Strawbery Banke Museum | Portsmouth NH

The Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is one of New England’s most vivid windows into early American life - a living history museum that feels as if time itself has paused along the banks of the Piscataqua River.

Historical Background

Founded in 1958, the museum preserves Portsmouth’s oldest neighborhood, originally settled in 1630 as “Strawbery Banke.” The name came from the wild strawberries that once covered the area’s banks. Over centuries, this riverside settlement evolved from a colonial port village to a bustling maritime neighborhood, and today, its ten acres serve as an open-air museum that carefully recreates more than 300 years of local history.

Architecture and Layout

The museum’s grounds include over 30 restored buildings, each reflecting a different era between the 17th and 20th centuries. Some homes remain in their original locations, while others were moved here from nearby areas to prevent demolition. The architectural variety - from Colonial clapboard houses to elegant Georgian mansions and modest WWII-era dwellings - mirrors the changing fortunes of the city and its people. Narrow dirt lanes weave between them, bordered by gardens fragrant with herbs, lilacs, and heirloom flowers.

Living History Experience

Visitors don’t simply view exhibits; they step into recreated environments brought to life by costumed interpreters. A tinsmith hammers at his bench, a cooper shapes barrels by hand, and a World War II-era woman tends to a “Victory Garden.” Inside the houses, you can smell wood smoke from the hearth or soap drying in the kitchen. Every sound - the creak of wooden floors, the chatter of interpreters - enhances the sense of stepping into another century.

Exhibits and Highlights

One of the standout homes is the Shapiro House, representing a Jewish immigrant family’s life in the early 20th century, while the Sherburne House offers a glimpse into Portsmouth’s colonial beginnings. The Abbott Store recreates a 1940s neighborhood market, and the Lowd House showcases maritime trades and local craftsmanship. Seasonal exhibits shift focus throughout the year, sometimes spotlighting preservation work, sometimes foodways, or wartime experiences.

Gardens and Outdoor Spaces

The gardens are more than decorative - they’re historically accurate reconstructions of period planting styles. Some feature colonial herbs used for cooking and medicine, others reflect Victorian tastes for ornamentation. The Goodwin Mansion garden, with its arbor and white picket borders, recalls genteel 19th-century domestic life.

Seasonal Events

The museum is particularly magical during Candlelight Stroll, held each December, when lanterns line the snowy walkways, and holiday music drifts from the houses. In summer, the museum hosts community events, historical reenactments, and hands-on programs for families. Even in quieter months, the air of the place - the scent of pine, the clap of boots on cobblestones - captures the rhythm of an old New England port.

Visitor Experience

Strawbery Banke is best explored slowly, allowing time to listen, touch, and observe. The museum’s staff encourages visitors to ask questions, and you’ll often find someone demonstrating 18th-century cooking or repairing a wooden sled. It’s not just a museum - it’s a living community that invites you to imagine Portsmouth as it once was: bustling, diverse, and deeply connected to the sea.

In every sense, the Strawbery Banke Museum transforms local history into a living, breathing story - one that still whispers through the timbered walls and garden paths of this remarkable place.