About

The Portsmouth Archive Center is a collaborative effort to preserve, protect, and provide access to the historical records of Portsmouth for present and future generations.

The Archive brings together the City of Portsmouth, Portsmouth Athenaeum, Portsmouth Historical Society, and Strawbery Banke Museum to create a shared, secure, climate-controlled environment for the care and preservation of Portsmouth’s irreplaceable records and collections.

Our holdings document more than 400 years of Portsmouth’s history that has shaped the city and the wider Piscataqua region. These primary historical resources are essential to understanding Portsmouth’s role in the development of New Hampshire and the United States.

By working together, our partner organizations can preserve more of these important collections while making them more accessible to anyone curious about Portsmouth’s past.

The Archive is committed to thoughtful stewardship, collaboration, and broad public access so that Portsmouth’s history can be protected and explored for generations to come.