Portsmouth History Notes

03/28/2026

We have a great tradition of protests here in Rhode Island.

July 9, 1764: The St. John Incident: Ft. George from Blaskowitz map In 1763 the British sent warships to Newport to clamp down on smuggling. One such warship was the custom schooner St. John. The c…

03/02/2026

Portsmouth has had some wonderful women we should know about.

As you pass by the Prescott House on the Portsmouth/Middletown border by West Main Road, you might think of it as the location of the famous raid of Colonel Barton to capture British General Presco…

10/02/2025

https://portsmouthhistorynotes.com/2025/10/02/honoring-founding-mothers-and-looking-for-their-descendants/

It was a touching moment. A descendant of Mary Paine Tripp came to an event at Bristol Ferry and watched actress Cindy Killavey portray her ancestor. That was at last year’s “Discover Y…

07/04/2025

4th of July - I'm thinking of the courage of Revolutionary women.
https://portsmouthhistorynotes.com/2025/07/04/remembering-revolutionary-women/?fbclid=IwY2xjawLU62hleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFpUWNFaWJXR0xCRko4RjJqAR48tTYQgVmJTkUYl85j8aLKSVBvBZlh4sFa7MxqQSx7TZYz3a0sT9PD3hkpgA_aem_Ec2riGwqrZWRe0aj-J2adw

Judge Benjamin Cowell collected the stories of Rhode Islanders who applied for pensions many years after the war. He published his stories in a book called “Spirit of 76” and he started his book wi…

03/08/2025

What kinds of information does a census give us about Portsmouth? I have worked with other census documents and within the names and numbers there is a great deal that can be learned from them. An …

03/08/2025

Slavery in Portsmouth? Yes, the census of 1730 shows it in Colonial Portsmouth.

What kinds of information does a census give us about Portsmouth? I have worked with other census documents and within the names and numbers there is a great deal that can be learned from them. An …

12/28/2024

I'm researching General Sullivan's Life Guard.

I have been exploring the stories behind some of the local Revolutionary War flags and this flag has led me to interesting areas of research. The “rattlesnake” emblem on it is very popu…

11/12/2024

Part 2 of the Bristol Ferry Neighborhood short history. This area of town is rich in interesting people and events.

Travelers The Bristol Ferry grew in importance after the Revolutionary War and a whole transportation network developed around it. Railroad service, steamers (even the famous Fall River line in the…

11/10/2024

More in my series on the history of Portsmouth neighborhoods. Bristol Ferry.

As the Portsmouth founders moved away from the settlements around the Town Pond, Common Fence and Founder’s Brook, the Bristol Ferry community to the northwest began to develop. In the 1930s,…

11/07/2024

This original neighborhood of Portsmouth settlers no longer functions as a "neighborhood" but I had to include it in any discussion of Portsmouth neighborhoods.

Founded on the Compact. The original settlers of Portsmouth were dissenters with Anne Hutchinson fleeing from Boston’s church rule. Portsmouth’s town seal proclaims “Founded on the Compact 1638.” T…

10/19/2024

It was a wonderful morning at Butts Hill Fort. Portsmouth Community Theater actors Richard Schmidt, Denise Betz, Ron Marsh with Jim Stearns did a great job with a Reader’s Theatre production of Voices from Butts Hill Fort. Butts Hill Fort is looking good

10/18/2024

Tomorrow is the last call for Mt Hope Bridge sunset images. Contest is sponsored by Portsmouth Conservation Commission. Two categories. 12 years old and under. 13 and over. Image has to be taken at Mt Hope Park or Bristol Ferry Common area. Small prizes. Send only one image to [email protected]