Our Mission

The Portsmouth Historical Society’s museums and programs connect the community to our past, present and future through collections, interpretation, education and preservation. 

Board & Staff

Staff

Meredith Affleck, Exhibitions Manager
Jay Daphnis, Front Desk Assistant
Verity Boyer, Volunteer Engagement and Program Assistant
Brenda Brewster, Front Desk Assistant
Beth Gross-Santos, Welcome Center and Museum Shop Manager
Sabina Ion, Marketing Manager
Jessica Kliskey, John Paul Jones House Site Manager
Roberta Lew, Front Desk Assistant
Molly Liolios, Collections Manager and Registrar
Robin Lurie-Meyerkopf, Facilities & Walking Tours Manager
Sarah Robbitts-Terry, Director of Community Engagement
Kim Simmons, Development Manager
Emma Stratton, Executive Director
Donna Theodossiou, Front Desk Assistant
Gerald W. R. Ward, Curator and Editor

 Land Acknowledgement

The Portsmouth Historical Society is committed to acknowledging and honoring all parts of the human history tied to this land. According to their oral traditions, Abenaki people have lived in the place now called New Hampshire for more than 12,000 years, before the beginning of Tribal memory. The land that comprises the City of Portsmouth has therefore long been the homeland of the Abenaki people, who today still maintain cultural and spiritual connections to this area. The Abenaki are part of a larger group of Indigenous peoples called Wabanaki, or ‘People of the Dawn,’ whose communities are connected by a common language family.

This Land Acknowledgement is based on the text prepared in consultation with the Indigenous New Hampshire Collaborative Collective and the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook-Abenaki People, the Portsmouth Public Library, and the Strawbery Banke Museum. It was adopted by the Portsmouth Historical Society’s Board on April 26, 2021.