To the Editor:
Earlier in 2023, the City Council established a Blue-Ribbon Task Force to study the establishment of a private/public partnership to properly archive historical documents relating to the City of Portsmouth.
The committee concluded there is a need to establish a central location for the consolidation and careful preservation of historic documents and artifacts as the local historical societies no longer have room to do so.
As a history researcher myself, I can attest to the difficulty created by this lack of a central location with respect to accessing important historical documents.
We have four hundred years of history and no central place where it can be displayed, preserved, and studied for the public to appreciate. Currently, there are archived items in storage that have never been displayed anywhere.
I believe that now is the time for Portsmouth to have a museum and archives where all of these historically significant items can be preserved together for future generations.
Before the McIntyre building was sold, I thought it would be a great location to house a central Portsmouth Archives and Museum. There is enough space in the facility to meet preservation requirements, it can be done without major remediation or aesthetic changes and be an income producing venue for both the owner and the city.
Since the new owner of the property has not publicly stated a clear goal for the building, how about considering using the building or parts of it, to benefit the entire seacoast by making it a focus for our history and culture to be on permanent display? It could be a great legacy project that would benefit all communities in the seacoast and beyond.
Sue Polidura
Portsmouth
