Sold-out event honors longtime civic leader and Museum champion while generating significant support for Strawbery Banke’s mission

PORTSMOUTH – Strawbery Banke Museum celebrated the enduring legacy of longtime trustee, civic leader, and community advocate Martha Fuller Clark at its sold-out America’s 250th Gala on Saturday, Aug. 29, raising more than $350,000 in support of the Museum and its mission.

Over 300 guests gathered on Strawbery Banke’s historic 10-acre campus for an evening celebrating the people, places, and stories that have shaped Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and the nation. At the heart of the evening was a tribute to Martha Fuller Clark and her decades of leadership, advocacy, and service to the Seacoast community.

“Martha has devoted so much of her life to strengthening this community and preserving the places and stories that make New Hampshire extraordinary,” said Linnea Grim, president and CEO, Thomas W. Haas Endowed Chair of Strawbery Banke Museum. “Her commitment to public service, historic preservation, education, and civic life reflects the very values at the heart of Strawbery Banke. It was incredibly meaningful to gather here, among the historic homes and landscapes she has championed, to celebrate Martha and the remarkable legacy she continues to build.”

Martha Fuller Clark’s relationship with Strawbery Banke spans years of service and leadership, including her work as a member of the Museum’s Board of Trustees. Her broader contributions to New Hampshire have touched historic preservation, the arts, education, public policy, and numerous civic and nonprofit organizations.

“Martha has an extraordinary ability to bring people together around the places, institutions, and causes she believes matter,” said Katherine Williams Kane, chair of the Strawbery Banke Museum Board of Trustees. “She leads with conviction, generosity, curiosity, and a deep sense of responsibility to her community. Honoring her as we mark America’s 250th anniversary felt especially fitting because Martha understands that history is not simply something we preserve. It is something we learn from, participate in, and carry forward.”

The evening invited guests to experience American history through the many communities whose lives intersected in Portsmouth’s historic Puddle Dock neighborhood. During a progressive tasting hour, guests enjoyed food and beverage offerings outside four historic houses while exploring the stories connected to each site, including the working waterfront, Irish immigrant traditions, Indigenous foodways and perspectives, and the maritime trade connections that shaped the region.

The celebration continued with dinner, remarks honoring Martha Fuller Clark, a live auction, and a Fund-a-Need appeal supporting Strawbery Banke’s ongoing work.

The event generated more than $350,000 in gross proceeds through ticket sales, sponsorships, auction purchases, and charitable contributions.

The Gala was made possible through the generosity of sponsors, donors, volunteers, trustees, committee members, community partners, and guests.

Strawbery Banke gratefully recognizes Legacy Sponsor Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club; Visionary Sponsors Sheehan Phinney, New Hampshire Women’s Foundation, and Yvonne Goldsberry and Cherie Holmes; Champion Sponsors McLane Middleton, Portsmouth Collection including the AC Hotel, Dermatology & Skin Health, Piscataqua Savings Bank, and Eastern Bank and Cambridge Trust; and Champagne Sponsor PortsmouthNH.com.

The Museum also recognized the 100 percent participation of its Board of Trustees, with every trustee making a significant financial contribution to the Gala.

“As we look toward the future, the support generated by this Gala allows Strawbery Banke to continue doing what Martha has advocated for throughout her life–preserving important places, expanding access to history, and ensuring that the stories of our communities remain vibrant and relevant for generations to come,” continued Grim.

America’s 250th Gala was part of Strawbery Banke Museum’s broader commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States, including exhibitions, programs, and experiences examining independence and its meaning across generations.

To learn more about Strawbery Banke Museum and its America’s 250th programming, visit StrawberyBanke.org.

About Strawbery Banke Museum
Strawbery Banke Museum, New Hampshire’s first Smithsonian Affiliate, is a 10-acre outdoor history museum located in the heart of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The Museum preserves more than 30 historic buildings on their original sites and shares the stories of the individuals and families who lived and worked in the Puddle Dock neighborhood from the 17th century to the present. Through historic houses, heirloom gardens, exhibitions, traditional crafts, and educational programs, Strawbery Banke connects people with the stories that shaped the nation. Learn more at StrawberyBanke.org.

Photo by Rick Dumont