Calling all Portsmouth homeowners! Apply for a historic plaque, to place proudly on your home, identifying a prominent owner and the date the house was built. Emma Stratton, Executive Director of Portsmouth Historical Society, spoke about the Portsmouth Plaque Program, now under the auspices of the Society, as it prepares for its first event “How to Research Your Historic Property” Wednesday July 31, 2024 5:30-6:30 at the Portsmouth Athenaeum.

Stratton said, “The Plaque Program was initiated by Portsmouth Advocates in the 1980s, and revived multiple times over the years. Last year, a volunteer committee in collaboration with PortsmouthNH400 and the Portsmouth Athenaeum revitalized the program. This year, the Society – which is merged with Portsmouth Advocates – stepped in to work alongside the committee. We could not be happier to take the baton from PortsmouthNH400 and provide a permanent home for this important program.”

Valerie Rochon, outgoing Managing Director for PortsmouthNH400, is thrilled with this development, saying, “During the 2023 400th Anniversary celebrations, Portsmouth NH 400 (PNH400), the Friends of the South End (FOSE), the Citywide Neighborhood Committee (CNC), and the Portsmouth Athenaeum (P.A.) collaborated to re-institute an Historic House Plaque Program. The Portsmouth History Plaque Committee (PHPC) with representatives from FOSE, the CNC, and P.A., will continue to offer the Historic Plaque program in 2024. This is exactly the kind of legacy program that we had hoped would come about from this important milestone in Portsmouth history.”

Event Information 

The Historical Society’s first event, How to Research Your Historic Property, is slated for Wednesday, July 31, 2024 from 5:30 to 6:30 pm, at the Portsmouth Athenaeum, 9 Market Square in Portsmouth. Residents interested in preserving the unique history of their homes will learn more about the Portsmouth Plaque Program, and how to use the resources at the Portsmouth Athenaeum. Attendees will dive into records, maps, surveys, and more. Who knows what you can discover about your home and its previous inhabitants! For more information please visit: https://portsmouthhistory.org/event/plaque-research/

A second How to Research Your History Property event on Sunday October 6, 2024 at  5:30 pm at the Portsmouth Public Library will focus on showing attendees how to use the Library’s resources. 

According to Portsmouth Athenaeum member Talia Sperduto, who is leading the Portsmouth Plaque Program, “Any building owner in town will have the opportunity to purchase a hand-hewn plaque highlighting their home’s construction date and an owner of interest.” She urges residents to attend the July 31 event, “This is your opportunity to engage with your home’s architectural and human history and become a part of the story yourself with a commemorative plaque. These plaques are an enduring, visual reminder of the individuals and families that have shaped our city’s rich history. Join us in celebrating and preserving Portsmouth’s heritage!”

Sperduto and volunteers Margaret Hodges, Mary Thomas, and Elaine Apatang-Butts have transitioned along with the plaques program from the PNH400 to the Portsmouth Historical Society and are as enthusiastic as ever to serve our community.

Plaque details

The owners of any house, no matter the age or location in Portsmouth, can research the origins of their home and complete the application for approval to install a plaque that has been pre-approved by the City’s Historic District Commission. The signs are primed and painted white with black lettering on red cedar. A small plaque (9” x 11.25”)  is $250 and a large plaque (11.25” x 16”) is $275. 

About the accreditation process
To certify accuracy, according to Talia Sperduto, “Research your home’s construction date and former owners. We have seminars, and research guides and will do it for you if you don’t have time. Our team of professional genealogists and architectural historians at the Portsmouth Athenaeum will check your research and certify accuracy. Plaques are a wonderful way to enrich our architectural landscape, but only if we ensure their accuracy. Once we confirm your date and previous owner of choice, volunteers will create your plaque and drop it off at your residence, ready for you to hang it up— with HDC approval already confirmed.”

For more information about the Plaque Program visit https://portsmouthhistory.org/advocates/plaque-program/