Strawbery Banke
Strawbery Banke is an outdoor history museum in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It sits in the South End historic district and is the oldest European-settled neighborhood in the state. The site features more than 37 restored buildings from the 17th to 19th centuries in Colonial, Georgian, and Federal styles.
The area grew around a waterway called Puddle Dock, which was filled in around 1900 and is now an open space. The neighborhood began in 1630 when Captain Walter Neale chose the site for a settlement and named it for the wild berries along the nearby Piscataqua River. In 1631 Humphrey Chadborn built the Great House, the first permanent English building here. Over time, merchants and ships made Strawbery Banke a busy port.
The area was known as Puddle Dock because of its wharves and merchants. Strawbery Banke remained a neighborhood for about 300 years, until the late 1950s. By the end of the 19th century, its industries declined, but a large group of preservationists saved the buildings from urban renewal. The museum opened in 1965.
Today, 17 historic houses are open with furnished interiors. Staff and costumed interpreters explain how people lived in different time periods, and some players portray characters from the past. There are five exhibits about archaeology, architecture, woodworking tools and skills, post-and-beam construction, and amusements and entertainment. Demonstrations of hearth cooking, weaving, basket weaving, and coopering are offered, along with daily tours. Seasonal events are held around holidays. Across the street is Prescott Park, with riverside gardens and entertainment. Strawbery Banke was featured on Bob Vila’s Guide to Historic Homes of America.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:44 (CET).