Dozen Distinctive Destinations
Portsmouth, NH
Year Listed: 2008
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, a 2008 National Trust for Historic Preservation "Distinctive Destination," was founded in 1623 as an Atlantic fishing and trade port. Both a Royal capital and the Colonial capital of New Hampshire, Portsmouth's William Whipple signed the Declaration of Independence. President Theodore Roosevelt chose Portsmouth in 1905 to host the peace conference that ended the Russo-Japanese War with the Treaty of Portsmouth, winning him the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize
Credit: David Browne
The elegant seaport of Portsmouth, the nation’s third oldest city, is one of the most culturally rich destinations in the country with its mix of historic buildings, sidewalk cafes, great restaurants, art galleries, jazz clubs and distinctive artisans’ boutiques. Radiating out from Portsmouth’s iconic North Church, streets bustle with activity.
The town brims with preserved historic sites including seven National Historic Landmarks. From the multitude of grand mansions, including the gabled former lodgings of renowned naval captain John Paul Jones to The Black Heritage Trail, a walking tour that traces the roots of African Americans in New Hampshire, Portsmouth is packed with history. Among the town’s finest historic destinations is Strawbery Banke Museum, named after the earliest Portsmouth settlement.
Candlelight Stroll at the Strawbery Banke Museum is a focal point of Portsmouth's "Vintage Christmas" festivities and is one of the annual highlights of the museum's event calendar. Created in 1958 in order to save ten acres of historically and architecturally important buildings from an urban renewal project, Strawbery Banke Museum is a living history museum depicting 400 years of daily life in Portsmouth history.
Credit: Strawbery Banke Museum
Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2008, Strawbery Banke captures 400 years of Portsmouth history through 35 original buildings and historic landscapes and gardens. Significantly, this site was rescued from poorly conceived urban renewal policies of the 1950s. One of New England’s most cherished historic hotels - Wentworth by the Sea - was named to the Trust’s 11 Most Endangered Places List in 1996. This historic structure, which had served a prestigious international audience since 1874, fell on hard times in the 1980s. A coalition of preservationists, community supporters and the non-profit Friends of the Wentworth executed an extensive renovation and today, with its stunning ocean views, this Victorian gem is a member of the National Trust’s Historic Hotels of America, retaining an enduring blend of gracious hospitality and 21st century convenience.
John Paul Jones House Museum is home to the Portsmouth Historical Society whose founders established the Society in 1917 in the process of preserving the house from demolition. Capt. Jones lodged with the widow of the builder of the gambrel-roofed home, Gregory Purcell, in 1781 while he waited for the completion of the frigate America being built in the Langdon Shipyard in Portsmouth.
Credit: Portsmouth Historical Society
"Portsmouth is a place that is not only defined as a ‘Distinctive Destination’ by history, it is a place that helps define many aspects of the history of our nation, thanks to the blend of preservation and interpretation championed by so many active community groups," said Margeurite Mathews, president of the Portsmouth Historical Society. "Since our earliest days, the Portsmouth Historical Society has been dedicated both to preserving our history and to telling Portsmouth’s stories along with the city’s other historic homes, museums and sites. As we move into 2008 with a new gateway that preserves two historic downtown buildings and provides an interpretive center for visitors, this wonderful recognition by the Trust helps us bring those stories to an ever-wider audience."
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