John Paul Jones

American Naval Hero, Real & Imagined. Captain John Paul Jones (1747-92), the celebrated naval hero of the American Revolution, spent time in Portsmouth in 1777 and again in 1781-82. He is believed to have been a tenant of the Widow Purcell in the John Paul Jones House in 1781 while he supervised the building of the Navy’s ship America nearby. In this exhibit, the Portsmouth Historical Society focuses on their famous historical character for the first time and hosts several Gallery Talks and a fall Symposium to consider aspects of the actual career and folk culture symbolism of John Paul Jones.