We weren’t always “the restaurant capital of the northeast” or whatever grand title has been applied to Portsmouth lately. Until the arrival of the Blue Strawbery and gourmet alley eateries along Ceres Street, the city was dominated for decades by blue collar dining. Chop shops and tea houses were the norm, challenged by the rise of burger joints, pizza delivery, and fast food fare.
I’m not saying the food wasn’t hearty, but it wasn’t gorgeous enough for the centerfold in a glossy foodie fan magazine. And let’s not forget the bakeries. Here’s a shot of the crew at Hersey’s Bakery. Records indicate that Hersey’s thrived until 1966. It replaced Pahl’s Bakery at the corner of Penhallow and Daniel streets in a brick building constructed in 1908.
Frank Hersey, who worked with J.B. Pahl, took over the business in 1922. The caption lists those pictured as (left to right) Frank Hersey’s son, Willard Bill Hersey, Josephine Hersey, M. Edith Hersey Gillespie aka “Aunt Ede,” sister-in-law Ella (the record is unclear here), Warren Critchett, and Frank Hersey himself (1880-1948) with employee Frank Amazeen.
On the right are delivery drivers Newton Ward and John Scully. The photo was taken in 1928. And this seems a good place to remember that we owe this meticulously-kept data and the preservation of tens of thousands of images and documents to the nonprofit Portsmouth Athenaeum. Without that organization, a major portion of the history of this city would have been scattered and lost. (Photo courtesy of Portsmouth Athenaeum Collection)
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