Hampton Historical Society

What Hampton Historical Society does

Hampton Historical Society (HHS) is a nonprofit founded in 1925 in Hampton, New Hampshire, that preserves and presents the town's history from 1638 onward through the Tuck Museum of Hampton History, a 13-building museum complex including the Tuck Museum building, Fire Museum, Barn, Schoolhouse, Beach Cottage, Founders Park, and Meeting House Green. The organization's primary asset is an extensive archival collection covering nearly 400 years of Hampton history, including 1638 town records, 23 digitized Personal Property Books spanning 1837-1974, high-resolution historical maps, Beachcomber newspaper archives, and photographic collections, all made searchable via the hamptonhistoricalsociety.org website.

HHS serves a fragmented audience of local residents, genealogical researchers, school groups, and regional tourists through a diversified engagement model. Educational and community programs include hands-on Fire Museum tours for local schools, rotating physical exhibits (Manning Banner, Goody Cole witchcraft artifacts, Seeking Safe Harbor maritime display, 100th Anniversary Quilt Exhibit, Dollhouse Exhibit), two documentary DVDs distributed via YouTube, and partnerships with Eagle Scout candidates who have delivered infrastructure projects such as a 60-foot brick sidewalk and a 20'x30' stone patio. The organization also pursues brewery partnerships (Four Pines Brewing, Throwback Brewery) leveraging hops from the Mrs B's 18th-century herb garden.

The revenue model combines transactional and recurring streams: museum store sales (publications $8-$40, prints $15-$25, commemorative glassware $10-$12) via physical store and PayPal-enabled domestic e-commerce, recurring annual memberships, donations (general and endowment), and charitable casino gaming fundraisers at Beach Club Casino where HHS receives 50% of designated donation splits from table games (35% of gross gaming revenue) and Historical Horse Racing machines (8.75%). Marketing and outreach run through the website, YouTube, Facebook, email newsletter, and earned media coverage (WMUR, WCVB Chronicle). The organization is governed by a Board of Directors including President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and directors, and operates from a single location in Hampton, NH.

Name

Hampton Historical Society

Legal name

Hampton Historical Society

Website

https://hamptonhistoricalsociety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1925

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Hampton Historical Society is a nonprofit founded in 1925 in Hampton, New Hampshire that preserves local history through the Tuck Museum complex, digitized archives dating to 1638, educational programs, and community events, serving local residents, genealogists, and school groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Historical Sites (71212)

akta.pro primary industry

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

History Museums (THAJADAB)

Keywords

• Historical society services
• Museum exhibits
• Genealogical research
• Local history preservation
• Educational programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Hampton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Revenue model

1. Museum Store Sales: Sales of historical books, DVDs, prints, commemorative glassware, postcards, ornaments, cemetery booklets, town records, and historical publications through both physical museum store and online PayPal system
2. Membership Fees: Annual membership program with PayPal integration for communication and volunteer question responses
3. Donations: General donations and endowment fund donations accepted via PayPal and printable forms
4. Casino Fundraising: Charitable gaming fundraisers at Beach Club Casino where HHS receives 50% of donation split from table games (35% of gross gaming revenue) and Historical Horse Racing machines (8.75%)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hampton Historical Society operates the Tuck Museum of Hampton History, preserving and presenting the local history of Hampton, New Hampshire. The organization maintains a 13-building museum complex, curates historical exhibits, provides genealogical research resources, hosts educational programs and community events, and operates a museum store selling books, prints, and memorabilia related to local history.

Product overview

Hampton Historical Society operates the Tuck Museum of Hampton History as its primary offering, supplemented by an online museum store selling publications, prints, and memorabilia. The society provides educational exhibits both physical (museum galleries, Fire Museum, historical garden) and digital (website exhibits including the Manning Banner and Safe Harbor maritime exhibit), research services including genealogical records and digitized town documents, and documentary media content. Products include books on Hampton history and witchcraft persecution, DVDs of local documentaries, print reproductions, and merchandise. Fundraising activities include casino gaming events and brick/apparel sales for the Save Our Sanford project.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Celebrated 100th Anniversary in 2025-2026
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Beach Club CasinocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHHS sponsors charitable gaming dates at Beach Club Casino at Hampton Beach. On each gaming date, 35% of gross gaming revenue from table games and 8.75% from Historical Horse Racing machines are donated to designated charities, with HHS receiving 50% of the donation split. Gaming dates scheduled for July 25-29, 2026.
• Four Pines Brewing Co.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrewer Jason Bourassa harvested Cascade hops from Mrs B's 18th century herb garden at the Tuck Museum and brewed a historical beer using George Washington's 1756 recipe. The resulting tangy, fruity, woody brew was featured at the museum.
• Throwback BreweryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReleased 'Remnant Rustic Lager - Kellerbier with Local Hops and Malt' on November 15, 2025, featuring 100% locally grown New England grains and fresh whole-cone Cascade hops from Mrs B's kitchen garden at the Tuck Museum.
• Seacoast Firefighter's Union Local 2664coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Seacoast Firefighter's Union funded and constructed the Fire Museum building (24-foot by 30-foot) at Tuck Museum and donated it to the town. The union funded the project through ads in their annual business directory and yearbook, with local contractor Robert 'Vic' Lessard donating labor and equipment for the groundwork.
• Various Eagle Scout CandidatesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple Eagle Scout projects at the museum including Fire Museum renovation (Chris Larivee), Fire Museum exterior and landscaping (Jonathan Coulp-Yu), and Walkway and Patio project (Dan Argue) completed with 30+ volunteers working 327 hours.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Historic New England: Regional preservation organization operating 36+ historic house museums across New England — comparable in preserving and interpreting historic structures for public education, but at significantly larger geographic and asset scale.
• Old Sturbridge Village: Large living-history museum in Sturbridge, MA operating multiple preserved buildings on an extensive campus — comparable mission and multi-building campus model but at significantly larger scale and paid-admission commercial operation.
• Plimoth Patuxet Museums: Major living-history museum complex in Plymouth, MA combining a historic plantation, grist mill, and craft exhibits — directly comparable in operating preserved buildings and educational programming but at substantially larger scale and budget.
• Colonial Williamsburg: Large-scale restored historic district and museum complex in Virginia — comparable in operating many historic buildings for public education and interpretation, but operating at national scale with significantly greater resources.

Direct peers

• Exeter Historical Society: Local New Hampshire historical society operating the Exeter Historical Museum and public programs — comparable in scale, volunteer governance, and Seacoast-region community engagement.
• New Hampshire Historical Society: Statewide historical society operating a museum, library, and archives in Concord, NH — comparable as a membership- and donation-funded nonprofit preserving New Hampshire history through exhibits, research services, and publications.
• Strawbery Banke Museum: Outdoor history museum in Portsmouth, NH operating a 10-acre campus with multiple preserved buildings and exhibits on local maritime and colonial history — directly comparable in mission, asset model, and New Hampshire/Seacoast regional audience.
• Newburyport Historical Society: Local historical society operating the Cushing House Museum and research library in Newburyport, MA — comparable small-community nonprofit museum with archive, exhibits, and membership model serving a Seacoast-area audience.

Others

• National Trust for Historic Preservation: National nonprofit that supports preservation efforts and member organizations across the U.S. — comparable as an enabling/advocacy ecosystem player that channels grants and visibility to local historical societies like HHS.
• American Association for State and Local History (AASLH): National professional association serving state and local historical organizations — comparable as an adjacent industry body providing standards, training, and programming support to small historical societies like HHS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6KBQI1DeIo5AZWR0AzCurg
• Facebookfacebook.com/hamptonhistoricalsociety

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hampton Historical Society