Campaign

The Society is pursuing an exciting plan to preserve and transform the historic former Portsmouth Library into a lively hub of information, exhibits, and programs for visitors and area citizens highlighting the region’s history, arts and culture.

The Portsmouth City Council has given the Society until July of 2010 to demonstrate that it has gifts and pledges sufficient to complete the conversion. The project is an ideal fit with the Society’s mission - “We tell Portsmouth stories.” As City Manager, John Bohenko, commented, “The use of the old library and the new Discover Portsmouth Center will benefit our city in many exciting ways.”

The benefits of success in this endeavor are significant. The project will:

• Preserve the complex of three buildings, two of which are historically important structures, and continue their use to benefit the public
• Give visitors and the general community a wealth of information and experiences to learn about and develop a greater understanding and appreciation of the region’s extraordinarily rich heritage
• Provide a public exhibit gallery and displays that interpret Portsmouth’s history as well as space for public programs, children’s activities, special events and private functions. Other areas are also available for rental to nonprofits with compatible missions that will provide a stream of income to augment operating expenses and stewardship of the buildings.
• Bolster the area economy and local businesses by attracting more visitors and residents. The Portsmouth Historical Society successfully nominated Portsmouth as one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2008 “Dozen Distinctive Destinations” and recently, the National Geographic Traveler Magazine ranked Portsmouth No. 28 among its list of the world’s most historic places, and No. 6 in the United States. The Center is the only centralized place offering a comprehensive introduction to the City’s historic and cultural treasures.