Adopt an Artifact returns with a powerful purpose: to help bring our 2026 exhibition, “Revolutionary Portsmouth” to life at the historic John Paul Jones House. This special exhibition, presented for the nation’s 250th anniversary, will explore the everyday people—Loyalist and Patriot, free and enslaved—who made Portsmouth revolutionary.
With a significant drop in federal and state funding, producing exhibitions has become increasingly challenging. Adopt an Artifact gives you a direct way to support the research, care, and presentation of these objects. Funds raised will go toward protective display cases, custom mounts, interpretive labels, and the many behind-the-scenes materials needed to share this history with care and integrity.
A special thank you to the following individuals who have adopted an item from our collection:
Formed in 1980, Portsmouth Advocates was established to “promote the maintenance of the historical and architectural integrity of the structures and cityscape of the City of Portsmouth within and outside of the historic districts of the City.
Check out these resources:
The 2022 Portsmouth Advocates Award winners. From left to right: Roslyn Weems, Chair of Portsmouth Advocates; Nancy Carmer; Lawrence Yerdon; Bruce Blanchard; Christine Dwyer and Mike Huxtable; David Ryng; and Gerry Ward (accepting on behalf of the NH Bureau of Historic Sites for the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion).
Restoring the Integrity of a Resource: State of New Hampshire Bureau of Historic Sites for restoration of the Billiard Room at the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion
Continued and Sensitive Maintenance of a Historic Property: Christine Dwyer and Michael Huxtable (homeowners) and David Ryng (contractor)
Arthur J. Gerrier Memorial Award, which is presented to an individual who is committed to serving our historic community: Bruce Blanchard (Preservation Manager- Piscataqua Region at Historic New England)
John Grossman Memorial Award, which recognizes an individual who makes a reality of an organization’s mission by bridging the theoretical and the practical: Lawrence Yerdon (President and CEO of Strawbery Banke Museum)
The inaugural Nancy Carmer Preservation Planning Award. The award celebrates individuals or groups who promote innovative, vibrant, and economically sustainable uses for historic properties and is presented to its namesake: Nancy Carmer (Former Economic Development Program Manager for the City of Portsmouth)
