Historic New England's Langdon House

Historic New England's Langdon House Langdon House is open for our guided tours on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, from June through October. Visit www.HistoricNewEngland.org for more details.

The Gov. John Langdon House is one of thirty-eight properties owned by Historic New England, the oldest and largest regional heritage organization in the nation. We save and share historic homes, open space, collections, and stories from the past to today. Learn more at www.HistoricNewEngland.org. The Governor John Langdon House is an exceptional Georgian mansion which George Washington “esteemed

the first” in Portsmouth. Its reception rooms are of a grand scale suited to ceremonial occasions and are ornamented by elaborate wood carving in the Rococo style. John Langdon was a merchant, shipbuilder, Revolutionary War leader, signer of the United States Constitution, and three-term governor of New Hampshire. He built this impressive home to express his status as Portsmouth's leading citizen. The house was also home of the black freedman Cyrus Bruce, a paid servant who was well known around Portsmouth. The Langdons were also connected to Ona Judge, an enslaved woman who escaped from George and Martha Washington, and lived in the area. After Langdon's death in 1819, the house was occupied by other leading families, and at the end of the nineteenth century, Langdon descendants purchased the house and restored it to its eighteenth-century appearance. They added onto the rear of the house a substantial wing designed by the architectural firm of McKim, Mead, and White to house modern necessities. Visitors to the house learn about the history of Portsmouth through the life of John Langdon and others who lived here. The house tells the story of the early colony of New Hampshire, the glory days of the city’s mercantile boom, and the Colonial Revival movement that blossomed in Portsmouth during the early twentieth century.

08/21/2026

Sarah Orne Jewett just received a postage stamp. For Historic New England, the stamp has special significance.

Join us at Sarah Orne Jewett House at noon tomorrow for a special unveiling of a new postage stamp!
08/20/2026

Join us at Sarah Orne Jewett House at noon tomorrow for a special unveiling of a new postage stamp!

Join us tomorrow at Sarah Orne Jewett House!

We’re delighted to welcome the U.S. Postal Service to Sarah Orne Jewett House Museum in South Berwick on Friday, August 21, at noon for a special celebration marking the release of the new Sarah Orne Jewett stamp—one of nine stamps honoring influential American writers.

Join us on the grounds as we celebrate Jewett’s remarkable literary legacy and her enduring connection to this very special place.

Friday, August 21 | Noon
Sarah Orne Jewett House Museum
South Berwick, Maine

The ceremony is open to the public, and Sarah Orne Jewett House Museum will be open for visitors to explore following the program.

We hope you’ll join us for this special moment in Sarah’s story—and maybe send a letter or two with her stamp afterward!

On Friday, August 14 Langdon House will be open for guided tours at 11:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 1:00 PM before closing at 2:...
08/13/2026

On Friday, August 14 Langdon House will be open for guided tours at 11:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 1:00 PM before closing at 2:00 PM to prepare for Portsmouth NH Historic Sites Associates annual Twilight Tour event. We are excited to share our marvelous sites with you during Twilight Tour tomorrow evening from 4:00 to 8:00!

For details about Twilight Tour, visit https://www.portsmouthhistoric.org/events See you there!

Twilight Tours returns to Portsmouth on Friday, August 14! Join us for a city-wide celebration of architecture and history. Tickets available now at https://www.portsmouthhistoric.org/events. Get tickets now for a discount!

Coming to Langdon House on Tuesday, Theater in the Open presents A Midsummer’s Night Dream Somewhere between the strict...
08/10/2026

Coming to Langdon House on Tuesday, Theater in the Open presents A Midsummer’s Night Dream

Somewhere between the strict order of Athens and the wild, untamed forest, four lovers get hopelessly lost, a group of amateur actors rehearse a play gone wrong, and the fairy king and queen wage a domestic war that spills into the mortal world.

Bring a camp chair and a picnic dinner. Join us in the Langdon House Garden for an evening of mischief.

Tickets available at www.theaterintheopen.org.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Page.

Address

143 Pleasant Street
Portsmouth, NH
03801

Telephone

+16034363205

Website

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