Overlooking the Piscataqua River’s back channel at Little Harbor sits one of Portsmouth’s hidden gems, the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion. Home of New Hampshire’s first Royal Governor, Benning Wentworth, the rambling forty-plus-room mansion represents one of only two colonial governor’s residences to have survived essentially unchanged since its original construction. Over its long history, the Little Harbor estate has served as a working farm, seat of government, summer home and artist retreat. From its unique architecture to the elegant gardens and historic lilacs that once graced its grounds, the mansion has faithfully reflected the eclectic tastes of three centuries of owners. Presented by John and Adi Rule, a father and daughter team of former WCM guides.

For ten years, John Rule served as tour guide at the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion. He has lectured at on the history of colonial governor Benning Wentworth’s land grants and participated in a public panel discussing interesting and little-known facts about the Wentworth mansion. Rule is also a volunteer archivist at the New Hampshire Historical Society where he has lectured and written about the history of New Hampshire’s Brown Paper Company.

Adi Rule was a guide at the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion for a decade and still wonders if she’s seen all of it. In addition to guiding, she facilitated and organized events at WCM, including moderating the panel “Secrets of the Mansion.” Previously, she was an interpreter at Strawbery Banke Museum. Adi is a writer and editor, and teaches fiction at the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program at Lasell University.

The Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion Association (WCMA), in collaboration with the NH Bureau of Historic Sites, is offering a series of lectures about the history of the Mansion and the Revolutionary history of the region. The talks are free to attend; donations are encouraged. Registration is appreciated.