Twilight Tour

Twilight Tour

Image of a large yellow Georgian House on a green grass lawn at twilight.

Join the Portsmouth Historic Sites Association for its annual Twilight Tour on Friday, August 11, from 4-8 p.m.

This year’s Twilight Tour features special exhibitions and objects of PHSA sites that celebrate the City of Portsmouth’s 400th anniversary, including those highlighted in the legacy project, A History of Portsmouth NH in 101 Objects.

The following historical properties will be open during Twilight Tour:

  • Portsmouth Athenaeum
  • Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire
  • Historic New England’s Langdon House
  • Moffatt-Ladd House and Gardens
  • Portsmouth Historical Society’s John Paul Jones House
  • Strawbery Banke Museum’s Goodwin Mansion
  • Warner House
  • Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion

Tickets are $25 for adults ($20 in advance) and $10 for children ages 12 and under. All tours are self-guided and houses can be visited in any order. Each ticket is valid for one admission to each of the participating sites on the night of August 11. The ticket remains valid until the end of the 2023 season for any houses not visited on the night of Twilight Tour.

Ticket holders are responsible for their transportation and parking.

Zoom Lecture for “Twilight”

Many of you received postcards for a end-of-season “Members Only” reception. Shortly after mailing, the COVID situation changed, and we had to adjust our expectations for this event. We felt it was important to proceed with caution by limiting attendance and not serving any food. However, because we couldn’t have the celebration we hoped for, we are also going to broadcast the lecture by Zoom! 

Members: Check inbox your soon for a link to get tickets to a virtual lecture!

Not a member yet? Sign up here!

Join us for a toast to celebrate the concluding days of our extraordinary summer exhibitions, “Twilight of American Impressionism” and “Working Waterfronts” and to inaugurate the William & Arlene Brewster Lecture Series!

September 9, 2021 5:30pm
Lecture by guest curator William Brewster Jr.


Support for this event is provided by Lynne Joyce of Tate & Foss Sotheby’s International Realty.


Young Writers Contest Extended!

The Young Writers Contest has been extended! Submissions are now due by midnight on Monday, September 13. We’ve got some great prizes to offer from our sponsors, Summer Sessions and Flatbread Co!

Full details at www.portsmouthhistory.org/young-writers

Get to the exhibitions before they close on September 12! 


Morning Mixer at PHS

As a member of the Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth, we get to do cool things like host the Morning Mixer!

The Chamber is a wonderful resource for all greater Portsmouth businesses, and it was fun to get to see some of our fellow members and have a cup of coffee with them. Thanks for stopping by!


History. Arts. Culture.


Free Admission Tomorrow

Free Admission Tomorrow

Meet the Artists at Art ‘Round Town

Tomorrow is the first Friday in May, and Portsmouth Historical Society is

FREE ALL DAY!

PLUS! We’re open until 8pm for Art ‘Round Town.

Meet the Artists!

Judy Schubert and Don Gorvett will here to meet and greet! Stop by between 5 and 8 pm.


Thank You to All Mothers!

This Sunday is Mother’s Day! Bring your mom to Portsmouth Historical Society, and she gets in free!


May is Membership Month

Marvelous May is our Merry Membership Month!
This month only:

Join or renew for a chance to win a PRIVATE walking tour for 8!

Upgrade or become a sustaining member and be entered in a raffle for a $100 gift certificate to the Museum Shop!

Members get great benefits, like free admission, discounted walking tour tickets, exclusive access to events, and more!

Be a History Hero and Join Today


May 9th is your only chance this month for
“Gay” Old Times: Stories of Portsmouth’s LGBTQ+ Community

This special walking tour on LGBTQ+ history is offered only once a month. Led by guide Tom Kaufhold, learn the hidden history behind the rise of pride in Portsmouth! Book Here!


2021 Young Writers Contest

2021 Young Writers Contest

Visit the exhibitions and GET INSPIRED

Select a work of art and start writing!

You can write a poem, story, essay, play or dialogue, newspaper article, or any other kind of writing!

All entries must be submitted by midnight on
Monday, September 13, 2021.

Visit Portsmouth Historical Society and check out the art on display in the Twilight of American Impressionism or Don Gorvett: Working Waterfronts exhibitions. Get inspired by your surroundings and select one work of art and write! You may write a poem, story, essay, play/dialogue, newspaper article, or in any other style you would like. You must relate your writing to the artwork you selected.

A panel of judges will read and evaluate the entry based on its content, creativity, expression, clarity, quality, and connection to the original artwork.

Special thanks to our contest sponsors!


Official Entry Information

Age Divisions

  • Ages 7-10
  • Ages 11-14
  • Ages 15-18

Length

  • At least 200 words
  • No more than 600 words
  • Poems must be no more than 50 lines

Information to Include with Submission

  • Age
  • First and last name of entrant
  • Mailing address
  • Email address
  • Home phone number
  • Title of artwork
  • Title of submission

How to Submit

Email submissions to Education Coordinator Claire Spollen
Claire@PortsmouthHistory.org  

or

Mail submissions to

Claire Spollen
Writing Contest
Portsmouth Historical Society
Post Office Box 728
Portsmouth, NH 03802

Judging, Awards, and Publication

Judging

  • The judging panel will include staff from Portsmouth Historical Society and local educators.
  • Entries will be evaluated on content, creativity, expression, clarity, quality, and connection to original artwork.
  • Judges will select a winner and an honorable mention from each age division.

Awards

  • Winners will be announced at the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center at 5:00 pm on Friday, October 1, 2021.
  • Each age division will have one winner and one honorable mention.
  • There will be a small presentation ceremony to celebrate the winners and participants.
  • The Young Writers Contest sponsors, Flatbread and Summer Sessions, have generously donated prizes for the three winners. The Discover Portsmouth Museum Shop has donated prizes for the honorable mentions.
  • Each submission will be placed into a lottery to win a one-year family membership to Portsmouth Historical Society. The winner will be drawn at the award ceremony. You do not need to be present to win.

Publication

Participants grant permission to Portsmouth Historical Society to publish your entry and your name for publicity purposes.

Questions?

Please contact Education Coordinator Claire Spollen if you have questions. Claire@PortsmouthHistory.org

Exhibitions Receiving Rave Reviews

Exhibitions Receiving Rave Reviews

After a long winter, visitors are loving the fabulous art on display! Between “Twilight of American Impressionism” and “Don Gorvett: Working Waterfronts,” there’s definitely something for everyone!

Don Gorvett, Taking the Path Least Traveled, 1995. Reduction woodcut; 35 x 38 in. Private collection.

Admission to Portsmouth Historical Society’s exhibitions is $7.50 for adults. Admission is FREE to:

  • Historical Society Members
  • children under 18
  • seniors 70 and over
  • active & retired military

Plus, the first Friday of every month we are free to all and open until 8pm!

Portsmouth Historical Society is open
7 days a week
10 am to 5 pm


Museum Shop Featured Artist: Michael Sterling

This week’s featured artist from the Shop’s “Art Wall” is photographer Michael Sterling! A co-editor of our upcoming fall photography show, “New Hampshire Now: A Photographic Diary of Life in the Granite State,” Michael has been capturing life with his lens since he was a teenager. Check out his prints for sale in the Museum Shop today!


In Memoriam: Jon Wennberg

We’d like to take a moment to remember one of the “most easy going, affable, and good natured individuals you’d ever want to meet.” Jon Wennberg was a long-time volunteer and friend of Portsmouth Historical Society who was always ready to pitch in and lend a hand, no matter the task. Our sincerest condolences to his family. He will be missed.


It’s Earth Day in the Museum Shop!

Museum Shop manager Beth Gross-Santos wants everyone to know that she’s making the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center as green as possible! While going green can be challenging, every little bit helps! Do your part to raise awareness with this Tree of Life serving board. Made from sustainable bamboo, it’s “rings” are silhouettes of endangered species from around the globe!

Check out this and other bamboo products available in our online shop!


History. Arts. Culture.