Portsmouth NH Homes Condos Real Estate

One of our special places for those who love history is Strawbery Banke, in the north end of Portsmouth, just off the downtown area along the shore of the Piscataqua River. 

 

Strawbery Banke got its name from the English explorers who settled here in 1630 because of the abundance of wild strawberries growing all over the place.  This settlement became the beginnings of one of the country's earliest cities.  And yes, it really is spelled ‘Strawbery' and 'Banke' - this spelling goes back to the Colonial days.



Strawbery Banke Museum, as this area is now called, encompasses 10 acres, and traces the 375 year history of this part of Portsmouth, which is considered to be one of the oldest continuously occupied areas in the country.

Portsmouth NH was an important seaport from its earliest days, and this museum traces that history from the pre-Colonial era to WWII, including the bad times and the good times and everything in between.  To borrow a phrase from the museum itself, "Strawbery Banke is a capsule of New England life across four centuries".


The museum houses a number of buildings and historic homes dating from the late- 1600's to the mid-1900's.  The gorgeous gardens are replicas of Victorian-era kitchen gardens as well as a 1940's Victory garden.  Tours of the gardens and greenhouses are available throughout the spring, summer, and fall.

This is a picture of part of the "Victorian Children's Garden" that I walked through yesterday.  It's so cute, and you should see the fun things in this garden. 

See that stump in this picture?  That's their 'story-telling stump', where a grown-up or older sibling would sit and the little ones would gather round to hear stories.  You can look at the rings in that stump to see how old it is, too!  

Take a tour of this pretty Victorian Children's Garden by clicking the tour button below:

                      





When you visit the museum, you'll be greeted by guides who wear costumed clothing and are role-players who tell the history of those who've gone before us and made the Strawbery Banke area their home.




Strawbery Banke is home to The Dunaway Restaurant for lunch and dinner, and specialty ice cream is served seasonally at Strawberry Alley. 

The Strawbery Banke Museum Store has beautiful high-quality gifts that recount the history of 375 years of life here in this area.  Just a year ago, in 2006, a new building was opened up, and it houses The Discovery Center.  

The Discovery Center provides fun and education experiences for kids of all ages through hands-on opportunities of life long ago - chores, hobbies, games, crafts, and more depicting what traditional day-to-day living was like over the four centuries the museum covers.






The buildings that make up the Strawbery Banke Museum consist of 10 houses that are furnished much as they would have been when they were first lived in, and there are also over 40 other historic buildings that provide great visual peaks into what life was like over almost four centuries of living in this area. 

These buildings were saved from urban renewal programs in the 1950's, and how fortunate for us that preservation took place.  We can now all learn about and appreciate life as it was!

 

Whether you're a resident or here for a visit, if you love history, you have to make sure to schedule some time to visit this wonderful living museum.  May through October, open daily, November through April, open Saturdays and Sundays for guided walking tours.

If you love history and these wonderful old antique homes, AND if you'd like to make Portsmouth New Hampshire your new home, we've got some gorgeous antique houses for sale that could make a wonderful new home just for YOU!!

                                            

Give me a call if you're in the market for Portsmouth NH real estate  - I'd love to help you out with your home search!!
 

If you're interested in Portsmouth NH Real Estate, be sure to check out these links for homes and condos for sale in Portsmouth and the surrounding areas:

Portsmouth New Hampshire Homes
Seacoast New Hampshire and Maine Real Estate
Information on New Hampshire and Maine Seacoast Towns
Buying New Hampshire and Maine Real Estate
Selling Real Estate in New Hampshire and Southern Maine

                                  
  Ann Cummings
  RE/MAX Coast to Coast
  Portsmouth NH
  888-349-5678 x 3839
  Servicing the Coastal Areas of NH & Southern Maine