Portsmouth Historical Society

This NH Gives, we're raising funds to support our Portsmouth Third Grade History Program—a free, year-long educational experience for every 3rd grader in the Portsmouth public schools.

With critical gaps in our state’s social studies curriculum, students risk missing out on vital lessons in history and civics. That’s where we step in. Despite growing national cuts to education and humanities programs, Portsmouth Historical Society ensures that all 3rd graders in the Portsmouth public school system–165 students total–engage with local history through hands-on artifacts, 10 classroom visits, and walking tours of historic sites.

We provide this program completely free of charge—but we can’t do it without your help. Join us this NH Gives to keep history in the classroom and make sure every child in Portsmouth gets the chance to connect with our past. 

About Us:

The Portsmouth Historical Society’s museums and programs connect the community to our past, present, and future through collections, interpretation, education, and preservation. Today the Portsmouth Historical Society operates two properties, its main building located at 10 Middle Street, and the John Paul Jones House, located just across the street at 43 Middle. In addition to enjoying the museum galleries, visitors can join us on a walking tour, browse our gift shop, or take part in one of our many public programs.

We could not do all that we do without you. Your support truly makes a difference.

Who We Are

The Portsmouth Historical Society (PHS) is dedicated to increasing public awareness of and enthusiasm for Portsmouth and its historical and cultural resources. We believe that the uniqueness of Portsmouth is defined by the city’s past and our mission is to provide a central location where, in cooperation with other groups, we can introduce, interpret, and stimulate the study of Portsmouth history.

Accessibility is a key part of our mission, allowing the public to take part in these activities at minimal or no cost. We strive to benefit the community as a whole, and our programming is designed to appeal to everyone, regardless of age, financial status or demographic.

Now in it's 99th year, the Portsmouth Historical Society is comprised of the National Historic Landmark site the John Paul Jones House, which houses the area’s largest collection of Portsmouth-related ephemera, furniture and textiles, and Discover Portsmouth, which features exhibition galleries, a museum shop and a welcome center focusing on Portsmouth's history, arts and culture. In recent years, the PHS successfully integrated three additional non-profits: The nationally recognized Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail, whose mission is to preserve the history and culture of the African-American community in Portsmouth and greater New Hampshire; Portsmouth Advocates, the city’s architectural preservation group; and The Portsmouth Marine Society, our nonprofit publishing arm which has produced 35 titles, including most recently, ILLUMINATING TARBELL, a companion catalogue to the Spring 2016 exhibition. Since 2008, the Portsmouth Historical Society has used the spacious Academy Gallery portion of the former library building to explore the region’s 18th - 20th century art and history. We present several exhibitions each year and our annual audience has grown from 3,683 annually in 2008 to more than 31,000 in 2015. As of May 31st, 2016, we are already 8,000 visitors ahead of our previous year’s visitation and our membership has doubled.

Central to programming are exhibitions which focus on artwork or local craftsmanship that is significant to Portsmouth, regional or state history. Our 2016 feature exhibits are the nationally acclaimed "Illuminating Tarbell: Life & Art on the Piscataqua and Legacy in Action" (March 4 – June 3), "Wendy Turner ~ Island Light" (June 17 – September 30), "The Odd and the Elegant: Mining the Collections of the Portsmouth Historical Society", and "This is What Artists Look Like with Photographer Jay Goldsmith". Exhibitions are free and open to the public seven days a week.

Throughout the summer season, PHS offers four different walking tours to help visitors and residents alike deepen their knowledge and appreciation of our city’s history. These tours range from exploring the architectural landscape to featuring sites along the Black Heritage Trail. Discover Portsmouth hosts numerous talks, lectures and interactive forums throughout the year that tie into current exhibitions, New Hampshire’s black history and culture, and other topics of local interest. These talks are reasonably priced and open to the public. We also provide a venue through which other local non-profits can gather and meet at little to no cost.