History · Portsmouth

Portsmouth’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold only 2 old photos of Portsmouth. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

1630established
2old images & papers
4historic places
0recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

The first European to explore and write about the area was Martin Pring in 1603. The Piscataqua River is a tidal estuary with a swift current, but forms a good natural harbor. The west bank of the harbor was settled by European colonists in 1630 and named Strawbery Banke, after the many wild strawberries growing there. The village was protected by Fort William and Mary on what is now New Castle Island. Strategically located for trade between upstream industries and mercantile interests abroad, the port prospered. Fishing, lumber and shipbuilding were principal businesses of the region.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

built from the dates on the items below
1630Established
1763Benning Wentworth governor Thanksgiving Proclam…Document
17701770 JohnFleming ConnecticutJournal Aug14Document
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Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

From Wikimedia Commons (2) and the National Register (4). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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Portsmouth

New Hampshire · NH
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