Abby Epplett, Historian

I go to Portsmouth, NH so often that this is my fifth installment of quick history stops. The city is highly walkable with wide sidewalks, crosswalks with traffic lights, and streets lights. On this trip, I went back to the public gardens at Prescott Park, learned about historic buildings, took a rest on Four Tree Island, and even saw a very large boat pass under Memorial Bridge.

Few things give me such delight as a historic harbor tour. During my annual trip to Portsmouth, NH in 2025, I took the Portsmouth Harbor Cruise offered by aptly named Portsmouth Harbor Cruises . This eighty-five minute tour covers four hundred years of Portsmouth history in a well-researched and approachable format. The perfect weather made the trip a delightful experience.

Since starting the blog in May 2022, I have methodically visited historic houses, museums, parks, and quick history stops throughout New England, marching steadily toward the unattainable goal of “Seeing Everything”. Warner House was the only historic house open for public tours that I had not visited during my annual pilgrimage to Portsmouth. The building has even been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1966 . While I have no more properties to explore, I plan to return for boat tours, along with traveling farther north to Kittery, in the coming year.

For the third year in a row, I took my annual trip to Portsmouth, NH. This trip was shorter than the previous two, as I spent a day in the city revisiting Strawbery Banke , which I last visited in 2022 , and checking off a bucket list item: riding the gundalow operated by The Gundalow Company . While the day was overcast with occasional drizzle, I enjoyed seeing new surprises at the living history museum, along with viewing the city from the water.

Continuing my trip through Portsmouth, NH in September 2023, I visited the USS Albacore , a submarine used by the U.S. Navy from 1953 to 1972. Officially called USS Albacore (AGSS 569), the vessel was built in nearby Portsmouth Naval Yard and was used to conduct underwater experiments. Now open as a museum, the boat was named a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1953 and a National Historic Landmark in 1989, along with belonging to the Historic Naval Ships Association . Tours are self-guided, and visitors press buttons on speakers to hear museum employees and former crew members tell the story of the boat.

On Day 2 of my adventure to Amesbury, MA and Portsmouth, NH in September 2023, I visited Jackson House , the oldest extant home in New Hampshire, now owned by Historic New England (HNE). This was my 37 th HNE house out of the 38 properties in the collection. Jackson House resembled other post-medieval houses north of Boston, including Boardman House in Saugus, MA ; Coffin House in Newbury, MA ; Gedney House in Salem, MA ; and Browne House in Watertown, MA . The property has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1965. Richard Jackson built his family home around 1664 and included architectural features now familiar to old house enthusiasts and readers of this blog: summer beams with chamfered edges and lamb’s tongue stops; casement windows with diamond shaped panes of glass; and a tall attic space that served as a sleeping area. Jackson died in 1718, but the property was not divided among his heirs until nine years later in 1727. Fro...

Back in September 2023, the day after touring Amesbury, MA, I went north to Portsmouth, NH to continue my history adventure. I had previously visited Portsmouth in September 2022, covering well-known historic attractions including but not limited to Strawbery Banke , Historic New England’s Governor John Langdon House and Rundlet-May House , Moffatt-Ladd House & Garden , and Wentworth-Gardner House . During this visit, my first stop was to see Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion and Little Harbor Chapel located on the outskirts of Portsmouth.

In September 2022, I visited Portsmouth, New Hampshire and discovered many Quick History Stops around the city. Part 4 in this four part mini-series features features Haven Park and a statue to Fitz John Porter, Portsmouth Fire Department and the Vigilance memorial, Portsmouth Athenaeum, and City of Portsmouth informational signage.

In September 2022, I visited Portsmouth, NH and discovered many Quick History Stops around the city. Part 3 in this four part mini-series features the Art ’Round Town even held on the first Friday of the month, public art to commemorate figures of the past, and historic buildings. This first stop is a sign across the street from the Liberty Pole & Shield from Part 2. Before the Prescott Sister created Prescott Park, as discussed in Part 1, this area of Portsmouth was the Red Light District, filled with “houses of ill-fame and low-class saloons”. More information about the Red Light District can be found on the digital version of the informational sign .

Way back in September 2022, I visited Portsmouth, NH and discovered many Quick History Stops around the city. Part 2 in this four part mini-series features Portsmouth Memorial Park, Point of Graves Cemetery, the liberty pole, and the liberty shield. All of these stops are located within a short walking distance of Prescott Park, which I covered in Part 1 . As an added bonus, I learned a bit about the gundalow, a small but majestic replica of barges that sailed along the Piscasqua River and through Portsmouth Harbor from the late 17 th century to the early 20 th century. Revitalized by The Gundalow Company as a tourist attraction, visitors can cruise in the afternoon or evening while learning about the region. Looks like an adventure for the next time I go to Portsmouth!

During my trip to Portsmouth, New Hampshire back in September of last year, I made several Quick History Stops around the city, from a garden and cemetery near the waterfront to public art and historic buildings around town. The city is highly walkable with ample sidewalks and places to rest, which makes exploring accessible to anyone with time and energy. In fact, I explored so many places that this will be a four-part mini-series! Today’s Quick History Stops are Prescott Park, Sheafe Wharf, and Memorial Bridge.

As the final main stop on my three-day trip of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area, I visited Wentworth-Gardner House , a stunning yellow Georgian house listed on the National Register of Historic Places . This non-profit museum managed by the Wentworth-Gardner Historic House Association recently deaccessioned and renovated the nearby Tobias Lear House, also listed on the Register and now available to rent for $675 per night at time of publication . The remaining house is open for guided tours that leave on a first-come, first-served basis. The house was owned by several families, including the Wentworth and Gardner families, before being restored by historian Wallace Nutting and turned into a museum.

For major stop four on the third day of my three-day trip of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area, I visited Moffatt-Ladd House & Garden , also known as the William Whipple House. Constructed between 1760 and 1763, this house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a stop on the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail .

For my third main stop on the third day of my three-day trip through the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area, I visited Rundlet-May House , a property of Historic New England (HNE) constructed in 1807. Like the Sayward-Wheeler House in nearby York, Maine, which I visited as stop two on the same day, a single family lived in the house throughout its time as a residence. The Rundlet-May House has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1976 .

During my three-day trip of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area, I visited Portsmouth Historical Society and its John Paul Jones House, which are a members of the New England Museum Association (NEMA). While John Paul Jones (JPJ) was mentioned at the American Independence Museum in Exeter, New Hampshire and appeared in a novel written by Sarah Orne Jewett of Berwick, Maine , whose house is preserved by Historic New England (HNE), I admittedly did not know much about his life. The details were less glamorous than many 18 th and 19 th century biographies made it out to be.

Throughout my three-day trip to the Greater Portsmouth, New Hampshire area, I walked along the Black Heritage Trail . A similar trail exists in Boston, Massachusetts alongside Boston African American National Historic Site, whose founder, Byron Rushing, spoke during Day 1 of the Historic New England Summit 2022 . A self-guided audio tour is available through the Geotourist website and app , while a map of the tour can be printed at home or picked up at the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center, managed by Portsmouth Historical Society . Stops on this tour include historic house museums, churches, private residences, and places where the original structure no longer exists.

During my three-day trip of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area, I visited Governor John Langdon House , a property of Historic New England (HNE). With construction beginning in 1784, right before the Federalist Era of the United States, the exterior design of this oceanside mansion is mostly Georgian , an 18 th century English architectural style, while the interior was originally Rococo , an 18 th century French architectural style.

In early September, I took a three-day trip to the Greater Portsmouth, New Hampshire area. On my first stop, I visited Strawbery Banke, an amazing living history museum in Portsmouth. The organization is named after the original village founded in New Hampshire by English colonists in 1623, and its ten-acre property was a community called Puddle Dock until the 1950s.