Life and Death in the Piscataqua 2014

lifeanddeath2 MARK YOUR CALENDAR

The Portsmouth Historic Houses Association presents its tenthannual winter symposium, “Life and Death in the Piscataqua Region” on Saturday, February 8, 2014. The event is scheduled for 10 am to 3 pmat the St. John’sLodgeMasonicTemple, 351 Middle Street (corner of Miller Avenue and Middle Street) in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. (click title for complete schedule)

Snow date is February 15. Tickets reserved in advance are $10; $15 at the door the day of the event (though organizers advise that the event fills up quickly). The ticket price includes the day-long program of four lectures, continental breakfast and a lunch of homemade soup, bread and dessert. For reservations, call603.436.8221.

The Portsmouth Historic House Association’s 2014 “Life and Death in the Piscataqua Region” symposium includes five presentations:

James Craig, “American Eagle: A New Look at the Life and Art of John Haley Bellamy”by the author of the soon-to-be-published book,Bold & Brash: The Art of John Haley Bellamy. Widely considered to be the pinnacle of American woodcarving, the Bellamy Eagle vies with such hallowed icons as the Statue of Liberty, the Great Seal of the United States, and Old Glory itself in representing the United States. Yet what of its creator? Who was the man responsible for giving flight to this most celebrated piece of Americana? Author James A. Craig answers these and other questions, sharing many of his new findings on the art and life of Portsmouth's favorite son for the first time anywhere.
Louise Richardson, "The Ceramic Spoils of War: A Portsmouth Prize from the War of 1812"
This talk is based on an auction catalog printed for Samuel Larkin's 1815 sale of a cargo captured by the privateer Fox. The catalog lists an extensive cargo of ceramics which were purchased by local residents and match archaeology evidence.
Lunch -- soup, bread and dessert (included in ticket price)
Lawrence Yerdon, president and CEO of Strawbery Banke Museum, “Update: Phase III of the Heritage House Program.”The program was created in 2009 to restore, renovate and rent ten underutilized Museum buildings. Now working on the final three buildings, HHP also recently received an LCHIP grant for Lowd House improvements.
Judy Anderson, "Splendor on the Seacoast"by the former curator of the Jeremiah Lee Mansion in Marblehead, who will draw parallels among the premier homes in the Piscataqua region and in Marblehead, which was the second largest town in Massachusetts just prior to the Revolution, particularly their opulent interiors, exquisite wood carving, and high-end wall coverings.

The annual event, a fund-raiser for the Portsmouth Historic Houses Association, will also include raffle baskets and the sale of additional items from PHHA members (Historic New England and the Gov Langdon, Jackson and Rundlet-May Houses, Strawbery Banke Museum, the John Paul Jones House Museum, the Warner House, Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion, the Moffatt-Ladd House and Garden, and the Wentworth-Lear Historic Houses. Information on locations and hours (most PHHA museums are open June through October) available at each website and atwww.portsmouthhistorichouses.org:

Warner House, 150 Daniel Street,
Wentworth-Lear Historic Houses, 50 Mechanic Street,
Wentworth Coolidge Mansion, 375 Little Harbor Road,
John Paul Jones House Museum, 43 Middle Street,
Strawbery Banke Museum, 14 Hancock Street,
Moffatt-Ladd House & Garden, 154 Market Street,
Historic New England: Governor John Langdon House, 143 Pleasant Street, Jackson House and Rundlet-May House, 364 Middle Street,

The Portsmouth Historic Houses Association and partners present centuries-old historic houses and vessels, some of the most important in America. Within the architectural treasures, a multitude of rooms with authentic antique furnishings reveal poignant stories of family life in a thriving seaport community, while the historic vessels detail chapters of Portsmouth’s history afloat. Seafaring merchants, enterprising women, military heroes, politicians, skilled craftsmen, domestic servants, Africans and recent immigrants are some of the characters who share their stories.