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Tales from the Stacks: A Swift Deaccession

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Jun 25, 2020 | Announcements, Library, Manuscripts

In the midst of re-numbering the entire library catalog, Librarian Robin Silva has uncovered some interesting history. In October 1907, a book had been discovered in the Athenaeum’s stock room, left there anonymously. Published in 1905, the book was The...

Researching Black History in the North Church

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Jun 16, 2020 | Announcements, Manuscripts

By Archivist Susan Kindstedt   No collection at the Athenaeum provides the names of more individuals of African descent living in Portsmouth than the MS036 North Church Papers, 1640-1970 collection. Although the papers include the names of individuals, the...

Logbooks of Capt. Nathan Parker Simes

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Apr 16, 2020 | Announcements, Manuscripts

By Susan Stowe-Kindstedt, Athenaeum Archivist The Athenaeum recently received a generous donation from a descendant of nineteenth-century Portsmouth sea captain Nathan Parker Simes. Simes was born in Portsmouth on August 1, 1833, the son of Ann (Yeaton) and Stephen...

FROM THE VAULT: New Kimball Bragdon Collection

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Aug 15, 2018 | Announcements, Manuscripts

The Kimball Family. (l to r) Seated are Clara (1817-1893), Israel (1812-1890) and Helen (1860-1909). Standing are Israel Jr. (1855-1886), Sarah (1841-1918), George (1843-1923), Clara (1846-1931) and Mary (1848-1929). Photo by Davis Brothers of Portsmouth, NH, c. 1863....

The Athenaeum Featured on NHPR

by Portsmouth Athenaeum | Aug 31, 2017 | Announcements, Manuscripts

In 2016, Roland Goodbody, contract archivist at the Portsmouth Athenaeum, cataloged the NH-Maine border dispute papers of Harrison “Workie” Workman (1919-2007), a Portsmouth resident and lobsterman.  MS120 Harrison Workman Border Dispute Papers,...
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Recent News

  • July 2026: The Red Light District
  • Exhibit Shines the Red Light on City’s Past
  • Portsmouth Athenæum Chamber Music 2026
  • Athenæum Interim Director
  • A Letter from Tom Hardiman, Keeper and Executive Director

Events Calendar

Today
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Tue
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4
5:30 PM - Franklin Club
5
6
5:00 PM - Art 'Round Town for the exhibit "The Lunch Hour: Portsmouth"
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1:00 PM - Closing Day for the exhibit "The Lunch Hour: Portsmouth"
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5:30 PM - 2025 Lecture Series: “Bedrock Gardens: The Journey from a Privacy Sanctuary to a Public Garden” with Jill Nooney
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5:00 PM - Opening Reception for the exhibit "Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall"
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5:30 PM - Franklin Club
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Franklin Club
Franklin Club
June 4, 2025    
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
Art 'Round Town for the exhibit "The Lunch Hour: Portsmouth"
Art 'Round Town for the exhibit "The Lunch Hour: Portsmouth"
June 6, 2025    
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Art Round Town
  • Exhibit Events
Art 'Round Town, Exhibits, Randall Gallery, The Lunch Hour: Portsmouth
Please join us during Art 'Round Town and see our latest exhibit, “The Lunch Hour: Portsmouth," curated by Proprietor Judy Groppa in the Randall Gallery. [...]
More Info
Closing Day for the exhibit "The Lunch Hour: Portsmouth"
Closing Day for the exhibit "The Lunch Hour: Portsmouth"
June 7, 2025    
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Exhibit Events
Exhibits, Randall Gallery, The Lunch Hour: Portsmouth
Please join us for the last day for the exhibit, “The Lunch Hour: Portsmouth," curated by Proprietor Judy Groppa in the Randall Gallery. To learn [...]
More Info
2025 Lecture Series: “Bedrock Gardens: The Journey from a Privacy Sanctuary to a Public Garden” with Jill Nooney
2025 Lecture Series: “Bedrock Gardens: The Journey from a Privacy Sanctuary to a Public Garden” with Jill Nooney
June 18, 2025    
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Discussions
  • Lecture Series
2025 Lecture Series: Beauty on the Seacoast and Beyond, Architecture and Gardens, Art Architecture and Gardens, Bedrock Gardens, Gardens, Horticulture, Jill Nooney, Shaw Research Library
Jill Nooney, the creator of Bedrock Gardens, will talk about the 40-year journey she and her co-creator husband, Bob Munger, have taken to turn their [...]
More Info
Opening Reception for the exhibit "Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall"
Opening Reception for the exhibit "Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall"
June 27, 2025    
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Exhibit Events
Exhibits, Jonathan Mitchel Sewall 1748-1808, Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall, Randall Gallery
Please join us for the opening reception for our latest exhibit, "Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall (c.1770-1808)," curated by Nancy Hammond in [...]
More Info
Franklin Club
Franklin Club
July 2, 2025    
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
Events on June 4, 2025
Franklin Club
Franklin Club
4 Jun 25
Portsmouth
Events on June 6, 2025
Art 'Round Town for the exhibit "The Lunch Hour: Portsmouth"
Art 'Round Town for the exhibit "The Lunch Hour: Portsmouth"
6 Jun 25
Portsmouth
Events on June 7, 2025
Closing Day for the exhibit "The Lunch Hour: Portsmouth"
Closing Day for the exhibit "The Lunch Hour: Portsmouth"
7 Jun 25
Portsmouth
Events on June 18, 2025
2025 Lecture Series: “Bedrock Gardens: The Journey from a Privacy Sanctuary to a Public Garden” with Jill Nooney
2025 Lecture Series: “Bedrock Gardens: The Journey from a Privacy Sanctuary to a Public Garden” with Jill Nooney
18 Jun 25
Portsmouth
Events on June 27, 2025
Opening Reception for the exhibit "Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall"
Opening Reception for the exhibit "Portsmouth in the Age of Jonathan Mitchel Sewall"
27 Jun 25
Portsmouth
Events on July 2, 2025
Franklin Club
Franklin Club
2 Jul 25
Portsmouth

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