Strawbery Banke Hosts Smithsonian-Affiliated Lecture on Preserving Community Histories

PORTSMOUTH— Strawbery Banke Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, will host Doretha Williams on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. in the Lawrence J. Yerdon Visitors Center for a lecture on preserving family and community histories. Tickets are $10 for members and $15 for nonmembers. Advance registration is encouraged at StrawberyBanke.org/tickets.

Titled Our Families, Our Communities, Our Histories: Preserving Local Histories with Care, 2016–2026, the program explores how community-centered approaches to collecting, preserving, and sharing history are reshaping the field. Drawing on a decade of work through the Robert F. Smith Center for the Digitization and Curation of African American History at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Dr. Williams will highlight how digital stewardship, family archives, and collaborative partnerships are expanding whose stories are preserved and how they are shared.

The lecture connects directly to Strawbery Banke’s 2026 programming, including the recently opened Cousins Apartment exhibition, which shares the story of a Black family in Portsmouth’s Puddle Dock neighborhood from 1937 to 1943 through oral histories, research, and material culture. Together, the exhibition and lecture underscore the importance of preserving lived experiences and community memory as part of a more complete American story.

“At Strawbery Banke, we are committed to sharing history through the voices and experiences of the people who lived it,” said Linnea Grim, president and CEO of Strawbery Banke Museum and Thomas W. Haas Endowed Chair. “Dr. Williams’ work demonstrates how museums can partner with communities to preserve stories with care and authenticity. This program connects directly to our work in Portsmouth and invites us to think more broadly about whose histories are told as we approach America’s 250th.”

The lecture is part of the Making History, Making Change series organized by Smithsonian Affiliations, in conjunction with the Smithsonian’s Our Shared Future: 250 initiative.

The Making History, Making Change Lecture Series is supported in part by the Dreier Family, Johanna and Ken Kim Family, Vaishali Shah Chadha and Family, and Michael Vu & Meridel Bulle-Vu.

For more information or to register, visit StrawberyBanke.org/tickets.

About Strawbery Banke Museum
Strawbery Banke Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is a nearly 10-acre history museum in downtown Portsmouth, NH, interpreting over 350 years of history—from Indigenous peoples to the present day. The Museum features historic houses on their original sites, heirloom gardens, traditional crafts, and costumed roleplayers sharing stories of Puddle Dock residents. Strawbery Banke welcomes visitors, members, schoolchildren, and volunteers year-round for daily programs, exhibits, skating, and signature events.