine #seacoast♥️

#wherewasthiswednesday ⁉️🕵️🕵️‍♀️
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Penhallow Street! 👉Swipe for the full photograph.
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This c. 1892 photograph was taken at the intersection with State Street. In the foreground you can see the shadow of the Methodist Church, now Temple Israel. [PS0829_09]
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On the left, beyond the brick building, there is a two-story wooden building and the rear of Noah's Ark (so called) on the corner of Daniel Street. Both the wooden building and the Ark have since been demolished. After many years as a parking lot, there are now plans for a new building on this site.
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On the right, seen in the distance at the intersection of Daniel Street, both the curved brick building with awnings and the block behind it were demolished in the 1960s for the Thomas J McIntyre Federal Building.
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#penhallowstreet #portsmouthhistory #nowandthen #historyusedtoparkhere #photographs #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #portsmouthnh #nh #maine #seacoast♥️

Happy Father's Day!👨‍👧‍👦🎉 . This c

Happy Father's Day!👨‍👧‍👦🎉
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This charming carte-de-visite dates to 1882 and shows Barrett Wendell (1855-1921) with his first child, one-year-old son Barrett Wendell Jr. (1881-1973). [Notman Studios, Boston, MA. P0003_05]
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Barrett Sr. was a Harvard graduate, class of 1877, and a Professor of English at Harvard. He and his wife Edith Greenough Wendell (1859-1938) had four children, and they split their time between their house in Boston and the Wendell family home on Pleasant Street here in Portsmouth. Son Barrett Jr. also graduated from Harvard, class of 1902. Barrett Jr. became an investment banker in Chicago, Illinois.
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The Athenaeum holds an extensive archival collection of Wendell family and related material including the MS025 Wendell Family Papers, 1720-1984, and the P0003 Wendell Family photograph collection. So much to explore!
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#happyfathersday #hoponpop #wendellfamily #barrettwendell #cartedevisite #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #portsmouthnh #nh #maine #seacoast❤️

Sailing into summer on the Seacoast!☀️🤙😎

Sailing into summer on the Seacoast!☀️🤙😎🌬️⛵
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Oh to feel that sea breeze in this image of White Island Light at the Isles of Shoals, c. 1960s.😍
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This undated color transparency comes from the in-process Douglas Armsden photograph collection. To learn more about the collection, and how you can help, check the link in our bio.
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Happy first day of summer!
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#whiteislandlight #lighthouse #islesofshoals #tenmilesout #douglasarmsden #collectpreserveshare📖
#localhistory #portsmouthnh #nh #maine #seacoast❤️

Today marks Juneteenth, a celebration commemoratin

Today marks Juneteenth, a celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.🇺🇲
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President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, declared that all slaves in states in rebellion against the Union “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” Unfortunately, it would take two and half years for enforcement of the proclamation to reach Texas. On June 19, 1865, the U.S. Army took possession of Galveston, Texas, and ended slavery in the Confederacy. Six months later, slavery was abolished across the country with the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment. In 1866, former enslaved people in Galveston celebrated on this day, known also as Jubilee Day. Juneteenth is the oldest known nationally-celebrated event commemorating the end of slavery.
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The @blackheritagetrailnh celebrates Juneteenth with free online events. At 1 p.m., African drumming will be live streamed from the Portsmouth African Burying Ground and other events will follow today and tomorrow. Go to their page for more information and register to participate.
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Little is known about the African-American woman standing in the coolness of the Atlantic Ocean at a nearby Rye beach. What we do know is her name: Susie. This is written in ink below the image in an undated photo album, c.1875-1895, from the Hutchinson family of Portsmouth. [PS1805.019]
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Perhaps Susie is a cook or nanny to the children of John H. Hutchinson (1838-1897) and wife Mary Emma Graham (1838-1908). John was a jeweler in Market Square, and the family also operated a successful flower business in the greenhouses at the family home on the corner of Broad Street and Lincoln Avenue in Portsmouth. Within the album, there are several other African-Americans including Fred who appears to work in the greenhouse. Hopefully through additional research more information can be found.🕵️
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But today (and this weekend), we also know Susie has the right idea.☀️⛱️🌊
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#Juneteenth #susie #research #openbyappointment #BlackPortsmouth #blackhistory #portsmouthhistory #nhhistory #ushistory #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistorym #portsmouthnh #seacoast♥️

Whew, we are steaming into summer on the Seacoast!

Whew, we are steaming into summer on the Seacoast! 🌞🥵
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Maybe this *chill* ice ad from the 1899 Portsmouth city directory can cool us all off. 🧊 But then again that graphic is 🔥 so 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♀️.
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The iceman William C. McCallin (1859-1938) ran his business for many years off South Road (a section of today's South Street heading out of town).
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Beyond this ad, the Athenaeum has no information on the McCallin family; however, we can find out more using online research tools.🕵️🕵️‍♀️
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The McCallin family had emigrated from Nova Scotia, Canada, about 1880, and in Portsmouth, on Christmas Day in 1889, William married Fannie Peterson (1861-1916), daughter of John Peterson, a Swedish immigrant, and Mary Stackpole, of Dover, NH.
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The McCallins had one child, a daughter named May Belle (1897-1960). The family first lived on South Street and later a farm on Greenland Road. In 1914, May Belle married Charles A. Dame (1894-1926) who was listed as a cattle farmer/butcher on the McCallin family farm on Greenland Road. They had four (five?) children. After Charles' sudden death in 1926, her second husband Ernest C. Thompson (1908-1982) also helped on the farm. May Belle and Ernest had three children.
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In 1948, the State of New Hampshire bought the Greenland Road farm for what appears the construction of a "four-lane super speedway" that went from Massachusetts to Maine, now known as Interstate 95. The family then moved to Newington.

Not having information on any particular family is certainly not uncommon since we can only receive/collect so much local history, but the farm's absence speaks to a much more challenging research subject: trace historical evidence. As with many cities, the farms in Portsmouth were mostly located on the outskirts of town, and any signs of these farms have completely vanished due to the highway system, urban sprawl, and the former Pease Air Force Base. But what a great research topic for someone to explore. #wecanhelp👋 #openbyappointment⏱️
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#icedealers #farmlife #mccallinfamily #researchiscool😎 #onlineresources💪 #portsmouthnh #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #thatgraphictho🔥

Beautiful beach weather today!☀️⛱️😎 . H

Beautiful beach weather today!☀️⛱️😎
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Here are a group of unidentified beach goers enjoying the ocean at Long Sands in York Beach, Maine. [PS1114a]
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There is no date associated with the photograph, but according to garnethill.com, about 1910, the swimsuit style changed from Turkish-style bloomers (mainly made of flannel) to these sailor-inspired frills and stripes.⚓
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In the background, Cape Neddick appears largely undeveloped.
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#yorkbeachmaine #capeneddick #maine #beachday #unidentified🕵️‍♂️ #portsmouthathenæum #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #portsmouthnh #nh #seacoast❤️

Within the MS036 North Church Papers, 1640-1970 ma

Within the MS036 North Church Papers, 1640-1970 manuscript collection, there is a small notebook kept by Samuel Penhallow that contained the names of individuals receiving charitable aid from the church. Penhallow included the following individuals identified as being of African descent.⛪📖
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Image #1: Collections Account lists “Prince Whipple and family” in April 1811. Prince Whipple was enslaved by William Whipple of Portsmouth, one of New Hampshire’s delegates to the Continental Congress. Prince was regarded as a leader in Portsmouth’s Black community.
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Image #2: Collections Account Book lists “Cuff Whipple” in May 1803. Cuff, who also went by Cuffee, was a talented musician who started his life in Portsmouth as a slave in the household of Joseph Whipple.
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Image #3: Collections Account lists “Dinah Whipple” and “Cuffee Whipple’s Widow” Rebecca in December 1819. Prince had married Dinah Chase who was freed on the day of their marriage, February 22, 1781, having been enslaved in the household of Rev. Chase of New Castle.
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Also included in the manuscript collection is Image #4. Dinah Whipple signed her name to the receipt that “Deacon [Amos] Tappan is please to let me have one dollar for to get some wood” in February 1820/21.
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For more information, check out Athenaeum Archivist Susan Kindstedt's latest blog. Susan explores the North Church collection and its records related to Portsmouth's Black history. Susan describes the collection as providing the most names of individuals of African descent living in Portsmouth than any other collection. #linkinbio
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#blackportsmouth #northchurch #blackhistory #nhhistory #ushistory #manuscripts #research #portsmouthathenaeum #collectpreserveshare #localhistory #portsmouthnh #nh #maine #seacoast♥️

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