A Convivial Social Feed

This weekend, lots of eyes to the sky along the Seacoast 👀✈➿🛩➰🛬

The Thunder Over New Hampshire Air Show has brought thousands to watch the the U.S. Air Force's Thunderbirds, the first air show at Pease in over a decade.

Pictured are several press photos taken over thirty years ago when the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels performed when it was still Pease Air Force Base.

While the photographs were undated, we believe these are from 1988 when the Blue Angels performed at the Pease Air Force Base Open House on May 28. Additionally, in the last photo, one of the Navy pilots can be identified as Mike Campbell, who flew for the Navy's flight demonstration squadron from 1987-1988. Today, Mike serves as the president of the Blue Angels Foundation.

[Hampton Union/Atlantic News Collection, P0048_04]

#PeaseAirForceBase #PAFB #thunderovernewhampshire #airshow #BlueAngels #mikecampbell #HamptonUnion #pressphoto #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #PortsmouthNH #nh #maine #seacoast❤ ...

Off to the market. Do you need anything? 🍎🧀🍞🥩🥦#throwbackthursday

In 19th-century Portsmouth, you might have frequented the brick market at Jefferson Hall, which once stood on the edge of Market Square. Here’s a view of the building, at left, and the Piscataqua Savings Bank down Pleasant Street, c. 1864.

For six decades, Jefferson Hall had served both as a public market and town hall. On the first floor, there was a series of arched openings for ten merchant stalls with 12’ high ceilings, and on the second floor, there was an auditorium for town and public meetings.

The 1802-fire had destroyed an earlier Jefferson Hall (just built in 1800) along with other buildings along Market Square and Market Street. By 1804, the new Jefferson Hall opened, possibly built by Bradbury Johnson (1766-1819), the master joiner and architect who constructed the Athenaeum’s 1805 building (following the fire).

In November 1864, the brick market stalls were transformed into “City Rooms,” and the entire building became city hall. The Portsmouth Journal described the renovation in religious terms as “they have made clean the inside of the cup and platter; and without—well it is to hope that extortion and excess will always be kept without.” In 1873, the exterior was remodeled (something the Journal lamented had not been done in ’64), and in 1875, the old market stalls were abolished.

In 1910, city hall relocated to the old high school on the corner of Daniel and Chapel streets. According to the Portsmouth Herald, the City of Portsmouth hoped to keep the former Jefferson Hall for use as a public building; however, later that year, the City sold the building to New Hampshire National Bank.

On April 29, 1912, the New Hampshire National Bank and the Portsmouth Trust and Guarantee Company opened the doors to its “new building erected on the site of the Old City Hall.”

[Gift of Dorothy Vaughan, PS0223]

#JeffersonHall #brickmarket #townhall #cityhall #marketsquare #portsmouthathenaeum #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #portsmouthnh #nh #maine #seacoast #portsmouth♥️ ...

Tonight at 7:30 p.m. the Memorial Bridge linking Portsmouth and Kittery will be going gold to kick off National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. #portsmouthgoesgold

We are so proud of event organizer Amy Kindstedt, daughter of Athenaeum Archivist Susan Kindstedt. A two-time cancer survivor and advocate, Amy is raising funds and awareness for the American Childhood Cancer Organization's "Go Gold" campaign. You can learn more at @portsmouthgoesgold. A link in bio will take you to a terrific article by Ian Lenehan and lovely photos by Deb Cram, both of @seacoastonline.💛

In honor, here is a sepia and somewhat 💫golden💫 view of the old Memorial Bridge during its construction.🌉

Pictured is the crowd gathered along the Portsmouth waterfront to watch the south span of the Memorial Bridge being floated along the river to its piers on August 13, 1922. (We've included a few close-ups of the crowd.)

Just upriver, the bridge was constructed in sections at the old Concord & Portsmouth wharf. Earlier that same summer, crowds gathered on the Maine side to watch the north span set in place. They would gather again for the center span installment and then the opening of the bridge on August 17, 1923. The old Memorial Bridge closed on October 1, 2011, and the current Memorial Bridge opened almost two years later.

[Gift of Thomas C. Wilson, Thomas C. Wilson Photograph Collection, P0001_1426]

#gogoldforchildhoodcancer #gogoldforkids
#MemorialBridge #WaterfrontWednesday #collectpreserveshare📖
#localhistory #localpride #nh #Maine #seacoast❤ ...

Live look at move-in weekend at @uofnh.

Okay, maybe it's just the feeling and not the reality...🤷‍♂️🤷‍♀️

Good luck this year to all returning and new students at UNH, @greatbaycc and beyond!

Earlier this week, we shared a photo and story of the Col. Joseph Whipple House that formerly stood on the corner of State and Chestnut streets. #historyonthemove

In the late 1960s, the Portsmouth Savings Bank purchased the Whipple house. The next-door bank planned to demolish the 200+ year-old house for parking and a drive-thru window. This was a blow for many interested in preserving Portsmouth history including the Piscataqua History Club that occupied the rear of the downtown building. The Portsmouth Historical Society attempted to save the house, but the best plan came from Frank E. Reynolds, a local rare book dealer. In 1968, Reynolds offered to purchase and move the Whipple House to his empty lot on the corner of Middle and Park streets. He had plans to keep the building as apartments and use the carriage house for his business.

On January 8, 1969, the Whipple House was lifted off its State Street foundation and headed out on a half-mile trek, but three-day journey down Middle Street to its new home. Pictured is the house the next day "inching along" at the intersection of Middle Street and Miller Avenue.

As you may know, not all of Portsmouth's architectural history has been saved. Of note, the two buildings seen on the right were removed several years later for the construction of Margeson Apartments.

[Photograph by Garland Patch, Thomas C. Wilson Photograph Collection, P0001_1050_02.]

#JosephWhippleHouse #middlestreet #frankereynolds #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #PortsmouthNH #nh #maine #seacoast❤ ...

Before we throw in the towel for the @usnatarchives #ArchivesAthletes, we are gonna go a few more rounds (er, maybe one more round) in the archives ring with this newly acquired boxing poster. #onetwohistorypunch🥊

In the 1920s, the Bellevue Athletic Club, led by Leo Smith, promoted boxing matches at Freeman's Hall at 73 Congress Street, just down the street from the Athenaeum.

This poster advertises the boxing show on May 12, 1927, featuring the main bout of Maurice Duprey of Lawrence, MA, versus Gene Rochan of Cambridge, MA. Duprey [Dupree] was hailed as "the hardest hitting bantamweight In America" with 27 knockouts while Rochan had "never been knocked off his feet."🤜💥🤛

For $1.10 you could get a seat in the balcony & for $1.65 you were ringside.🎟

The Portsmouth Herald article (probably by Leo Smith) promoted a "big crowd expected" from all the neighboring towns and that "the entire card spells action."

The article described Duprey & Rochan as "two equally clever boys, both of whom have something at stake on the match. They are the type which believes in action and the only way to win from the other fellow is by taking the fight to him and the result will be a lively clash."

The "fighting Frenchman" Rochan was the favorite because he knew "how to take care of himself against the port siders."

Other matches included Walter Scott of Rochester, NH, against Francis Rossi of Brockton, MA. Rossi was a "clever and shifty" Welshman who "packs a good health wallop in either hand."💪

We have several more of these posters to process, so maybe we will learn more about the Young Shina of Newmarket.🤔 Until then, we'll stick to shadow Hollinger boxing in the archives. #thatsourspeed

[Digital media, from the William & Frederick "Ted" Hallworth Collection originally displayed at their barbershop, 9 Locust Street, Dover, NH, PS3217]

#ArchivesHashtagParty #boxing #boxers #Bellevue #freemanshall #laddstreet #highstreet #collectpreserveshare📖 #localhistory #PortsmouthNH #NH #maine #seacoast❤ ...