Quick History Stop: Portsmouth, NH | Part 5

I go to Portsmouth, NH so often that this is my fifth installment of quick history stops. The city is highly walkable with wide sidewalks, crosswalks with traffic lights, and streets lights. On this trip, I went back to the public gardens at Prescott Park, learned about historic buildings, took a rest on Four Tree Island, and even saw a very large boat pass under Memorial Bridge.

A large tree amid colorful flowerbeds by a red brick walkway and a stone bench. Beautiful flowers lining a red brick path. A red brick path meets the red brick sidewalk. A 19th century inspired street light stands on the corner next to a square bed of flowers.

As I mentioned all the way back in Part 1, ten-acre Prescott Park was willed to the City of Portsmouth by Josie F. Prescott in 1954. She also provided a trust fund to care for it. During my visit, performances from the Prescott Park Arts Festival were in full swing. Concerts, movies, live theater, and community groups each have the chance to entertain. The festival began in 1974, and the highlight of the season is a professional stage musical. Besides the arts, visitors can enjoy the lovingly tended flowerbeds. These beautiful plants are known as All-American Selections, or the best plants from a closely documented breeding and trialing process. The ancestors of these plants grew in a program with University of New Hampshire. The flowers are now cared for by the Parks & Greenery Division of the Department of Public Works in Portsmouth.

Many rows of blooming flowers in a grassy field lined by stately trees Red, white, purple, and yellow flowers in rows. Rows of flowers in the middle distances.

After visiting Warner House, I noticed a pair of plaques on the side of a red brick building. The older plaque was faded, while the newer plaque described the construction of the Army & Navy Association Building at 135 Daniel Street in 1916. The property was originally part of the Universal Service Organization (USO) and was sold to the City of Portsmouth after thirty years in 1946. The property was sold again in 2013 and was renovated to become (what else) luxury condos. Nearby was Old City Hall, built of red brick in the Federal style in 1846.

A Three-story, red brick, Federal style building nearly on the street. A two-story, red brick, Colonial Revival building A black and bronzed plaque describing the brief history of the Army & Navy Building affixed to a red brick wall

On a mostly hidden plaque standing among purple flowers, I learned about Spring Hill Waterfront, the former name of the wharves on Ceres Street where I took the Portsmouth Harbor Cruise. The wharves were a major shipping area during the late 18th through 19th centuries except for the infamous Jeffersonian Embargo Act of 1807, which temporarily destroyed the shipping industry. Early in the time period, the biggest exports in this area came from the West Indies and included coffee, sugar, molasses, and rum. Later, imports shifted to include European and Chinese goods, including carpets, hats, paint, rope, and sperm whale oil.

A faded green sign with the words Welcome to Peirce Island City of Portsmouth Park Established 1923 A bluish-green shallow body of water between two shores. A tall metal bridge spans the water. A stone sculpture of a woman and her baby shaped like a ship figurehead and facing the water.

To get a good view of bridges, the Piscataqua River, and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, I walked to Peirce Island, twenty-seven acres of land owned by the City of Portsmouth. A section of this park is called Four Tree Island, and at its end by the water was a statue called My Mother the Wind by Cabot Lyford, completed in 1975. Lyford lived on the East coast throughout his life and felt a strong connection to the ocean, which inspired him to carved sculptures of wildlife and everyday women. This statue shows a woman and her baby stretched out like a ship figurehead with their faces towards the sea. The inscription on the base “For Those Who Sailed Here to Find a New Life”, a reference to immigrants coming to America, especially the New England maritime region. Lyford passed away in Brunswick, ME in 2016 at age 90, and his ashes were scattered at sea “where he felt most free”. Portsmouth Historical Society held an exhibit on his work in 2025 in celebration of his 100th birthday.

A small cove with shallow water. Rocks line the shore. A big blue boat with the words Pacific Rim on its side passing in front of many cranes. A big blue boat across the water near a collection of cranes and concrete buildings.

One moment that gave me an inordinate amount of excitement was watching Shark Island, a bulk carrier ship built in 2011, currently sailing under the flag of Singapore, and owned by Pacific Basin Shipping Limited. Shark Island is part of the Supramax fleet, meaning that it is a really big boat. It has a deadweight tonnage (DWT) of 61,193, where one metric ton equals 2,200 pounds. Because of its size, Shark Island needed a group of Portsmouth Harbor Tug Boats to guide it safely through the waterways and under the bridges. I watched Memorial Bridge slowly lift to let the giant ship move underneath. This is an excellent activity for those interested in transportation and older adults who enjoy watching things.

A big blue ship is close to a metal bridge with its center portion lifted all the way up. A large blue ship barely fits under a tall metal bridge with its center section all the way up. A middle-aged man stans next to a little wooden door. The man is just under 6 feet tall. The door is slightly uphill from the man and about 5 and a half feet tall.
Location: Portsmouth, NH 03801, USA