Think of this page as a Portsmouth time machine. Scroll down through four centuries
of events that shaped the Seacoast. We've pulled a few favorites from hundreds
of articles in the HISTORY section. But hurry. Time is short.
For at least 10,000 years before European settlement, this region was the home of Native American tribes. Indians traveled with the weather, spending summers on the coast where they were extraordinary fishers and hunters. Precious little evidence of these people are on display locally.
New Hampshire dates its first European settlement as 1623. But explorers visited at least two decades before. Fisherman from Europe apparently inhabited the Isles of Shoals as early as 1600. And suddenly the life of New Hampshire coastal Natives changed for all time.
For 150 years the New Hampshire colony was happily British. During that era the seacoast was the capital region and focus of the state. A region very unlike Puritan Massachusetts, NH was later run by the powerful Wentworth family.
The heart of the Revolution beat strongly in Seacoast New Hampshire. Four months
before Lexington and Concord, Portsmouth had thrown off its British governor.
George Washington's secretary Tobias Lear was a local boy. His father built John
Paul Jones ship Ranger. NH militia outnumbered all others at Bunker Hill. These
are stories still missed by most texts.
The seeds of our material world were sewn here. In a century New England turned
from rural farms to machinery-driven factories. The Seacoast fell on hard times,
then revived under the thumb of its first "robber baron".
Calendar
Mystery Science Teen Theater May 9, 2008 CONCORD -- Professional magician Ryan Mahoney will amaze you with some great magic that will have you wondering - are you witnessing science or sleight of hand? Is the gravity being defied or simply strings and wire? You will leave with props and the a...
Spring Schwing May 9, 2008 The Seacoast social event of the spring season is slated for Friday, May 9, hosted by the Jumbo Circus Peanuts of Portsmouth. This annual dance party, dubbed the "Spring Schwing," now in its thirteenth year, is happening at the band's World He...
Aldrich's Bad Boy Live May 9 - 11, 2008 Note -- Sunday show is matinee -- Pontine Theatre celebrates the 100th Anniversary of Portsmouth's Thomas Bailey Aldrich Memorial with it's original stage adaptation of the author's 1869 novel, THE STORY OF A BAD BOY. Co-Directors, Greg Gathers and Mar...
Macbeth May 9, 2008 ROCHESTER -- Macbeth," Shakespeare's great play of temptation, ambition and seduction, is the Rochester Opera House's annual Shakespearean production for the 2007-2008 season.
The Scottish tragedy centers on Macbeth's bloody rise to power, in wh...
Salmon Falls Mill Open Studios May 10, 2008 ROLLINSFORD -- On Saturday, May 10, 2008, the Artists of the Mills at Salmon Falls will open their studios from 11am to 5pm. Just in time for Mother’s Day, this annual Spring event draws guests from all over New England to the rejuvenated historic mil...
Macbeth in Rochester May 10, 2008 "Macbeth," Shakespeare's great play of temptation, ambition and seduction, is the Rochester Opera House's annual Shakespearean production for the 2007-2008 season.
The Scottish tragedy centers on Macbeth's bloody rise to power, in which gui...
Tea with John Paul Jones May 11, 2008 PORTSMOUTH – Enjoy a Mother’s Day tea with brave Captain Jones, 18th Century Style at the John Paul Jones House 43 Middle St Portsmouth from 2-4 pm on May 11, 2008.
Price: $15 ($12 members of Portsmouth Historical Society)
Plan your Mother’s Day ...
Mistral - No Ordinary Women May 11, 2008 PORTSMOUTH -- Celebrate Mother’s Day at The Music Hall! This acclaimed Boston-based ensemble will be providing high spirits and serious music making as they focus on inspirational works by women composers. Treat your mother, wife, or sister to chamber m...
Mother’s Day Tea d’ Jazz May 11, 2008 EXETER -- Bring your mother, family, friends to hear Jazz trumpeter Tom Palance and his Jazz Quartet – piano, drums, bass and trumpet, in a variety of swing jazz favorites and familiar standards of yesteryear. Elegant tearoom seating, teas, coffees, dr...
UNH Symphony May 11, 2008 The University of New Hampshire Department of Music presents the UNH Concert Choir under the direction of William Kempster and the UNH Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Larry Veal in concert on Sunday afternoon, May 11, 2008 beginning at 3:00 p....
Timeline 
IT HAPPENED HERE TOO
