Early nineteenth-century urban showplace
Merchant James Rundlet furnished his Federal mansion with fine Portsmouth-made furniture and imported wallpapers and installed the latest technology for cooking and heating. Four generations of the same family lived in the house with an eye towards preserving this important legacy. The beautiful gardens behind the house, with roses, peonies, pet cemetery, and orchard, still follow Rundlet’s original layout.
Location:
364 Middle Street, Portsmouth, N.H.
603-436-3205
Hours of Operation:
- June 1 to October 15, first and third Saturdays of the month, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- All group tours must be scheduled by appointment. In addition to open days, group tours may be scheduled at times the museum is closed to the public.
Specialty Tours
We are happy to work with you to customize your experience.
- Guided House Tour: Enjoy an approximately one-hour guided tour; please allow one and a half hours for your visit.
- Comfort and Convenience: Explore changes in domestic technology in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This special tour visits areas of the house not normally open to the public, such as the basement and the service ell. See a progression of modern conveniences including a Rumford roaster and boiler, a privy with wallpaper and a 1930s bathroom, and early central heating systems.
- Portsmouth Furniture: A focus tour on Portsmouth as the third-largest furniture exporter in the colonies during the Federal period, and the special collection of furniture at Rundlet-May House passed down through generations of the same family. See fine examples of Portsmouth-made furniture including works by cabinetmaker Langley Boardman, and learn about unique design features.
Tour Details
- Up to 12 visitors can tour the house with each guide; generally we can accommodate up to 24 visitors in the house in one hour. Accommodations can be made for larger groups.
- Please note that the tour requires a considerable amount of standing and stair climbing. If members of your group need special assistance, please let the museum know in advance.
Cost:
- Guided House Tour: $15 per adult for groups of 8 or more visitors. Additional rates apply for all other tours. Prices subject to change.
- Receptive tour operator rates available upon request.
- Tour leader or class instructor and bus driver are welcome to a complimentary tour with the group.
- A non-refundable deposit based on your maximum number is due upon booking. The outstanding balance must be paid when the group arrives on-site for the tour.
- Please call two weeks in advance to confirm a guaranteed number of visitors.
Nearby Attractions:
- Portsmouth was named New Hampshire’s best walking city. Enjoy an unparalleled mix of historic buildings, sidewalk cafes, great restaurants, art galleries, and artisan boutiques. Visit Go Portsmouth NH for ideas, recommendations, and events around town.
- Visit other Historic New England properties nearby. Package discounts available.
- Jackson House, Portsmouth – Jackson House is the oldest surviving wood-frame house in New Hampshire and Maine. The house was built by Richard Jackson, a woodworker, farmer, and mariner, on his family’s twenty-five-acre plot.
- Governor John Langdon House, Portsmouth – An exceptional Georgian mansion which George Washington “esteemed the first” in Portsmouth, and home of John Langdon, a revolutionary leader, three-term governor, and signer of the U.S. Constitution.
Amenities:
- One restroom in the house
- Street parking in front of the house and a municipal lot across the street
- Walking distance to downtown Portsmouth
Please Remember:
- Food and drink are prohibited in the museum.
- Touching, leaning, or sitting on the objects is prohibited.
- Cell phones should be silenced prior to your tour.
- Your group will stay with the tour guide for the entire tour.
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