Strawbery Banke’s historic houses are being damaged by the effects of sea level rise. Right now.
The Museum’s historic and picturesque location on the banks of the Piscataqua River has, unfortunately, placed it at the highest-at-risk area for impacts of sea level rise, which are already being seen in four of the historic houses.
Strawbery Banke teaches centuries of history in the same waterfront neighborhood to thousands of visitors each year. Now the Museum endeavors to reach how history is impacting the present and future.
Click the link above to view a time-lapse video of a King Tide event in the dirt floor basement of the Shapley-Drisco-Pridham House on December 5, 2017
Strawbery Banke is working on a strategy to preserve the historic homes and is engaged in many projects that may physically extend beyond the nearly 10-acre campus but that impact the future of the Museum.
The Water Has a Memory exhibit, in partnership with the City of Portsmouth, is a model to tell the story of sea level rise and asks visitors to think about what’s to come as the climate warms and to think about the number of factors contributing to increased flooding events from surface water and groundwater.
On display in the exhibit are artifacts showing the City of Portsmouth’s infrastructure including hollowed-out logs that served as pipes and the iron ones that eventually replaced them. Additionally, view some of the City’s first water meters, which encouraged early residents to think of water as a resource and an old map showing how interwoven Portsmouth is with the river.
The Museum continues to enhance the exhibit, which is entering its fourth year in the Rowland Gallery. Strawbery Banke partnered with the University of New Hampshire Geospatial Lab to install data loggers in three locations to monitor water depth, salinity, and relative humidity. This data is disseminated by UNH and sent in real-time to a kiosk in the exhibit.
Click the link above to listen to NHPR’s report
Water Has a Memory: Preserving Strawbery Banke and Portsmouth From Sea Level Rise is open daily during the historic house season and is included with general admission.
Strawbery Banke is grateful for the support of the following donors for their support of the exhibit: Anonymous, The City of Portsmouth, Jameson and Priscilla French, The Roger R. and Theresa S. Thompson Endowment Fund, Allison Potter, The Barbara and B. Allen Rowland Fund at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, and the University of New Hampshire Geospatial Science Center.