Portsmouth NH 400th, Portsmouth Athenaeum, Friends of the South End and Citywide Neighborhood Committee Invite Portsmouth Homeowners to Apply for the 2023 Historic House Plaque Program

The Portsmouth Athenaeum, Friends of the South End and Citywide Neighborhood Committee have partnered on the PNH400 initiative encouraging home owners to place historical information plaques on their houses.  Pictured (left to right): Talia Sperduto for PNH400/Portsmouth Athenaeum, Mary Thomas (holding the plaque), Friends of the South End and plaque designer, Elaine Apatang, chair Citywide Neighborhood Committee. Not pictured, Margaret Hodges, Portsmouth Athenaeum member and genealogist/ fact checker. 

House History Seminars Planned for July 19 & 25

Portsmouth, New Hampshire – Calling all Portsmouth homeowners! You can now apply for a historic plaque to place proudly on your home, identifying a prominent owner and the date the house was built. The Portsmouth Athenaeum, Portsmouth NH 400th, the Friends of the South End and the Citywide Neighborhood Committee are collaborating on this Historic House Plaque Program for 2023. 

Interested homeowners can learn about the process at two “House History Seminars” Wednesday July 19, 2023, 6-7:30 pm, at the Portsmouth Athenaeum and Tuesday July 25, 2023, 7-8:30 pm, at the Portsmouth Public Library. The Athenaeum event will include a tour of the Athenaeum’s resources that homeowners can use to research their houses. 

According to Portsmouth Athenaeum member Talia Sperduto, who is leading the Historic House Plaque Program, “This year any building owner in town will have the opportunity to purchase a hand-hewn plaque highlighting their home’s construction date and an owner of interest. It’s a very special year to get a plaque because it will include the PNH400 tagline: ‘History Lights Our Way.’ Fifty  years from now that line will still be sparking intrigue and conversations about where our community comes from and where it is going!”

Elaine Apatang-Butts, co-chair of the Citywide Neighborhood Committee, emphasized  two important points about the program, “As our committee advocates for all parts of Portsmouth, we want all Portsmouth homeowners to know they are included in this program - no matter where their house is located and no matter the age of the home. Any house built in Portsmouth can get a plaque!”

Plaque details

The owners of any house, no matter the age or location in Portsmouth, can research the origins of their home and complete the application for approval to install a plaque that has been pre-approved by the City’s Historic District Commission. The signs are primed and painted white with black lettering on red cedar. A small plaque (9” x 11.25”)  is $250 and a large plaque (11.25” x 16”) is $275. 

Sponsors
Service Credit Union and Portsmouth NH 400th are underwriting $50 for each of the first sixty plaques ordered and paid for in 2023 during the 400th celebrations, as part of the Portsmouth NH 400th Community & Neighborhoods Pillar initiatives.  

The accreditation process to certify accuracy is as follows, according to Talia Sperduto, “Research your home’s construction date and former owners. We have seminars, and research guides and will do it for you if you don’t have time! Our team of professional genealogists and architectural historians at the Portsmouth Athenaeum will check your research and certify accuracy. Plaques are a wonderful way to enrich our architectural landscape, but only if we ensure their accuracy. Once we confirm your date and previous owner of choice, it takes our volunteers two weeks to create your plaque. After that you can pick it up at the Athenaeum and hang it up— with HDC approval already confirmed.”

To apply: Go to: https://www.portsmouthnh400.org/historic-house-plaque-program

For more information, go to: 2023 Historic House Plaque Program | Portsmouth Athenaeum or email: portsplaques@gmail.com

About Portsmouth NH 400th (PortsmouthNH400.org)
The goal of Portsmouth NH 400th is to give the community an inclusive opportunity to tell the stories that are important to them, through programs, events, exhibits and legacy projects. Portsmouth NH 400th will celebrate the diverse and animated social, political, intellectual, cultural, economic and spiritual history of Portsmouth from before settlement in 1623 to the present. Portsmouth NH 400th invites individuals and organizations considering programs and events for the Portsmouth NH 400th Anniversary celebration to join the collaborative effort. A key intention is for the Portsmouth NH 400th team to engage the next generation(s) in exploring what the City’s 2023 legacy might be and how they might steward Portsmouth and its history beyond 2023. The Portsmouth NH 400th anniversary celebrations are made possible in part thanks to the support of Bank of America, Piscataqua Savings Bank, Service Credit Union, Local IQ, VisitNH.gov, members of the 400 Shoalers Club and 1623 Revolutionaries Club, and additional sponsors and donors. For more information, please visit PortsmouthNH400.org