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portsmouthathenaeum

Non-profit membership library, historical research center, museum & exhibit gallery.
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This post is brought to you by the letter "W" with

This post is brought to you by the letter "W" with three cheers to the weekend and the Woods Brothers Basketball State Championship in 1901. Yes, they were the whole team.🏀🏆 #squadgoals

And with the new NBA season, we wanted to share our support for the @celtics, New England's own band of brothers. Let's go Cs!

Pictured (l to r) in the front row are brothers Harry (1873-1952), Walter (1875-1951), Frank (1877-1935), and Charles (1876-1945); and in the back row, Bill (1872-1938) and George (c.1874-1943).

The Woods brothers were gifted athletes (we've shared a football photo of them), and Walter even became a professional baseball player.

Their father John Elliot Wood(s) (1827-1908) was a mariner and later Portsmouth grocer, born in Ashprington, Devon, England.🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

According to family history, in the 1840s, John first arrived here where his aunt Mary Mullis Rider lived (@strawberybankemuseum) before embarking for the California Gold Rush. He then returned to England, but came back to Portsmouth with his wife Mary Grace Sprye (1835-1868) who apparently was unhappy here. The couple returned to Devon where Mary died.

In 1874, with his second wife Eliza Loder, John and his 10 children emigrated to America, first living in Rye along the Sagamore Creek before moving to 70 Pleasant Street in Portsmouth. John added the "s" to the surname to differentiate from his uncle James Wood's family.

In total, the Woods' 15 children were well known along the Seacoast in basketball, baseball, bicycle races, and later in the introduction of automobiles. Their daughter Jessie was the first woman licenced to drive in New Hampshire.🏁

[Donated by Diane Woods in appreciation of the athleticism of the Woods brothers and in particular Walter S. Woods, my grandfather, PS2933_03.]

#woodsbrothers #immigrants🇬🇧 #basketball #tommypoint 😇 #collectpreserveshare📖
#localhistory #PortsmouthNH #nh #maine #seacoast❤

#wherewasthiswednesday🤔 ⁉️ You're looking

#wherewasthiswednesday🤔 ⁉️

You're looking at a street view in Portsmouth that the left side was demolished for a city parking lot in 1954. The images come from the pages of the City of Portsmouth's 1954 Annual Report, which can be found in our Research Library. [REF F44.P8 A1 A56 1954 1959.]

The buildings on the left were home to various businesses and residents over the years including grocery stores, saloons, bottling companies, dye houses, tailors, masons, and others.

So where is this? The site has been in the news for the last several years as both the City of Portsmouth and its residents look to acquire and redevelop this downtown location; however, this side of the 2.1-acre site is often overlooked for more historic views taken from Daniel Street.

By now, you might have guessed the site correctly: the Thomas J. McIntyre Federal Building. And this 1954-view was taken from the corner of Penhallow and Bow streets, looking toward Daniel Street.

In the second image, you can see the Penhallow Street Parking Lot with the old Portsmouth High School/later City Hall/now office building in the upper left. The rear of Stoodleys Tavern (gambrel roof) on Daniel Street can be seen in the upper right. About 10 years after the opening of the parking lot, Stoodleys was saved (moved to @strawberybankemuseum) while the rest of the buildings (not including the old high school building) were demolished, and the site redeveloped for the McIntyre Federal Building, which was completed three years later in 1967.

#PenhallowStreet #streetview #pannify #demolished #McIntyreBuilding #ThomasJMcIntyreFederalBuilding #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #PortsmouthNH #nh #maine #seacoast❤

👋Top of the '21 to you all.🎩 We offer up ou

👋Top of the '21 to you all.🎩

We offer up our #topnine2020 and thank you for following our page! Your support through such a difficult year has been tremendous.💪🙏🤗

We love telling Portsmouth and Seacoast history, hearing your stories, and of course sharing with you the beautiful old Athenaeum. So our New Year's resolution is to carry✍on✍doing✍just✍that!✍

With maybe a few tricks up our sleeves...😉

And as you know, we actively collect items related to the history of Portsmouth and the Piscataqua Region, so please keep us in mind when you decide to donate your paper materials and photographic images. As a non-profit, your monetary support allows our staff to process and archive the historic material properly. Gifts and contributions are considered tax-deductible.

Finally, while we currently only accept research reservations in advance, we cannot wait to safely resume our open library hours to provide free access to all who are interested in researching their local history. Until then, we wish you and your loved ones continued good health and safe travels.

#collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #community #marketsquare #PortsmouthNH #nh #maine #seacoast❤

Happy New Year!🥳🎊 Hello, 2021!! Let history

Happy New Year!🥳🎊

Hello, 2021!! Let history have 2020.👋

Pictured are Theresa Lorenzini Hersey, Howard Driscoll (who married Frances Cavalieri) and Josie Lorenzini inside the Lorenzini family house at 94 Deer Street in the North End of Portsmouth, c. 1960.

The Lorenzini family lived across from the Noto-Cavalieri family, the donors of the image, at 93 Deer Street.

The North End was demolished during the Vaughan Street Urban Renewal Project, 1967-1972.

[North End Neighborhood Collection, P45_413]

Auld Lang Syne courtesy of freemusicarchive.org.

If you are interested in donating to the Athenaeum, the link in bio will take you to the @portschamber "Hope for the Holidays" for area nonprofits. #linkinbio

#happynewyear #auldlangsyne #2021 #lorenzinifamily #notocavalierifamily #deerstreet #northend🇮🇹 #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #portsmouthnh #nh #maine #seacoast❤

On this date in 1944, the Portsmouth Herald ran th

Happy Christmas!🎅 And you can take this Santa

Happy Christmas!🎅

And you can take this Santa guarantee to the bank...er, actually this St. Nick comes from the bank.

This holly jolly, stand-up Santa was used as a promotion for the Christmas Club at the Piscataqua Savings Bank, circa 1950s. [E 2996]

According to the catalog record, in the 1940s and 50s banks encouraged families (and especially children) to start saving for Christmas by putting small amounts away each week. These Christmas Club accounts were very popular, and for children, they were excited to withdraw the total before Christmas and buy gifts for their family.

Since 1877, the Piscataqua Savings Bank has served the Seacoast community, and the bank still offers a Christmas Club, which today is the interest accumulated from a member's savings account. On Halloween, the bank sends a check to the member to use for holiday shopping.

Here's to a safe and joyous holiday!🎄

We also recognize this is a difficult time of year for many, made worse by the pandemic. While this season might be challenging, we are thinking of you and wishing you much needed comfort.

#merrychristmas #santaclaus #piscataquasavingsbank #ephemera #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #PortsmouthNH #nh #maine #seacoast♥️

Hope you are having a safe and joyous holiday seas

Hope you are having a safe and joyous holiday season! 🎄⛄

The photograph is of a group of Christmas carolers singing in front of the Athenaeum, here in Market Square, c. 1979, overlayed with audio of carolers singing outside the Athenaeum last Saturday night. #nowandthen 🎶🥰

The carolers in the photograph are identified as followed (believed to be from left to right): Patricia Lavey, Linda Pautz, Steve Pautz, Lisha Rowe, Mike Dorlen, Julie Allard, and Jill Schofield. Originally the image appeared in the Portsmouth Herald.

[Gift of Thomas C. Wilson, Thomas C. Wilson Photograph Collection, P0001_0080.]

There have been some incredible musicians and artists in the Square. Many thanks to them for bringing cheer to the holidays here in Portsmouth!

#christmascaroling #carolers #happyholidays #merrychristmas #thomascwilsoncollection #MarketSquare #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #PortsmouthNH #nh #maine #seacoast♥️

Next stop, winter!🚂❄️ Here is the frosty a

Next stop, winter!🚂❄️

Here is the frosty and fast-moving train cover of the B&M Bulletin, Winter 1979-1980. At the time, the magazine was published quarterly by the Boston and Maine Railroad Historical Society, a non-profit which was founded in 1971. Still active today with over 1,000 members, BMRRHS is now located in Lowell, MA. Visit BMRRHS.org for more information. [Pamphlet 31858A.]

The cover was photographed in Swampscott, MA, by Ray Palleschi on December 10, 1978.

Of local interest was the article on Page 6, "The Railroads of Portsmouth" by Chandler Cobb and Joseph N. Shaw, a local Portsmouth train enthusiast and historian who lived on Greenland Road. One not so festive section on train history was "Collisions and death...Portsmouth had its share." This issue also included "Train Time at Portsmouth in the Early 1900s" by Laurence Breed Walker. We've included a few snapshots of the pages.👀

The "Railroads of Portsmouth" article also continued in the Spring issue. Both issues of B&M Bulletin are available when you punch your ticket to our Research Library. #allaboard🛤️

Link in bio for library hours and COVID protocols.

#bostonandmaine #railroads #railroadsofPortsmouth #firstdayofwinter #wintersolstice #bmrhs #research #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #PortsmouthNH #nh #maine #seacoast❤️

Longtime Proprietor and well-known New Hampshire a

Longtime Proprietor and well-known New Hampshire attorney Charles DeGrandpre left a bequest in his will to the Athenaeum in the amount of $10,000. His daughter, Libby Giordano, presented the check to the Athenaeum on December 15, 2020. Pictured are Bradley M. Lown, Pres.; Tom Hardiman, Keeper; Jeff Keefe, Treas.; and Libby Giordano. [📷 Photo by Jan Dinan.]

Charles DeGrandpre, along with Eleonore Sanderson, established the Portsmouth Athenaeum Legacy Society to encourage and facilitate bequests to the Athenaeum.

The Portsmouth Athenaeum Legacy Society donors build the Athenaeum’s endowment through lifetime gifts and bequests, guaranteeing the Athenaeum’s fnancial strength for years to come. Since 1817, the Portsmouth Athenaeum has served as a center of learning and conviviality in the heart of our historic city. Once among hundreds of membership libraries established to advance the arts and sciences in the early American Republic, the Athenaeum today is one of just sixteen such historic institutions to survive.

#legacysociety #proprietors #degrandprefamily #thankyou #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #PortsmouthNH #nh #maine #seacoast❤️

In this week's #archivesbakeoff here is a young Ha

In this week's #archivesbakeoff here is a young Harold Smart delivering some sweet treats along the Portsmouth streets for the Portsmouth Fancy Bakery of 16 Congress Street. The photograph is dated August 24, 1923.

[Gift of Richard Candee, PS2417.]

Proprietor of the Portsmouth Fancy Bakery was Baldwin A. Reich (1863-1931), a German-born immigrant who came to Portsmouth in 1867 at the age of four. As a young man, Reich had worked at the same bakery, which was then under the ownership of the Robeck family, also of Germany. Reich assumed ownership of the business about 1893. Around the same time, he married Annie Wingate of Portsmouth, and the couple had three daughters. The family lived at 82 Austin Street.🇩🇪🥧

In 1898, Reich advertised the Portsmouth Fancy Bakery for "fresh fancy cake, candies, bon-bons and fancy boxes, the famous orange and wedding cake (a specialty), fancy ices and creams made to order at short notice."😋

Reich ran the bakery for 32 years until he retired in 1925. He was succeeded by Thomas McCaffrey who still operated the business as the Portsmouth Fancy Bakery. In 1964, a fire broke out in the adjacent Rogers Block, which also destroyed the bakery's building. Today, in the approximate site in a modern block, there are two bakeries: Popovers and Kilwins.

Now, with so much fancy talk in the air, we can only hope the weekend delivers a little your way...and of course a baked good or two.🌬️💅🎂🧁🍪

P.S. we're sorry about the unfortunate *but original* photo crop on the horse, too. Hope this🐴 helps.

#portsmouthfancybakery #baldwinreich #reichfamily #robeckfamily #germanimmigrants #bakers #archiveshashtagparty #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #PortsmouthNH #nh #maine #seacoast❤️

Live look from the archives.❄️🌨️🥶 Oka

Live look from the archives.❄️🌨️🥶

Okay, not really a live look. The Athenaeum collection is safe in its climate-controlled vault. We hope you are also safe and snug during today's winter storm here in the New England.

The original photograph depicts a winter scene of the North Church in Market Square, c. 1910. [P18.112]

The image was recently scanned from the Portsmouth Historical Society photograph collection. A negative copy also exists in the North Church photograph collection. Both collections are examples of several non-profit organizations on deposit, and along with other Athenaeum collections, they are available for public research.

Online, you can search over 100 manuscript finding aids and explore Seacoast history in our extensive catalog of books, objects, manuscripts, ephemera, and photographs. Perfect for a snowy day.🕵️🕵️‍♀️

Our Research Library is open Tuesday through Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. Due to the pandemic, we are open by appointment only. Please call (603)431-2538 or email info@portsmouthathenaeum.org.

#marketsquare #northchurch #winter #winterstormgail #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #PortsmouthNH #nh #maine #seacoast❤️

We hope you are cooking up a good weekend! 👩‍

We hope you are cooking up a good weekend! 👩‍🍳🧑‍🍳

To help you out, here's "Biscuit and Cakes: Success Assured," a 1913-cookbook from the Reliable Flour Company of Boston, Mass., which was distributed to local grocers including Albert E. Rand of 517 Middle Street in Portsmouth. Today, the site of Rand's is the Middle Street Market.

From lemon cakes and snowballs to Berwick cream pie and Mary Ann's puff balls, you could find "reliable" recipes along with "reliable" baking tips. We've included a few festive and no doubt "reliable" fruitcake recipes. Let us know how it goes.🤞

[Gift of Gerald Ward, E 2536.]

👉We should also mention that we're a week late (we'll blame a faulty pilot light) for the #archivesbakeoff where every Friday in December, we'll highlight baking-related items in the collection. #archiveshashtagparty

So cheers to the weekend and (the more we look at the graphic) to good lighting! 👍🎂🍪🥧

#wontmotherbepleased #webroughtfruitcake #reliableflourcompany #recipes #randsmarket #middlestreet #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #PortsmouthNH #nh #maine #seacoast❤️

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