A Sense of Place

by Portsmouth Historical Society | Feb 14, 2023 | Past Exhibitions

April 1- October 28, 2023

An exhibition to accompany The History of Portsmouth in 101 Objects

Programs, Events, & Lectures

Events are being added all the time! Please check back in for updates.

Exhibition Programs

Connect with Portsmouth and our local community through the collection or workshops, lectures, and community conversations we have planned this season.

There are no upcoming events at this time.

Exhibition Open Seven Days
10:00 AM–5:00 PM

This companion exhibition to the recent publication “A History of Portsmouth NH in 101 Objects” encourages visitors to explore our shared past. From first being the home of the Abenaki, who have inhabited the area for thousands of years, through European settlement, Portsmouth’s generations of families have defined the area in myriad ways.

This exhibition includes dozens of objects featured in the book, as well as providing its own episodic glimpse into the shadows of our past. From maps to landscape paintings, commemorative items and objects of daily life, our exhibition demonstrates Portsmouth’s history in expressive ways that expand on the typical historical narrative.

We challenge visitors to think about the objects that will define “a sense of place” for Portsmouth over the next 400 years.

“Brotherhood of Piscataqua Bucks” certificate to commemorate Portsmouth’s 350th anniversary, ca. 1973. Gift of Robert Philbrook, 2021.

Portsmouth Burying Ground by Gertrude Fiske ca. 1925. Oil on canvas. Gift in memory of Harold B. Willis, Jr. 2022

Ruth Blay Quilt Fragment, c. 1735-1768.

“Rock Rest” rocking chair, possibly Grand Rapids, Michigan, ca. 1910; retailed by Margeson Brothers, Portsmouth. Gift of Bob Shouse, 2014. Photo, Ralph Morang.

Oil painting of Old Houses Near Vaughan St. Portsmouth, NH by Daniel Atwater.

David Atwater (1901-1981), North End, Grey Day, 1971. Oil on canvas board. Private collection.

Brown wooden sign for an Antiques dealer with an artists palette underneath.

Book Cover for "A History of Portsmouth in 101 Objects" featuring a close up of an ornate metal doorknob on a door with flaking red paint.

Get Your Copy of “101 Objects”

As a memento of the 400th anniversary, this volume gives readers a sense of “who we are” and “where we are” as Portsmouth continues its journey from our past before 1623 to our future beyond 2023. Each object is depicted with a full-page photograph accompanied by an essay by a local author – 80 different writers who are the historians, experts, participants and observers of Portsmouth history best able to explain how each object’s story offers a path into our bigger 400+ year history.

Visit “A Sense of Place” to see some of the many objects included in this volume.

Buy A Copy

Behind the scenes during the off-season

by Portsmouth Historical Society | Feb 2, 2023 | News

Get an idea of just some of the projects Portsmouth Historical Society staff have been working on while our doors are closed to the public.

Two museum professionals remove a rectangular plexiglass bonnet from a display case using suction cup grips.

Saying goodbye to the 2022 exhibitions

Almost all of the artwork from “Show + Tell” has gone back to the artists. This means object lists and floor plans for the 2023 exhibitions have also begun. Follow our social channels to keep up-to-date on our upcoming exhibitions.

Cleaning up at John Paul Jones

While cleaning out a closet across the street, our curatorial staff found the old linoleum or oil cloth flooring that we believe pre-dates the Historical Society’s founding in 1917.

Linoleum or oil cloth flooring from sometime before 1917 with a golden and red pattern of geometric flowers at the center of ornate squares.

Small dog with grey and white hair and perky ears sits in front of a computer with email pulled up.

Restocking the Gift Shop

As we join the city in celebrating Portsmouth’s 400th anniversary, we are stocking the gift shop items that commemorate 400 plus years of history and showcase the many talented artists who live in and around our great city. Be sure to say hi to Lluvia, our shop dog, when you come in.

Making it easier to find your way

With all of our new staff settling in, it’s time to update our office signage! Despite being spread out over several offices we hope that our new wayfinding signs help visitors know where the exhibits end and where to go for meetings.

Museum employee in a burgundy shirt faces awat from the camera as they hang up a blue and white office sign on a door.

From the collection

Small, four-legged, wooden table made out of maple with a warm, slightly orange finish.

While you shouldn’t scratch your name onto the table, every now and then historians get excited about a little graffiti.

Thanks to an inscription on this table we know a bit more about its owner Molly Miles (ca. 1718-1829) of Kittery Point, Maine. Molly was enslaved by members of the Pepperrell family and we do not know much about her life before she gained her freedom in 1783. We can imagine Molly sitting at this modest table, reading and writing, or eating and working.

“Molly’s table,” more broadly, reminds us of the daily lives of many African Americans, enslaved and free, whose very existence on the Seacoast has long been overlooked and undervalued.

Table (“Molly’s table”), ca. 1750 with later additions. Maple; two replaced legs, oak. Gift of Alan and Anne Cutter (2017.2).

Join the Team

The Portsmouth Historical Society in Portsmouth, NH seeks an engaging and knowledgeable individual to assist in our Welcome Center & Gift Shop.

Two Front Desk Assistants

April 1 – December 30, approximately 20 hours/week

See Full Job Listing and Apply

Image of the Portsmouth Historical Society building, a two story brick structure with white windows and doors. A blue semi-transparent highlighter is scribbled over the image of the building and "we're hiring" is written in white text.

Shop the gift store

2023 is the 400th anniversary of European settlement in Portsmouth. Uncover stories of the region through the many books for sale in our gift shop.

Browse the Online Shop

History. Arts. Culture.

January at Portsmouth Historical Society

by Portsmouth Historical Society | Jan 20, 2023 | News

Welcome our new staff members!

You’ve probably already seen them in the museum hard at work or smiling in photos, but we would like to formally introduce you to our new staff members:

Sabina Ion, Marketing Manager

Sabina is a trained archeologist with a long history in public outreach. She most recently worked at the American independence Museum and loves translating the work that happens inside the museum into the digital world to share with a broader audience.

Sarah Robbitts-Terry, Volunteer and Program Coordinator

Sarah has enjoyed a career as an educator in schools as well as museums. She is passionate about lifelong learning and can’t wait to bring all kinds of new programs, workshops, and activities to the Portsmouth community.

Molly Liolios, Collections Manager and Registrar

Molly has her masters in History and Archives from U Mass Boston and has previously worked at the Heritage Museum and Gardens. She looks forward to sharing objects that have not been on display.

Kim Simmons, Development Manager

Kim comes to us from just across town, having most recently worked at Albacore Park. She has a passion for all things maritime and is particularly excited when the tall ships come to town. She plans to use her enthusiasm for community history to broaden engagement with the Historical Society.

A successful end to the 2022 season

Show+ Tell Exhibition featuring Greater Seacoast Illustrators. Image has a green background and several characters featured in these illustrated books below.

Bonus Gingerbread, exhibition extended until December 30. Written on a snowy backdrop with an adorable cartoon penguin wearing a pink sweater.

From the collection

Season Ending Soon text over an image of the Historical Society building

In an era before supermarkets where would you go for foodstuffs? Your local grocers or merchants who sometimes styled themselves as “West India Goods” retailers. This jug was made for Alfred Tucker who sold foodstuffs, including imports from the Caribbean such as rum and molasses from his shop in Spring Hill (the area where Market, Bow, and Ceres streets meet). This bustling area is now home to restaurants, ice cream emporiums, and a variety of retail shops, as well as apartments, and private dwellings.

Tucker’s jug reminds us of the area’s previous incarnation and enhances our understanding of the West India grocers’ important role in the mid-nineteenth century.

🏺Jug, New England, ca. 1849–56, Stoneware with cobalt-blue decoration, Gift from the estate of Edward and Florence Morrison (2019. 003).

History. Arts. Culture.

Show + Tell: Greater Seacoast Illustrators

by Portsmouth Historical Society | Oct 4, 2022 | Past Exhibitions

October 28–December 30, 2022

Celebrating contemporary children’s picturebook illustrators of the greater Seacoast Region

Carey Armstrong Ellis • Jeannie Brett • Jane Cowen-Fletcher • Ken Daley • Rebecca Dudley • Timothy Basil Ering • Kim Ferreira • Josie James • Marty Kelley • Scott Magoon • David McPhail • Hazel Mitchell • Ryan O’Rourke • Gina Perry • AJ Smith • Susan Spellman • Robert Squier • Nicole Tadgell • Jill Weber • Teri Weidner

Armstrong-Ellis, i love you more than moldy ham

Armstrong-Ellis, Carey. I Love You More than Moldy Ham. New York, Abrams Books For Young Readers, 2015.

Carey Armstrong-Ellis

“I Love You More than Moldy Ham started out as a Mother’s Day story. My editor at Abrams suggested that I write something gross and icky that would appeal to boys as well as girls. ‘I can do that!’ I said.”

Jeannie Brett

“When I illustrate a book, I have a process of getting to know as much as I can about my subject before digging into the art in depth.”

Dorothy Hinshaw Patent, and Jeannie Brett. Decorated Horses. Watertown, Ma, Charlesbridge, 2015.

Cowen-Fletcher, Jane. Baby Be Kind. Somerville, Ma, Candlewick Press, 2013.

Jane Cowen-Fletcher

“A picture book, especially a board book, is for the newest humans. I wanted to provide an appealing guide for them that showed what kindness is and that it feels good to give.”

Ken Daley

“Joseph’s memories of dancing with his grandma and the sights, sounds and smells of his home in East Africa reminds me of my travel to Dominica to connect with our family and culture.”

Farish, Terry and OD Bonny. Feast for Joseph. Groundwood Books Ltd, 2021.

Dudley, Rebecca. Hank Finds an Egg. White Plains, New York, Peter Pauper Press, Inc, 2013.

Rebecca Dudley

“Like most illustrators, I start with an image in my head and make sketches. Unlike most illustrators, I then build a place for my idea to live.”

Timothy Basil Ering

“My passions for creating images, fishing, the ocean, outdoors hunting and gathering, and making time to experience people, places, and things are so great, and feel so good when I share it all with others.”

Ering, Unexpected Love Story of Alfred Fiddleduckling

Kim Ferreira

Kim calls this series “Joie de Vivre”, the French term used to describe the exuberant enjoyment of life.

Josie James

“The moment I stumbled upon the story of Marie Tharp I was fascinated. I couldn’t believe that I didn’t know anything about her discovery of the Mid-Ocean Ridge and Rift Valley. I grabbed my notebook and pen and dove into months of research.”

James, Josie. Marie’s Ocean : Marie Tharp Maps the Mountains under the Sea. New York, Henry Holt And Company, 2020.

Kelley, Marty. Experiment #256. Ann Arbor, Mi, Sleeping Bear Press, 2019.

Marty Kelley

“I‘ve been told I’m young at heart, which I suspect is a polite way of saying ‘immature’. I write things that I think are funny. Generally, there is a pretty wide overlap between my sense of humor and that of the average kid.”

Scott Magoon

“I love putting words and pictures together to tell stories for young readers that may be slightly edgy, funny, or about serious topics difficult to face. But all of them have a singular core message: hope that all will be well.”

Magoon, Scott. Linus the Little Yellow Pencil. Los Angeles ; New York, Disney Hyperion, 2019.

Mcphail, David. I Feel Safe. New York, Holiday House, 2022.

David McPhail

“I was inspired to write this story from my wife’s childhood experience with thunderstorms. She was deeply afraid until her father comforted her and convinced her to join him on the front porch. Sitting on her father’s lap, her fear lessened and became a fascination with the wonders of thunder and lightning”

Hazel Mitchell

“The most wonderful thing happened after the book had been published. I received photographs of children from a Maasai tribe reading the book. They looked and dressed just like Imani!”

Brown-Wood, Janay, et al. Imani’s Moon. Solon, Ohio, Findaway World, Llc, 2019.

Julia Marie Richardson, and Ryan O’rourke. Let’s Build a Little Train. Ann Arbor, Mi, Sleeping Bear Press, 2022.

Ryan O’Rourke

“Creating a book is a highly collaborative effort that involves multiple people sharing their expertise. This process is mirrored by the team in Let’s Build a Little Train that comes together to build the stream engine.”

Gina Perry

“I acknowledge that I am mostly a Moe. I like a tidy workspace, quiet games, and orderly rows of toy cars. However, when I sit down to make art I channel the colorful energy and fun of Peanut.”

Perry, Gina. Too Much! Not Enough! Toronto, Tundra Books, An Imprint Of Penguin Random House, 2018.

Smith, A J. Tea Time for Dinosaurs. Sourcebooks, Incorporated, 2022.

AJ Smith

“I love telling stories about dinosaurs just as much as drawing them!”

Susan Spellman

“Before creating the illustrations for Satchi and Little Star, I traveled to the island of Grand Turk where the story takes place,.It was wonderful to see firsthand the many horses, donkeys, and dogs that freely roam the island.”

Donna Marie Seim, and Susan Spellman. Satchi and Little Star. Portsmouth, Nh Peter Randall Pub, 2011.

Robert Squier, Lil’ Library, 2018. Digital.

Robert Squier

“I am an illustrator of dinosaurs and things that are not dinosaurs. I’ve illustrated several nonfiction chapter books (among other books) and I enjoy drawing whimsical creatures getting in—or out of—trouble.”

Nicole Tadgell

“I want readers to take away from this story is a sense of connection with the past―to appreciate that kids are kids, no matter the time period. There is always kindness, connection, and empathy.”

Trinka Hakes Noble, and Nicole Tadgell. A Fist for Joe Louis and Me. Ann Arbor, Mi, Sleeping Bear Press, 2019.

Salamon, Julie, and Jill Weber. Cat in the City. New York, Dial Books For Young Readers, An Imprint Of Penguin Group (Usa) Llc, 2014.

Jill Weber

“Cat in the City was a wonderful project that grew from an article in the Village Voice about a feisty stray cat who won everyone’s heart, and in doing so brought together an entire neighborhood.”

Teri Weidner

“During my childhood in Fairport, New York, I was always the kid hunched over my desk with a big mess of crayons. The apex of my artistic career came early, when at 9 years, I won both first and third prize in an Easter egg decorating contest judged by my classmates.”

Weidner, Teri. Always Twins. New York, Holiday House, 2015.

32nd Annual Gingerbread House Contest and Exhibition

by Portsmouth Historical Society | Sep 13, 2022 | Past Exhibitions

Exhibition Extended Through December 30

Holiday hours, 10am–4pm

FREE for everyone!

Open until 8pm Friday, December 2, and Saturday, December 3.

Are you ready for sweater weather?

Gingerbread is back for 2022! Join us at Portsmouth Historical Society as we celebrate this sweet season with the 32nd Annual Gingerbread House Contest and Exhibition from November 25 through December 22 at the Portsmouth Historical Society’s Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center.

Downtown Scavenger Hunt

Voting & Awards

Raffle Houses

Vintage Christmas in Portsmouth

Escape into a World of Fiction

To go along with our exhibition featuring greater Seacoast children’s picturebook illustrators, “Show + Tell,” we invited the gingerbreadologisits of Portsmouth and beyond to craft their favorite fictional places and characters. This year’s exhibition is filled with beloved charcters, magical castles, and storybook holiday favorites.

Now through December 22!

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Judges’ Awards

With so many fasntastic entries this year we do not envy the judge’s job. Thank you to all our judges for their hard work!

Angela Carter of Avery Agency
Doug Smith and Rachel Peter of Kennebunk Savings Bank
Jane Murphy of Seacoast Media Group
Robin Albert, Portsmouth Arts & Nonprofits Committee
Ben VanCamp of Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce
Karen Conard, City Manager
Peter Rice, Director of Public Works
Devine Millimet
EnviroVantage

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Judges from Kennebunk Savings at the 2022 Gingerbread Contest.

Judges from Kennebunk Savings Bank

Adult Category

The winner is Elena Trunfio’s Magical Mushroom Cottage

Our adult category is always full of fantastic entries and this year was no exception!

Honorable mention in both the Adult Category and for Best in Show goes to Hagrid’s Hut by Izzi and Hannah

Multi-Generational Category

It’s all about the magic you can create when working together in the multi-generational category.

Frank Krupp and Ariana Incollingo’s Tangled Christmas towered above the competition and won the category.

An Old House in Paris by Aunt Kathy Brown and the La Croix Kddos with their twelve little girls in two straight lines receieves an honorable mention.

Teen Category

Our teen category entrants were hard at work leveling up their masterpieces!

The Ravenpuffs’ Hogwarts Express

Kuzco’s Palace and Pacha’s Hut by Natalie Little

Youth Category

We always love seeing what our 12-and-under category choose to build. This year’s entries pull from storybook classics like the Three Little Pigs, epic fantasy such as the Hobbit, and the magical world of witchcraft and wizardry.

Biblo’s Hobbit Hole by Rachel Little

Santa’s Surf Shack by Cole Dinulos

Business or Organization Category

The Merchantile Portsmouth‘s Gnomeland may be decorated in all white treats, but they take home the blue winners ribbon.

After announcing their summer 2023 show as Little Shop of Horror’s Prescott Park Arts Festival‘s entry takes home an honorable mention.

Best In Show

Our Judge’s Choice Best in Show winner is Lindsay Carroll’s Goldilocks and the Three Bears. With decorative details from the story on all sides of the gingerbread house still photos weren’t enough to capture all the tiny details.

Committee Choice Award

This award of merit goes to Kim Willoughby’s Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. On each side of this majestic gingerbread chocolate factory is another scene from the iconic movie. You are sure to be in a world of pure imagination when taking a closer look.

People’s Choice Awards

Most Attention to Detail

Sandi Strzepek’s The Hobbit is full of fun details. From the almond sliver pavers and the slices of gum stacked as letters in the the mailbox to the sugar pane illusion of a fireplace inside the hobbit home, Strzepek’s work holds many charming surprises.

Most Creative Use of Materials

Rachel Wall’s Those Who Live in Glass Houses Should Not Throw Stones is not made out of glass, but instead uses poured sugar to create. the illusion of glass walls. Pair that with the colorful base of melted peppermint candies and visitors see unexpected and ingenious uses of edible material.

Most Whimsical

Libby Giordano’s Gingerbread Village for Make-A-Wish New Hampshire is a colorful pile of not one, not two, but six different gingerbread houses. The structure of these houses comes from store bought kits, but the colorful decoration creates a sense of whimsy.

Best in Show

Elena Trunfio’s Magical Mushroom Cottage, which also took home Judges’ Award for best in the adult category, adds to its ribbons with People’s Choice Best in Show. Who does Trunfio’s woodland cottage hold? You’ll just have to use your imagination.

32nd Annual Gingerbread Contest and Exhibition

Download a Stamp Sheet

Need a Hint?

Downtown Scavenger Hunt

Pick up a stamp sheet at the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center, at one of our downtown retail partner locations, or download here.

Visit each of the locations and get a stamp.

Collect 15 of 18 stamps and submit your sheet by December 20 for a chance to win a prize from one of our partners!

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Raffles

We will be raffling off some of the creations submitted by community members. Get a ticket for $1 and you could take home as a holiday centerpiece! Winners to be announced on December 20.

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Vintage Christmas in Portsmouth

We are part of the city-wide seasonal event, Vintage Christmas in Portsmouth, along with many other institutions. Check it all out here! Plus, we’re hosting the kick-off party on December 2, 2022 from 5:30–7:30 pm when the winners of the community judges’ awards will be announced!