The settlement by Europeans of New Hampshire's only major seaport goes well back in American history. Captain Walter Neal and his small following of Englishmen, sailing up the Piscataqua River in 1630, were impressed by the thick growth of wild berries along the west bank, some two miles from the river's mouth. They chose this site for settlement and named it Strawbery Banke (strawberybanke.org). Here, just above a small cove, they erected a large communal structure, called a Great House, to serve as a combination storehouse, trading post and living quarters. The site was destined to become, in another century, an important colonial commercial center. In the twentieth century the part of the site nearest to the cove would become an outdoor history museum, also called Strawbery Banke. But for Captain Neal and the others this riverbank was simply a suitable place for planting and trade.
Today, Strawbery Banke affords a wonderful opportunity to experience and imagine American life as it has evolved during the past four centuries. Its restored houses, its featured exhibits, its historic landscapes and gardens, and its interpretive programs reveal much about our ancestors and how they forged the America that we live in today. The Crowley Collection has galleries that showcase the Strawbery Banke Museum:
- Houses
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- Goodwin Mansion and Garden
- Marden-Abbott House
- Shapley-Drisco House
- Rider-Wood House
- Wheelwright House
- Aldrich House
- Chase House
- Jones House
- Walsh House
- Pitt Tavern
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- Exhibits
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- Dinsmore Shop (Cooperage)
- Cotton Tenant House Potters
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- General
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- The Grounds and the Visitors Center
- Fourth of July
The Crowley Collection also has galleries that showcase other aspects of the city of
Portsmouth:
The Crowley Collection offers other New England themes, including
scenics,
autumn foliage,
county fairs,
Red Sox Nation and historic sites such as
Old Sturbridge Village,
Plimouth Plantation, the
Saint Gaudens National Historic Site, the
Daniel Webster Birthplace, the
Robert Frost Farm, and
Potter Place (Andover Historical Society).
Permission to use our copyrighted images of the Strawbery Banke Museum can be obtained from The Crowley Collection by using the contact link below. The Crowley Collection has extensive photographic libraries of
general stock photography and
golf images.
