Description
HOUSES Strawbery Banke is unique among outdoor history museums in presenting a complete neighborhood’s evolution over 300+ years, with most of the 37 historic buildings on their original foundations. These structures link visitors to the people who lived on the Portsmouth waterfront from 1695 to 1954. Costumed roleplayers and traditional craftspeople recreate the lives, concerns and challenges of families in the community, basing their interpretations on diaries, letters, historical records, archaeology and collected artifacts. . GARDENS Strawbery Banke interprets nearly four centuries of historical gardens, some on their original plots, and is recognized as one of just four sites in the world teaching about change over time in the landscape. Gardens include a colonial kitchen garden, Victorian ornamental plantings, a Colonial Revival garden and hemlock grove, a Ukrainian immigrant’s vegetable garden, a 1943 Victory Garden and chicken coop, and several heirloom apple orchards PEOPLE Strawbery Banke presents 300 years of history in Portsmouth through the stories of the families who lived in this waterfront “Puddle Dock” neighborhood. That community of people who lived out their daily struggles and joys are brought to life by costumed roleplayers, interpreters and traditional craftspeople. Visitors bring their own memories to enrich their experiences here. COLLECTIONS Archaeologists have conducted some of the most extensive urban archaeology investigations on the East Coast at Strawbery Banke. This rich resource plus the museum’s collection of over 1,000,000 decorative arts objects, artifacts, documents and photographs (all with specific Portsmouth connections) make it possible to depict life in this neighborhood over the past 300+ years as accurately as possible. BOATS The neighborhood of “Puddle Dock” was built around boats, boat-building and the maritime trades. The “Port of Portsmouth” marine exhibit and The Boatshop at Strawbery Banke demonstrations return the skills and crafts of traditional boatbuilding to the site. The independent Gundalow Company (next door) helps the museum interpret Portsmouth’s maritime history on the water. EXHIBITS Strawbery Banke offers visitors permanent and changing exhibits to show how the community evolved. · “Port of Portsmouth: War, Trade & Travel” in the Montrone Family Gallery in the Yeaton House is Portsmouth’s most comprehensive exhibit of maritime history, with a collection of exquisite ship models and both Navy and mercantile art and artifacts. · “The Painted Past: Unseen Objects from Strawbery Banke” in the Rowland Gallery features painted furniture, architectural elements, ceramics and other artworks, some rarely or never seen, from the museum collection. · Other buildings hold displays of early trade workers’ tools, architecture and construction techniques.Date & Time
May 4 - Oct 31, 2017
Venue Details
Strawbery Banke Museum
14 Hancock Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 03801
Strawbery Banke Museum
Strawbery Banke Museum, in the heart of historic downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is an authentic 10-acre outdoor history museum dedicated to bringing 300+ years of American history in the same waterfront neighborhood to life. The Museum is a place for children, adults, multigenerational families, and groups to gather to explore eight heritage gardens, 32 historic buildings, and traditional crafts, preservation programs, hands-on activities, the stories told by costumed role-players and the changing exhibits that offer hours of fun and discovery. The Museum's restored buildings and open space invite visitors to immerse themselves in the past, using objects from the museum's collection of 30,000 artifacts, and the histories of the families who lived and worked in the Puddle Dock neighborhood to engage, educate, and entertain.