With Gov. John Lynch’s recent signature, Portsmouth Peace Treaty Day became an official holiday across New Hampshire. The annual observance takes place on Sept. 5, the date the original treaty was signed 105 years ago.

The Portsmouth Peace Treaty officially ended the Russo-Japanese War, which was the largest land and sea war of its time, sometimes referred to as World War Zero. President Theodore Roosevelt hosted diplomats from both nations in the Portsmouth area for peace negotiations that lasted nearly a month. The treaty was signed at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard at 3:47 p.m. on Sept. 5, 1905.

Charles B. Doleac, chair of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty Forum, proposed a bill to make Sept. 5 a state holiday, and Sen. Martha Fuller Clark of Portsmouth introduced it to the Legislature. The legislation passed the state House and Senate unanimously.

A number of events will be held on Sunday, Sept. 5, including a U.S. Navy commemoration at the Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, followed by a bell-ringing at 3:47 p.m. The “peace flag” will be raised at the Green Acre Bahá’í School in Eliot, Maine, at 2 p.m.

The John Paul Jones House Museum in Portsmouth will host an exhibit titled “An Uncommon Commitment to Peace” from 3 to 5 p.m., and the Discover Portsmouth Center will hold an exhibit titled “Portsmouth Celebrates the Portsmouth Peace Treaty.” Doleac will lead a N.H. Humanities Council presentation at the center at 4 p.m. Maps for a self-guided walking tour of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty Trail will be available at the John Paul Jones House and the Discover Portsmouth Center.

For more information, visit www.portsmouthpeacetreaty.org