The Clam Hut was located on Rt 1 on Badger’s Island, right at the north end of the Memorial Bridge from Portsmouth. It was added to Chase’s Market sometime between the late 1960s and early 1980s (sources vary). Badger’s Island is in the middle of the Piscataqua River, and is crossed by Rt. 1, which comes over the Memorial Bridge from downtown Portsmouth. The Memorial Bridge, by the way, is currently under consideration for demolition, and is at the center of a bit of controversy. It is on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of endangered historic places. Lots of locals, including me, don’t want to see it go.
The Clam Hut, which was for a while owned by Bob Schultze, was sometimes known as “Bob’s Clam Hut,” but should not be confused with the much more famous Bob’s Clam Hut a couple miles further north, also on Rt. 1, in the Kittery Malls. The Clam Hut and Chase’s Market were replaced by condos and a marina in the late 1980s.
I lived on Badger’s Island at the time, and used to pass by the Clam Hut every day. That’s my friend Joscelyn sitting on the fence. As I recall, I traded the drawing to Clam Hut owners Bob and Becky for several hundred dollars in food credit. And ate a lot of take out that summer. I’ve always felt this pen and ink drawing was a great composition and nice feeling of sunlight on the building. This image appeared in the 1990 Portsmouth History Calendar.