Join us for a special tour of the Portsmouth Athenaeum, a private subscriber library. Dating back to 1817, it is one of the oldest organizations in the city. Its original location was the corner of Penhallow and Daniel Street, at what was the first Customs House. It also functions as a museum and a gallery. It contains just about every map, journal, newspaper and directory of Portsmouth. Its collections number over 40,000 volumes and an archive of over 12,000 photographs, many of which are available online.

Tom Hardiman has served as the Keeper (Executive Director) of the Portsmouth Athenaeum since 2000. He has over 30 years experience in the museum, library and historic preservation fields. He was previously the curator of the Saco Museum. He is the author of ‘Money, Revolution and Books’, published in 2019.