The third-floor Shaw Research Library and Randall Gallery are open to the public from 1 to 4 p.m., Tuesday thru Saturday. For elevator access, please call (603) 431-2538.
UPCOMING EVENT
Art 'Round Town for "The Red Light District: Vice in Portsmouth, NH, at the Turn of the 20th Century"
HOURS
Shaw Research Library &
Randall Gallery
Tuesday through Saturday
1 to 4 p.m.
Reading Room Tours
EXPLORE THE ARCHIVES
The Athenæum houses an outstanding collection of documents and artifacts relating to local history. It also preserves what is undoubtedly the finest collection in the state of materials relating to the history of New Hampshire’s only major seaport.
August 2026: Beach Reads
By Research Librarian Jessica Zaricki It’s summertime and our thoughts have turned to the beach and, of course, light, distracting summer reads. Please enjoy this selection from our circulating collection featuring mystery, romance, and New Hampshire’s local beaches...
July 2026: The Red Light District
By Research Librarian Jessica Zaricki This summer and fall the Portsmouth Athenæum presents The Red Light District: Vice in Portsmouth, NH at the Turn of the 20th Century, an exhibit in the Randall Gallery which offers a glimpse at a seedier part of our city’s...
Exhibit Shines the Red Light on City’s Past
By Sherry Wood "The Red Light District: Vice in Portsmouth, NH, at the Turn of the 20th Century," opens July 10 in the Randall Gallery. It will bring a fresh perspective to Portsmouth's houses of ill repute, which flourished after the Spanish-American War of 1898...