Community Corner
10 Things You Didn't Know About Portsmouth
Here's 10 fun facts you might not know about the port city we call home!
- Port City – Once one of the nation’s busiest ports and shipbuilding cities, Portsmouth expressed its wealth in fine architecture. It contains significant examples of Colonial, Georgian, and Federal style houses, a selection of which are now museums. Portsmouth’s heart contains stately brick Federalist stores and townhouses, built all-of-a-piece after devastating early 19th-century fires. The worst was in 1813 when 244 buildings burned.
- New Hampshire – In 1653 the 60 families living in the town petitioned to change its name to Portsmouth. When New Hampshire was separated from Massachusetts Bay Colony by royal edict in 1679, Portsmouth became the capital of the new colony.
- The Treaty of Portsmouth - In 1905, the treaty ending the Russo-Japanese War was hosted in Portsmouth. New Hampshire is the only state to play host for the conclusion of a foreign war. President Teddy Roosevelt even won the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating the treaty!
- Bad Boys – Did you know that the ‘bad boy’ literary genre originated in Portsmouth? Author Thomas Bailey Aldrich wrote an autobiography, “The Story of a Bad Boy” about his misadventures in Portsmouth which launched the genre. His house was preserved as a museum, and is the longest-running museum in Portsmouth.
- Humphrey Bogart – A local myth has said that Humphrey Bogart served time in the Portsmouth Naval Prison. While the myth has been proven false, Bogart’s famous ‘lip sneer’ and lisp may have occurred during a trip to Portsmouth. While serving in the navy, Bogart was transporting a prisoner to the Portsmouth Naval Prison, and the prisoner attacked him, smashing his lip. The repair surgery was botched and Bogart was never able to fully repair the injury.
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- Cinderella – Portsmouth has been home to many a creative soul, but did you know it had roots in fairy tales? Ilene Woods, born in Portsmouth, was the voice of Cinderella in the 1950 disney film.
- Rachael Ray – Rachael Ray is returning to Portsmouth this year to do a Holiday piece on the city! She visited The Blue Mermaid previously, in 2006. Can’t wait to see what the piece will be about!
- Tom Bergeron – Ever watch America’s Funniest Home Videos or Dancing with the Stars? Show host Tom Bergeron got his start as a DJ for WHEB in Portsmouth. He still visits occasionally, and has said in numerous interviews that he would consider retiring on the seacoast.
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- Memorial Bridge – The original Memorial Bridge opened in 1923, and is owned 50-50 by the NHDOT and MaineDOT. The new bridge was the first of its kind – a gussetless steel-truss bridge whose design was based on the original designs by JAL Waddell.
- Parking – Parking is often seen as a huge issue in Portsmouth, and there is definitely room for improvement, but there are also a lot of parking areas that people don’t take full advantage of. Check out this guide and you’ll know all the tricks for parking downtown.
