The first floor is completely ADA compatible. Our second step is to get the second floor ADA compatible.”

Rich Talipsky, board member

PORTSMOUTH — The Portsmouth Historical Society has a new look, and its Board of Trustees hopes that will translate to more visitors and memberships.

The Society’s museum and grounds at 870 East Main Road re-opened to the public on Sunday and will be open from 2-5 p.m. every Sunday through Columbus Day.

The museum’s first-floor exhibit now has a cleaner look. Many artifacts have been moved to storage, with just the essential exhibits remaining, making it easier to take in with one visit.

A new heating and air conditioning system, which helps protects the documents and exhibits but also makes the building more comfortable for visitors, was recently installed. 

“There was a lot of construction work, so we had to move a lot of stuff out for that, which was the impetus for re-arranging it and un-cluttering the place,” said Rich Talipsky, a board member.

The Society brought Kerry McAuliffe aboard last year to serve as curator. “He has a degree in curation and he took charge and re-catalogued everything in a professional software system,” Talipsky said.

The building’s Julia Ward Howe Room has been closed and is now used for storage. There were only two pieces of furniture and a few artifacts that were property of Howe, and those have been moved to the main display area.

Despite the improvements, there’s still work to be done.

“We have architectural plans for an inside elevator, but space is at a premium,” Talipsky said.

As an alternative, the Society is looking into installing a lift on the exterior, west side of the building. “The State Preservation Commission was worried about changing the look of the outside building, but all this is not original anyway,” he said.

The upstairs meeting room, formerly the Christian Union Church, has a capacity of 200 and was restored in 1996. 

“The first floor is completely ADA compatible. Our second step is to get the second floor ADA compatible,” he said, referring to the Americans With Disabilities Act.

The Old Town Hall, which was originally built in the 1840s near the site of the current Town Hall and later became the fire department’s first headquarters, also now sits on the Society’s grounds. Like the first floor of the museum, it has also been de-cluttered, Talipsky said.

“The (Old) Town Hall has been a dumping ground for farm equipment, so we did something about that,” he said. “About three years ago we got it resided and a new roof. And we got a grant from the Senate to replace the doors. We took everything out a few weeks ago and put it in a pod, and then put it back in a nicer fashion.”

His favorite item in the barn-like building is a horse-drawn hearse. “It has a good story behind it,” he said. “It was in one of the Newport mansions that caught fire and they were able to rescue the hearse — that’s why it’s in the shape it is. I also like the original lights from the Mt. Hope Bridge that we have here.”

Also on the property is the Southermost School, a one-room schoolhouse built in 1725. “It is absolutely the oldest in Rhode Island, and it’s the third-oldest in the country,” he said.

The school’s interior is in good shape, but it needs a new roof. Red cedar shingles may be too expensive, however, so the Society may settle for white cedar.

“We’re putting in for a grant through the 1772 Foundation,” Talipsky said.

For more information about the Portsmouth Historical Society, including upcoming events and how to become a member, visit portsmouthhistorical.org.