PORTSMOUTH –
May is Preservation Month, and central to the celebration is
the North End project, a combined effort of the Portsmouth Public Library, the
Portsmouth Athenaeum, and the Seacoast Lodge #2303 of the Sons of Italy. The
partners will present their efforts to the public on May 21, at 7 p.m. in the
Levenson Room of the library. They hope to show the public how to make their
way around the project's website, www.portsmouthexhibits.org.
Representatives from the project will give a talk about
their collection of images and personal stories from the section of town known
as the North End, and the Hill.
The speakers will include Tom Hardiman, director of
Portsmouth Athenaeum, Valerie Capodelupo Koloshey, and Judy Capobianco from the
Lodge, and Sherm Pridham, retired city librarian who is leading their digital
efforts as a volunteer. The group will speak about the project and demonstrate
how to use the Athenaeum's website to explore the digital exhibit.
Last October, for Italian National Heritage month, Koloshey said she wanted to do displays of photographs at local libraries. She went to Portsmouth Library, the Portsmouth Athenaeum, and the Portsmouth Historical Society. They had next-to nothing, she said. “I decided to gather photos and stories. It's not just the homes that were lost, but a way of life too.”
The homes she refers to were those that were condemned in 1966, as part of the city’s Urban Renewal Plan. The homes were bought by imminent domain, in 1969, and then demolished in 1969 and 1970.
Phase 1 of the project is the call for photos and keepsakes of the North End. That part has been largely successful, with many images pouring in. They have not collected keepsakes or artifacts yet, Koloshey said, and the collection of images goes on, with at least 200 more expected.
Last October, for Italian National Heritage month, Koloshey said she wanted to do displays of photographs at local libraries. She went to Portsmouth Library, the Portsmouth Athenaeum, and the Portsmouth Historical Society. They had next-to nothing, she said. “I decided to gather photos and stories. It's not just the homes that were lost, but a way of life too.”
The homes she refers to were those that were condemned in 1966, as part of the city’s Urban Renewal Plan. The homes were bought by imminent domain, in 1969, and then demolished in 1969 and 1970.
Phase 1 of the project is the call for photos and keepsakes of the North End. That part has been largely successful, with many images pouring in. They have not collected keepsakes or artifacts yet, Koloshey said, and the collection of images goes on, with at least 200 more expected.
Phase 2 is the videotaping of the personal stories of folks
who lived in North End. “We will interview them, and hope to do so in their
homes, as many of them are elderly,” Koloshey said.
The interview process starts with the same basic questions -
family name, where they are from in Italy, what they did to earn their living
in the North End. “We start with similar questions, but then give them leeway
to tell their own stories,” Koloshey said. “We have hundreds of photos coming
in.”
Phase 3 is the website. “We try to combine with Portsmouth Public Library so we don't duplicate efforts,” said Tom Hardiman,
“Because urban renewal in the 1960’s was done with federal money, new developments have to go through a 106 Review, which requires archaeological testing,” Hardiman said. “There are extra costs associated with that. If they find anything, it could slow down or derail the project.”
The old North End neighborhood had Italian markets, bakeries, cobbler shops, and restaurants, he said. Then an A & P came in, then the Portwalk Hotel and Condo. “When a Sheraton hotel was built in the 1980's, there was an extensive archaeological dig. The hotel incorporates little exhibits in the hotel from the 18th century,” he said.
“First large-scale project for the Athenaeum that is all digital," Hardiman said. “So we're able to scan the photos and give the originals back to the families.” (photo by Tim Gillis)
Phase 3 is the website. “We try to combine with Portsmouth Public Library so we don't duplicate efforts,” said Tom Hardiman,
“Because urban renewal in the 1960’s was done with federal money, new developments have to go through a 106 Review, which requires archaeological testing,” Hardiman said. “There are extra costs associated with that. If they find anything, it could slow down or derail the project.”
The old North End neighborhood had Italian markets, bakeries, cobbler shops, and restaurants, he said. Then an A & P came in, then the Portwalk Hotel and Condo. “When a Sheraton hotel was built in the 1980's, there was an extensive archaeological dig. The hotel incorporates little exhibits in the hotel from the 18th century,” he said.
“First large-scale project for the Athenaeum that is all digital," Hardiman said. “So we're able to scan the photos and give the originals back to the families.” (photo by Tim Gillis)
