Every home has a story to tell. Some have a little extra help.

Historic New England (the public arm of the Society for the Protection of New England Antiquities) oversees seven homes in our area that dot the landscape from York to Exeter. Many of them were passed on to the organization after being owned by several generations of the same family, preserved in nearly original condition. Together, they tell the story of the shifting fortunes of the Seacoast over the last three centuries. Just past the peak of the summer tourist season, now’s a great time to take a closer look, before they close for the season. In the coming weeks, several are also offering special events. Admission discounts are offered for children and seniors; otherwise, it’s typically $5 or $6. For more information and hours, visit www.historicnewengland.org or call 603-436-3205.

South Berwick: celebrate an original with local storytellers
Sarah Orne Jewett’s best-known novella, “The Country of the Pointed Firs,” first published in 1896, evokes Maine and its characters beyond compare. On Saturday, Sept 3 from 3 to 5 p.m., in the yard of the Jewett-Eastman Memorial Library, authors Audrey Bohanan, poet, Terry Farish, novelist, Susan Sager, nonfiction author, and Joyce Tracksler, novelist will read from her work in honor of Sarah Orne Jewett’s 156th birthday. Refreshments will be offered from Jewett family recipes, and tours of the family home will be available after the reading. It was here that Jewett established herself as a short story writer for adults and young people at a fairly young age and from which she ventured forth to form friendships with Willa Cather, William Dean Howells, Henry James and Celia Thaxter, among others. The Sarah Orne Jewett House, open Friday through Sunday, is at 5 Portland St., at the intersection of Routes 236 and 4 in South Berwick. For more information, call the house at 207-384-2454.

Portsmouth: drink up to the oldest wooden house in the area
On a knoll between buzzing Route 1 and bustling downtown Portsmouth, the Jackson House nestles into the hillside. Perhaps it’s the apple trees in the yard or the warmth of a seven-generation family home, but the oldest wood frame house in New Hampshire and Maine fits into the neighborhood like a dignified elderly relative. Woodworker, farmer and mariner Richard Jackson had the house built on a 25-acre plot overlooking the riverway that powered the economy, from the interior to distant ports. Arriving at its tidy doorstep, you find yourself waiting to hear what its seen. On Saturday, Sept. 10, from noon to 4 p.m., come to the Cider Day harvest celebration and enjoy pumpkin decorating, cider pressing demonstrations, music, spinning demonstrations, house tours and freshly baked hot apple pie for sale. The Jackson House, open the first Saturday of the month, is located at 76 Northwest St., Portsmouth. Call 603-436-3205 for more information.

Portsmouth: polish your furniture knowledge
On Sept. 24 and 25, Historic New England offers an intensive weekend of workshops on New England furniture in Portsmouth and Haverhill, Mass. The Saturday program features four events running concurrently in and around Portsmouth (participants can attend two of the four being presented that day). Brock Jobe, professor of American decorative arts at Winterthur Museum, will discuss Portsmouth furniture; furniture conservator Robert Mussey, author of an award-winning book on John and Thomas Seymour, will examine Federal-era furniture at the Rundlet-May House; cabinetmaker Allan Breed will demonstrate Newport furniture construction techniques; and Richard Nylander, Historic New England’s senior curator, will talk about 18th- and 19th-century upholstery techniques. The two Sunday workshops, offered in both the morning and afternoon at Historic New England’s Collections and Conservation Center in Haverhill, Massachusetts, feature Brock Jobe on regional variations in New England furniture and conservator Joseph Godla on construction details of New England furniture. Registration, which is $50 for members and $85 for nonmembers (includes membership), also includes an invitation to a reception following the Saturday workshops, hosted by Northeast Auction’s Ron Bourgeault.

Portsmouth: explore the high life, circa 1800
One hundred and fifty years after Richard Jackson built his farm on the hill in 1664, proud but practical textile merchant James Rundlet built his family a home across town, to an equally sincere yet opposite effect. Rundlet’s mansion, built on a terraced rise, reflected Portsmouth’s bustling economy and was filled with the finest furnishings imaginable, from imported wallpaper to strikingly crafted local furniture. All the latest technologies were employed, from a Rumford roaster and range to an elaborate venting system used to service a smoke room on the third floor to an early central heating system and indoor well. On Saturay, Oct. 15 at 9 a.m., take a closer look at these “modern” conveniences during the Comfort and Convenience Tour ($10 Historic New England/SPNEA members, $12 non-members, registration required), which explores changes in domestic technology in the 19th and 20th centuries. The tour will visit outbuildings, privies, the basement, and other areas not normally open to the public, with special attention paid to the early heating system and Rumford-style kitchen systems. The Rundlet-May House, at 364 Middle St., Portsmouth, is also open the first Saturday of the month. Call 603-436-3205 for “Comfort and Convenience” reservations.

Other Historic New England homes on the Seacoast:
Gilman Garrison
12 Water St., Exeter, 603-436-3205
Open by appointment only

Governor John Langdon House
143 Pleasant St., Portsmouth, 603-436-3205
Open Friday-Sunday, $6

Hamilton House
40 Vaughan’s Lane, South Berwick, Maine,
207-384-2454
Open Wednesday-Sunday, $8

Sawyard-Wheeler House
9 Barrell Lane Extension, York Harbor, Maine,      207-384-2454
Open first Saturday of the month, $5