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Wikipedia

Portsmouth, Ohio

Portsmouth is a city in and the county seat of Scioto County, Ohio, United States.[4] Located in southern Ohio 41 miles (66 km) south of Chillicothe, it lies on the north bank of the Ohio River, across from Kentucky, just east of the mouth of the Scioto River. The population was 18,252 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Portsmouth micropolitan area.[5]

Portsmouth, Ohio
A view of Market Street Plaza in the Boneyfiddle Commercial District
Nickname: 
P-Town
Motto: 
"Where Southern Hospitality Begins"
Location in the state of Ohio
Location of Portsmouth in Scioto County
Coordinates: 38°44′35″N 82°57′56″W / 38.74306°N 82.96556°W / 38.74306; -82.96556Coordinates: 38°44′35″N 82°57′56″W / 38.74306°N 82.96556°W / 38.74306; -82.96556
CountryUnited States
StateOhio
CountyScioto
Founded1803
Incorporated1815
Government
 • TypeCouncil–manager
 • MayorSean Dunne (D)
 • City ManagerSam Sutherland
Area
 • Total11.08 sq mi (28.69 km2)
 • Land10.73 sq mi (27.79 km2)
 • Water0.35 sq mi (0.90 km2)
Elevation
533 ft (162 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total18,252
 • Density1,701.18/sq mi (656.82/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
45662
Area code740
FIPS code39-64304[2]
GNIS feature ID1061567[3]
Websiteportsmouthoh.org

History

Foundation

The area was occupied by Native Americans as early as 100 BC, as indicated by the Portsmouth Earthworks, a ceremonial center built by the Ohio Hopewell culture between 100 and 500 AD.[6]

 
1847 map showing the location of the Portsmouth Earthworks northeast of Portsmouth.[6]

According to early 20th-century historian Charles Augustus Hanna, a Shawnee village was founded at the site of modern-day Portsmouth in late 1758, following the destruction of Lower Shawneetown by floods.[7]

European-Americans began to settle in the 1790s after the American Revolutionary War, and the small town of Alexandria was founded.[8] Located at the confluence, Alexandria was flooded numerous times by the Ohio and the Scioto rivers.

In 1796, Emanuel Traxler became the first person to permanently occupy land in what would later be known as Portsmouth, after the United States gained its independence.[9]

In 1803, Henry Massie found a better location slightly east and somewhat removed from the flood plains. He began to plot the new city by mapping the streets and distributing the land. Portsmouth was founded in 1803 and was established as a city in 1815. It was designated as the county seat. Settlers left Alexandria, and it soon disappeared. Massie named Portsmouth after the town of Portsmouth in New Hampshire.[9]

The Ohio state legislature passed "Black Laws" in 1804 that restricted movement of free blacks and required persons to carry papers, in an effort to dissuade blacks from settling in the state. These provisions were intermittently enforced by local governments and law enforcement, and sometimes used as an excuse to force African Americans out of settlements. In 1831, Portsmouth drove out African Americans from the city under this pretext. Many settled several miles north in what became known as Huston's Hollow, along the Scioto River. Its residents, especially Joseph Love and Dan Lucas, provided aid to refugee slaves in the following years and assisted them in moving north.[10]

Although southern Ohio was dominated in number by anti-abolitionist settlers from the South, some whites also worked to improve conditions for blacks and aid refugee slaves. Portsmouth became important in the antebellum years as part of the Underground Railroad. Fugitive slaves from Kentucky and other parts of the South crossed the Ohio River here. Some found their future in Portsmouth; others moved north along the Scioto River to reach Detroit, Michigan, and get further away from slave catchers. Many continued into Canada to secure their freedom.[11] A historical marker near the Grant Bridge commemorates this period of Portsmouth's history.[12] James Ashley of Portsmouth continued his activism and pursued a political career. After being elected to Congress, he wrote the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery in 1865 after the American Civil War.[13]

Portsmouth quickly developed an industrial base due to its location at the confluence of the Ohio and Scioto rivers. Early industrial growth included having meat packing and shipping facilities for Thomas Worthington's Chillicothe farm, located north of Portsmouth on the Scioto River. The city's growth was stimulated by completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal in the 1820s and 1830s,[14] which provided access to the Great Lakes, opening up northern markets.

 
The steamer 'Bonanza' in Portsmouth during the 1884 flood

But the construction of the Norfolk and Western (N&W) railyards beginning in 1838 and the completion of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) junction at the city in the late 1850s quickly surpassed the canal in stimulating growth. The railroads soon carried more freight than the canal, with the B&O connecting the city to the Baltimore and Washington, DC markets. By the end of the 19th century, Portsmouth became one of the most important industrial cities on the Ohio River between Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Cincinnati, Ohio. It became an iron and steel factory town with new companies like the Portsmouth Steel Company.

20th century

The city's growth continued. By 1916, during World War I, Portsmouth was listed as being a major industrial and jobbing center, the fourth-largest shoe manufacturing center in the country, and the largest manufacturer of fire and paving bricks in the United States. Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel (later called Empire-Detroit Steel) employed over one thousand people. There were 100 other manufacturing companies producing goods from furniture to engines.[15]

Such industrial and shipping growth greatly benefited Boneyfiddle (a west-end neighborhood in Portsmouth), where grand buildings were constructed with the wealth from the commerce. As time passed, much of the commerce began to move toward Chillicothe Street, which has continued as the main thoroughfare of Portsmouth. While Boneyfiddle is receiving new life, it is a shadow of its former self.

The city population peaked at just over 42,000 in 1930 (see "Demographics", below). In 1931, the Norfolk Southern Corporation built a grand, art deco passenger station in Portsmouth, that provided a substantial entry to the city. It was located at 16th and Findlay streets. Passengers used the station for access to both interstate and intrastate train lines, which provided basic transportation for many. The widespread availability of affordable automobiles and changing patterns resulted in reduction in rail passenger traffic here and nationally. The station was later used for offices and its keys were turned over to Scioto County in 2003, and the building was demolished in 2004.[16]

Suburbanization also affected the city. By the 1950 census, the population had begun to decline, falling below 40,000. Some of this change was due to the effects of highway construction, which stimulated suburban residential development in the postwar years. But during the late 20th century, foreign competition and industrial restructuring resulted in the loss of most of the industrial jobs on which Portsmouth's economy had been based; the jobs were moved out of the area, with many going overseas.

Further decline occurred in 1980, following the suspension of operations at Empire Detroit Steel's Portsmouth Works, which took place after the sale of the steel plant to Armco Steel. Armco Steel closed the plant because they did not want to replace the obsolete, Open Hearth Furnaces with the more efficient basic oxygen steel furnaces. The plant also needed a continuous caster to replace the obsolete soaking pits and blooming mill in 1995. When the steel mill was closed, 1,300 steelworkers were laid off.

21st century

 
Aerial view of downtown Portsmouth

As of 2010, Portsmouth has a population of approximately 20,000. It has shared in the loss of jobs due to unskilled labor outsourcing and population migration to more populous urban areas.[citation needed] Despite its relatively small size, Portsmouth has been a regular stop for recent Presidential campaigns of the 21st century. In September 2004, George W. Bush visited the city as part of his reelection campaign.[17] Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards also visited Portsmouth that month.[18] The campaigns of 2008 resulted in numerous candidates and surrogates visiting Portsmouth, and some spoke at Shawnee State University: Bill Clinton on behalf of his wife Hillary Clinton,[19] Republican candidate John McCain,[20] and US Senator Barack Obama,[21] who won the election. In 2012, candidate Mitt Romney spoke at Shawnee State University.[22] In March 2016, Bill Clinton visited Portsmouth again to campaign for his wife, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.[23] In August 2017, US Senator and former presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, spoke at a rally held at Shawnee State University.[24]

Portsmouth, and other parts of Scioto County, have worked to redevelop blighted properties and create a new economy. Along with adapting disused residential properties, Portsmouth has begun the process of transforming abandoned industrial and commercial properties to other uses.

The city has initiated new developments in its downtown. The Ohio Legislature passed House Bill 233 on April 20, 2016, to authorize cities to create Downtown Redevelopment Districts. They operate similarly to a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) District. The city of Portsmouth formed a Downtown Redevelopment District (DRD) in 2017 in the Boneyfiddle neighborhood of the city to increase investment and development there.[25]

Through the early 21st century, there has been a noticeable increase in investment in Portsmouth's local economy. New investments and developments in the local economy led to Portsmouth's inclusion in Site Selection Magazine's "Top 10 Micropolitan areas". Celina, Defiance and Portsmouth were among a group of cities tied for 10th. Portsmouth attracted nine significant economic development projects in 2016, nearly as many as it had from 2004 to 2013 combined.[26][27]

In 2014, Portsmouth was one of 350 cities to enter a submission in the America's Best Communities competition, hoping to win the $3 million first place prize.[28] In April 2015, Portsmouth was chosen as one of the 50 quarter-finalists, winning $50,000 to help prepare a Community Revitalization Plan.[28] In January 2016, Portsmouth's plan, which emphasized using its most valuable asset, the Ohio River, as a key to revitalizing the city, earned it one of 15 spots in the competition's semi-finals.[29] In April 2016, Portsmouth was one of seven cities eliminated at the semi-final round, but received an additional $25,000 for use in continuing to develop its plans to improve commercial and community access to the Portsmouth riverfront by making the port a premier regional destination for industrial development, small business development, and riverfront recreation.[29]

In 2019, Portsmouth was named Hallmarks' Hometown Christmas Town. The Friends of Portsmouth group held the annual Winterfest celebration event that brought Christmas lights, vendors, ice skating, carriage rides, tree lighting, and more to Market Square.[30][31]

In 2020 the National Civic League named Portsmouth as an "All-American City," along with nine other cities.[32]

Geography

 
A painting of the confluence of the Ohio and Scioto rivers, showing the dissected plateau terrain and the Carl D. Perkins Bridge.

Portsmouth is at the confluence of the Ohio, Scioto, and Little Scioto rivers. It is a midway point among four major cities: Charleston, West Virginia, Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio; and Lexington, Kentucky, each of which are approximately ninety miles away (roughly a two-hour drive).

Much of the terrain is quite hilly due to dissected plateau around it. Both rivers have carved valleys and Portsmouth lies next to both the Scioto and Ohio rivers. It is within the ecoregion of the Western Allegheny Plateau.[33] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.07 square miles (28.67 km2), of which 10.73 square miles (27.79 km2) is land and 0.34 square miles (0.88 km2) is water.[34]

Neighborhoods

  • Sciotoville - located 5 miles (8.0 km) in the eastern part of Portsmouth off US 52 at Ohio 335; it is sometimes known as East Portsmouth, but it is within the city limits, with about 10% of the city's population living there.
  • North Moreland - a community within Portsmouth, north of the Village of New Boston. North Moreland connects the larger western section of Portsmouth with Sciotoville.
  • Boneyfiddle - several blocks west of downtown Portsmouth, generally centered around the Market St./2nd St. intersection
  • Hilltop - residential neighborhoods in Portsmouth located north of 17th St., west of Thomas Ave and east of Scioto Trail

Climate

Portsmouth has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) closely bordering a humid subtropical climate (Cfa.) Average monthly temperatures range from 31.8 °F in January to 75.1 °F in July. PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1820527
18301,378161.5%
18401,54412.0%
18504,011159.8%
18606,26856.3%
187010,59269.0%
188011,3216.9%
189012,3949.5%
190017,87044.2%
191023,48131.4%
192033,01140.6%
193042,56028.9%
194040,466−4.9%
195036,798−9.1%
196033,637−8.6%
197027,633−17.8%
198025,993−5.9%
199022,676−12.8%
200020,909−7.8%
201020,226−3.3%
202018,252−9.8%
2021 (est.)18,014−1.3%
Sources:[2][35][36][37]

2010 census

As of the census[38] of 2010, there were 20,226 people, 8,286 households, and 4,707 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,885.0 inhabitants per square mile (727.8/km2). There were 9,339 housing units at an average density of 870.4 per square mile (336.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 90.1% White, 5.1% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.2% of the population.

There were 8,286 households, out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.9% were married couples living together, 17.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.2% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.93.

The median age in the city was 36.1 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 14.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.6% were from 25 to 44; 24.2% were from 45 to 64; and 16.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.4% male and 53.6% female.

2000 census

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 20,909 people, 9,120 households, and 5,216 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,941.4 people per square mile (749.6/km2). There were 10,248 housing units at an average density of 951.5 per square mile (367.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 91.50% White, 5.00% African American, 0.63% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population.

There were 9,120 households, out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.9% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.8% were non-families. 37.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the city the population was spread out, with 22.0% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,004, and the median income for a family was $31,237. Males had a median income of $31,521 versus $20,896 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,078. About 18.3% of families and 23.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.1% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Portsmouth major employers include Southern Ohio Medical Center, Kings Daughters Medical Center Ohio, Shawnee State University, Norfolk Southern Corp.(Railroad), Southern Ohio Correctional Facility and OSCO Industries. In November 2002, the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in nearby Piketon, Ohio was recognized as a Nuclear Historic Landmark by the American Nuclear Society. It had served a military function from 1952 until the mid-1960s, when the mission changed from enriching uranium for nuclear weapons to one focused on producing fuel for commercial nuclear power plants. The Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant ended enriching operations in 2001 and began to support operational and administrative functions and perform external contract work. The site is currently being cleaned up for future development by Fluor/ B&W.

Graf Brothers Flooring and Lumber, the world's largest manufacturer of rift and quartered oak products, has two satellite log yards in Portsmouth, with the company's main office being located across the river in South Shore, Kentucky. Portsmouth is the home of Sole Choice Inc., one of the largest manufacturers of shoelaces in the world.

Arts and culture

Buildings and landmarks

 
The façade of the historic Columbia Music Hall, the only portion remaining after a fire in 2007, rebuilt in 2012 as the open air Columbia Music Arena.[39]

Many historical buildings in Portsmouth have been demolished because of poor upkeep, other city development, or the completion of new buildings that replaced the landmarks. Landmarks that have been demolished include the old Norfolk & Western rail depot, churches dating back to the early 20th century, houses dating to the 1850s, Grant Middle School, and the old Portsmouth High School and various elementary schools.

Many buildings survive from the early 19th century. Old churches are among the reminders of Portsmouth's past and identity. The historic 1910 Columbia Theater was destroyed by a fire in 2007, later demolished and rebuilt in 2012 as the open air Columbia Music Hall, with a refurbished façade from the original structure serving as the entry point.[39][40][41] Other noted historic buildings include the old monastery, which can be seen for miles, and Spartan Stadium, as well as numerous buildings in the Boneyfiddle Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1982, students from Miami University conducted research on several of Portsmouth's most important historic buildings. This work resulted in an exhibition at the Miami University Art Museum and a book entitled Portsmouth: Architecture in an Ohio River Town.[42]

In October 2016, a professor at Shawnee State University submitted a proposal to the State Farm Neighborhood Assist grant program, to preserve Spartan Municipal Stadium.[43] The stadium opened in 1930 as the original home of the Portsmouth Spartans, now the fifth oldest active franchise in the National Football League (as the Detroit Lions).[43] In November 2016, the city won a $25,000 State Farm Neighborhood Assist grant toward the stadium's renovation.[44]

Library

The Portsmouth Public Library is the city's library, founded in 1879. It has branch libraries throughout Scioto County. The Southern Ohio Museum, founded in 1979, has more than sixty exhibits on display including artwork by Clarence Holbrook Carter and Jesse Stuart, China dolls, Native American artifacts, and works by local artists.

Floodwalls

 
Floodwall mural showing the city of Portsmouth as it appeared in 1903

Although developed on higher ground, the city has been subject to seasonal flooding. The city had extensive flooding in 1884, 1913, and 1937. After the flood of 1937, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed a floodwall protecting the city, which prevented two major floods in 1964 and 1997.

In 1992, the city of Portsmouth began honoring some of the many accomplishments of its area natives by placing a star on the riverside of the floodwall. This is known as the Portsmouth Wall of Fame and was instituted by then-mayor Frank Gerlach. Some of the honorees include Don Gullett, Al Oliver, and former United States Vice-president Dan Quayle, who was not a Portsmouth native.[45]

In 1992 a nonprofit group headed by Dr. Louis R. and Ava Chaboudy was formed to investigate developing a mural-based tourist attraction on the floodwall. In the spring of 1993, mural artist Robert Dafford was commissioned and began painting murals of Portsmouth's history.[46] He hired local art student Herb Roe as an assistant. Roe subsequently apprenticed to and worked for Dafford for 15 years.[47] The project eventually spanned sixty 20 feet (6.1 m) tall consecutive Portsmouth murals, stretching for over 2,000 feet (610 m).[48] Subjects covered by the murals span the history of the area from the ancient mound building Adena and Hopewell cultures to modern sporting events and notable natives.

These subjects include

The original mural project was finished in the fall of 2003. Since then several additional panels have been added, including murals honoring Portsmouth's baseball heroes in 2006; and the Tour of the Scioto River Valley (TOSRV), a bicycle tour between Columbus and Portsmouth in 2007.[49]

Indian Head Rock

The Indian Head Rock is an eight-ton sandstone boulder which until 2007 rested at the bottom of the Ohio River. Historically, the boulder was used to record low river stages. It is notable due to its history and due to the figures and names of individuals which were carved into the rock at times of low water levels. In 1917, the construction of a dam downriver from Portsmouth meant that the rock would forever be submerged, if not for its recovery by a group of local divers led by an Ironton historian. The removal of the rock led the states of Kentucky and Ohio into a legislative battle to determine its ownership and disposition.[50] The rock was returned to the state of Kentucky in 2010.

Guinness World Records

Portsmouth's leaders and citizens have organized to win certification for several Guinness World Records for the city of Portsmouth. In 2018, the "Friends Plant Portsmouth event participants shattered the record for the most persons simultaneously potting plants"[51] while, later that year, Portsmouth beat out Waukesha, Wisconsin, the previous world record holder, for the most people simultaneously Christmas caroling which now stands at 1822 carolers. They also beat the previous record for most people wrapping Christmas presents simultaneously.[52]

Parks and recreation

 
Greenlawn Cemetery

Portsmouth has fourteen parks for residents and community use. These include Alexandria Park (Ohio and Scioto River confluence), Bannon Park (near Farley Square), Branch Rickey Park (on Williams Street near levee), Buckeye Park (near Branch Rickey Park), Cyndee Secrest Park (Sciotoville), Dr. Hartlage Park (Rose Street in Sciotoville), Labold Park (near Spartan Stadium), Larry Hisle Park (23rd Street & Thomas Ave.), Mound Park (17th & Hutchins Streets), York Park (riverfront), Spartan Stadium, Tracy Park (Chillicothe & Gay Streets), and Weghorst Park (Fourth & Jefferson Streets).[53]

Portsmouth's Spock Community Dog Park, named after a K9 who died protecting his partner, was implemented in 2019 and is a recreational dog park that gives the community a place walk their dog and have leisure time.[54]

A new skate-park, designed by Spohn Ranch Skateparks, is planned for construction in the near future.[55]

Pools

The McKinley Swimming Pool, located on Findley Street, was built during the Civil Rights era in memory of Eugene McKinley, a 14 year old African American boy who drowned. Portsmouth's other pool in the area (that has long since closed) was owned by the Terrace Club, and was commonly referred to as the "Dreamland Pool" by community members. The Terrace Club's pool was still segregated despite the progress of the Civil Rights movement, which influenced the institutional make-up of Portsmouth, as well as protests across the nation. During the 1960s, Portsmouth made institutional changes to attempt to include the black community as well. With the pool's construction being delayed and the African American community not having a place to swim in the area, despite the Civil Rights act having been passed, eventually a protest called the wade-in occurred at Dreamland Pool on July 17, 1964.[56]The next summer, in 1965, the Board of Directors of the Terrace Club pool unianimously removed their ban on African-Americans and reopened under the name Dreamland Pool. The McKinley Pool, which opened in 1966, still remains and stands as a historic pool that represents Portsmouth's reform, and the struggle against the laws of the Jim Crow Era.[57]

Greenlawn Cemetery

This active cemetery was established in 1829. Greenlawn is 40 acres in size and is the only public cemetery in the city of Portsmouth. This cemetery incorporates several smaller cemeteries, which are sections of Greenlawn Cemetery. Sections included in Greenlawn Cemetery are: City, Evergreen, Hebrew, Holy Redeemer, Hill North (Methodist), Hill South (Robinson), Old Mausoleum, Soldiers Circle, and St. Marys. The cemetery is located at Offnere Street and Grant Street. It is maintained by the City of Portsmouth.

Sports

Portsmouth had a series of semi-pro football teams in the 1920s and 1930s, the most notable being the Portsmouth Shoe-Steels, whose roster included player-coach Jim Thorpe.

From 1929 to 1933, the city was home to the Portsmouth Spartans, which joined the National Football League in 1930. The Spartans notably competed in the first professional football night game against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1930.[58][59] Despite their on-field success, being based in the NFL's second-smallest city during the Great Depression meant the team was in constant financial trouble. This forced the sale of the team and its relocation to Detroit in 1934, where it became the Detroit Lions.

In the late 20th century, the Portsmouth Explorers were one of the original teams in the Frontier League, a non-affiliated minor league baseball organization. The Explorers played in the league's first three seasons, from 1993 to 1995. In 1938, Portsmouth was also the home of the Portsmouth Red Birds, a minor league team owned by the St. Louis Cardinals.

In the late 1990s, Portsmouth was home to the Superstar Wrestling Federation before its demise. More recently Revolutionary Championship Wrestling has made its home in Portsmouth, airing on local TV station WQCW. Revolutionary Championship Wrestling in Portsmouth has featured such stars as Big Van Vader, Jerry "The King" Lawler, Demolition Ax, "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton, "Wildcat" Chris Harris, and Ivan Koloff.

Government

City government

 
Portsmouth City Hall

The city charter was adopted on November 6, 1928. The city conducts business at their city hall, which was constructed in 1935. City council meetings are held during the second and fourth weeks in the month. The city reverted from being run by a city manager to a mayor in 1988, with the mayor being elected every four years.

In 2012, voters approved returning to a Council/City Manager form of government; this took effect in January 2014. Under the City Manager/Council system, the mayor and vice-mayor are elected members of the city council who are appointed to their positions by the council. The city manager is hired by and reports directly to the council. The city manager oversees the day-to-day operations of city government and is the direct supervisor of all city department heads. There are six wards in the city with elections of council members from the wards every two years.

The City Manager is Sam Sutherland.[60]

Ward City Council
First Ward Sean Dunne (Mayor, City Council President)
Second Ward Charlotte Gordon (Vice Mayor, City Council Vice-President)
Third Ward Andy Cole
Fourth Ward Lyvette Barnes-Mosley
Fifth Ward Joey Sandlin
Sixth Ward Dennis Packard

[61]

County government

 
Scioto County Courthouse

Portsmouth is the county seat for Scioto County. The courthouse is located at the corner of Sixth and Court Streets and was constructed in 1936. The sheriff's office and county jail, once located in the courthouse, are located in a new facility, constructed in 2006 at the former site of the Norfolk and Western rail depot near U.S. 23.

The county commissioners are Scottie Powell, Chairman; Bryan K. Davis; and Cathy E. Coleman. The county commissioners meet twice weekly on Tuesday and Thursdays at 9:30 am in room 107 on the first floor of the Scioto County Courthouse.

Response to the opioid epidemic

In the late 1990s, an opioid epidemic of prescription drug abuse had swept the region.[62] This caused an accelerated increase in social instability and crime.[63][64][65][66][67] One of the most prevalent drugs was oxycodone, a synthetic opiate known colloquially as oxy.

In May 2011, the Ohio Senate and House unanimously passed a bill (signed into law by John Kasich) authored by Portsmouth's state representative Dr. Terry Johnson, cracking down on pill mills.[68][69] Shortly thereafter, the DEA, state and local law enforcement agencies worked to identify and shut down a pharmacy and several doctors who had prescribed hundreds of thousands of opiates over a two-year period[70] by suspending their license to practice medicine.

In a May 2019 investigative story, The Washington Post reported that fentanyl had been replacing oxycodone as the preferred opioid.[71]

Education

Postsecondary

 
Massie Hall, Shawnee State University campus

Shawnee State University is a public university and the southernmost member of the University System of Ohio.[72] In 1945, Ohio University established an academic center in Portsmouth. In 1986, a legislative charter introduced by Vern Riffe to establish Shawnee State University was signed into law by Governor Richard Celeste.[73] Shawnee State University offers associate's and bachelor's degrees in a variety of disciplines.[74] They rank 9th nationwide according to The Princeton Review for their undergraduate degrees in Game design.[75][76] Other popular majors are Nursing, Business Administration, Sociology, Biology, and Psychology.[77] They also offer 7 master's degrees and one doctorate.[78] SSU, also has student and faculty exchange programs with several overseas institutions, including the Jaume I University in Spain,[79] Al Akhawayn University in Morocco,[80] Zhejiang University of Technology in China,[81] and the Ludwigsburg University of Education in Germany.[82] SSU serves almost 3,000 matriculated undergraduates, as well as several hundred grad and post grad students.[73]

Located in downtown Portsmouth, SSU has a 62-acre campus.[83] Its 28 buildings [84] include the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts, Clark Planetarium, Morris University Center, and James A. Rhodes Athletic Center.[85] The university's library[86] was named the Clark Memorial Library in 1997.[87] Shawnee State University's Clyde W. Clark Planetarium features the Hubble Space Telescope Viewspace system.[88] The university has on-campus housing[89] for 934 students.[90] All first-year students must live in university housing unless they are married, veterans, over age 23, or living with their parents.[89]

The Shawnee State "Bears" are part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), competing in the Mid-South Conference (MSC) since the 2010[91] The SSU Bears compete in 13 intercollegiate varsity sports including: Baseball, Basketball, Cross country, Golf, Soccer, Tennis, Track and field, and Volleyball. In March 2021, the Men's basketball team defeated Lewis–Clark State to become NAIA national champions.

Clubs on campus include the Art Club, Chemistry Club, Fantanime, Geology Club, History Club, International Game Developer's Association (IGDA), Political Science Club, Pre-Med Club, and Sexuality and Gender Acceptance (SAGA).[92] and an international group, the Other World Society.[93] In addition, since 2008, except during the COVID-19 Lockdown, the Zombie Education Defense club has hosted a semi-annual, campus wide, week-long, massive game of nerf tag: the Humans vs. Zombies event.

Primary and secondary

 
Clark Athletic Complex

Portsmouth has one public and two private school systems (the Notre Dame schools and the Portsmouth STEM Academy). The Portsmouth City School District has served the city since its founding in the 1830s and is the public school in the city. Portsmouth City School District is notable having a storied basketball tradition by winning four OSHAA State Basketball Championships in 1931, 1961, 1978, and 1988.[94] The Trojan basketball team has made 14 final four appearances, they are: 1925, 1926, 1927, 1929, 1931 (1st), 1934 (2nd), 1939, 1941, 1961 (1st), 1978 (1st), 1980 (2nd), 1988 (1st), 1990 (2nd).[95] and 2012 (2nd). The Trojan football team has also produced some notable teams as of late with an Associated Press Division 3 State Championship in 2000, a regional title, and state semi-final appearance in 2000, and finishing as regional runner up in both 2001, and 2002. In all the Trojans football team has sent 5 teams to the post season since 2000, as of the start of the 2009 season.[96][97]

In 2000, Portsmouth voters passed a much needed school bond issue, which helped construct new schools for the district. The new schools opened for the 2006–2007 school year. These schools won the Grand Prize from School Planning & Management's 2007 Education Design Showcase. The award is awarded annually to the K-12 school that displays "excellence in design and functional planning directed toward meeting the needs of the educational program."[98][99] In addition, the school system plans to build a new $10 million athletic complex.[100] Portsmouth High School has an award-winning Interactive Media program that has won multiple awards for both video and graphic design. The class is under the direction of Chris Cole and the students run the local cable station TNN CH25.

In 2009, the school system completed construction on a new $10 million athletic complex. The 25-acre (10 ha) Clark Athletic Complex[101] has a new football field, baseball field, softball field, tennis courts, and track.[100] The complex is named for Clyde and Maycel Clark of the Clark Foundation, major financial contributors for the construction of the facility.[102] The new complex, situated on the site of the former high school building and across the street from the current high school, has three paintings by mural artist Herb Roe, a 1992 Portsmouth High School alumnus.[103] The murals depict three of the sports played at the new facility: baseball, tennis, and football.

Notre Dame High School, formerly Portsmouth Central Catholic High School, has served the city's Roman Catholics and others since 1852. It is also notable for it's football team, founded in 1929. It won two state championships in 1967 and 1970.[94]

Media

Portsmouth is near the dividing line for several television markets, including Columbus, Cincinnati, and Huntington-Charleston. There are two local television stations including WTZP, an America One affiliate, and WQCW, a CW affiliate. Portsmouth was, prior to October 2017, served by WPBO, a PBS affiliate. Programs aired on WPBO were broadcast by WOSU in Columbus. Local radio stations WIOI, WKSG, WNXT, WPYK, WZZZ, and WOSP-FM serve the radio listeners in the city.

Portsmouth is also served by three newspapers. The Portsmouth Daily Times is the city's only daily newspaper and is also available online.[104] The Community Common is a free biweekly newspaper[104] and the Scioto Voice is a weekly newspaper, which is mailed to subscribers.[105] The University Chronicle is the student-led newspaper at Shawnee State University.[106]

Transportation

 
The U.S. Grant Bridge crossing the Ohio River from Portsmouth to Greenup County, Kentucky.

Highways

Portsmouth is served by two major U.S. Routes: 23 and 52. Other significant roads include Ohio State Routes 73, 104, 139, 140, and 335. The nearest Interstate highway is I-64. Interstate 73 is planned to use the newly built Portsmouth bypass (i.e., Ohio State Route 823) en route from North Carolina To Michigan. The I-74 Extension is planned to use US 52 through Portsmouth, running concurrently with I-73 on the eastern side of Portsmouth

Rail

Portsmouth is an important location in the Norfolk Southern Railway network. Norfolk Southern operates a railyard and locomotive maintenance facility for its long-distance shipping route between the coalfields of West Virginia and points east, to the Great Lakes. Competitor CSX Transportation operates a former Chesapeake & Ohio Railway line just east of the city in Sciotoville, which crosses the Ohio River on the historic Sciotoville Bridge. Amtrak offers passenger service to the Portsmouth area on its Cardinal route between New York City and Chicago. The passenger station is located on CSX Transportation-owned track in South Shore, Kentucky, across the Ohio River from Portsmouth.

Air

Portsmouth is served by the Greater Portsmouth Regional Airport (PMH), a general aviation airport. The airport is located in Minford, Ohio, approximately 12 miles (19 km) northeast of the city. The nearest commercial airport is Tri-State Airport (HTS) in Ceredo, West Virginia, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) outside Huntington, West Virginia and 53 miles (85 km) southeast of Portsmouth.

Public transportation

Public transportation for Portsmouth and its outlying areas is offered through Access Scioto County (ASC).[107]

Notable people

Sister cities

Portsmouth has three sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:

See also

References

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Further reading

  • Ann Hagedorn, Beyond the River The Untold Story of the Heroes of the Underground Railroad (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002).

External links

  • Official website

portsmouth, ohio, portsmouth, city, county, seat, scioto, county, ohio, united, states, located, southern, ohio, miles, south, chillicothe, lies, north, bank, ohio, river, across, from, kentucky, just, east, mouth, scioto, river, population, 2020, census, prin. Portsmouth is a city in and the county seat of Scioto County Ohio United States 4 Located in southern Ohio 41 miles 66 km south of Chillicothe it lies on the north bank of the Ohio River across from Kentucky just east of the mouth of the Scioto River The population was 18 252 at the 2020 census It is the principal city of the Portsmouth micropolitan area 5 Portsmouth OhioCityA view of Market Street Plaza in the Boneyfiddle Commercial DistrictNickname P TownMotto Where Southern Hospitality Begins Location in the state of OhioLocation of Portsmouth in Scioto CountyCoordinates 38 44 35 N 82 57 56 W 38 74306 N 82 96556 W 38 74306 82 96556 Coordinates 38 44 35 N 82 57 56 W 38 74306 N 82 96556 W 38 74306 82 96556CountryUnited StatesStateOhioCountySciotoFounded1803Incorporated1815Government TypeCouncil manager MayorSean Dunne D City ManagerSam SutherlandArea 1 Total11 08 sq mi 28 69 km2 Land10 73 sq mi 27 79 km2 Water0 35 sq mi 0 90 km2 Elevation533 ft 162 m Population 2020 Total18 252 Density1 701 18 sq mi 656 82 km2 Time zoneUTC 5 EST Summer DST UTC 4 EDT ZIP code45662Area code740FIPS code39 64304 2 GNIS feature ID1061567 3 Websiteportsmouthoh wbr org Contents 1 History 1 1 Foundation 1 2 20th century 1 3 21st century 2 Geography 2 1 Neighborhoods 2 2 Climate 3 Demographics 3 1 2010 census 3 2 2000 census 4 Economy 5 Arts and culture 5 1 Buildings and landmarks 5 2 Library 5 3 Floodwalls 5 4 Indian Head Rock 5 5 Guinness World Records 6 Parks and recreation 6 1 Pools 6 2 Greenlawn Cemetery 7 Sports 8 Government 8 1 City government 8 2 County government 8 3 Response to the opioid epidemic 9 Education 9 1 Postsecondary 9 2 Primary and secondary 10 Media 11 Transportation 11 1 Highways 11 2 Rail 11 3 Air 11 4 Public transportation 12 Notable people 13 Sister cities 14 See also 15 References 16 Further reading 17 External linksHistory EditFoundation EditThe area was occupied by Native Americans as early as 100 BC as indicated by the Portsmouth Earthworks a ceremonial center built by the Ohio Hopewell culture between 100 and 500 AD 6 1847 map showing the location of the Portsmouth Earthworks northeast of Portsmouth 6 According to early 20th century historian Charles Augustus Hanna a Shawnee village was founded at the site of modern day Portsmouth in late 1758 following the destruction of Lower Shawneetown by floods 7 European Americans began to settle in the 1790s after the American Revolutionary War and the small town of Alexandria was founded 8 Located at the confluence Alexandria was flooded numerous times by the Ohio and the Scioto rivers In 1796 Emanuel Traxler became the first person to permanently occupy land in what would later be known as Portsmouth after the United States gained its independence 9 In 1803 Henry Massie found a better location slightly east and somewhat removed from the flood plains He began to plot the new city by mapping the streets and distributing the land Portsmouth was founded in 1803 and was established as a city in 1815 It was designated as the county seat Settlers left Alexandria and it soon disappeared Massie named Portsmouth after the town of Portsmouth in New Hampshire 9 The Ohio state legislature passed Black Laws in 1804 that restricted movement of free blacks and required persons to carry papers in an effort to dissuade blacks from settling in the state These provisions were intermittently enforced by local governments and law enforcement and sometimes used as an excuse to force African Americans out of settlements In 1831 Portsmouth drove out African Americans from the city under this pretext Many settled several miles north in what became known as Huston s Hollow along the Scioto River Its residents especially Joseph Love and Dan Lucas provided aid to refugee slaves in the following years and assisted them in moving north 10 Although southern Ohio was dominated in number by anti abolitionist settlers from the South some whites also worked to improve conditions for blacks and aid refugee slaves Portsmouth became important in the antebellum years as part of the Underground Railroad Fugitive slaves from Kentucky and other parts of the South crossed the Ohio River here Some found their future in Portsmouth others moved north along the Scioto River to reach Detroit Michigan and get further away from slave catchers Many continued into Canada to secure their freedom 11 A historical marker near the Grant Bridge commemorates this period of Portsmouth s history 12 James Ashley of Portsmouth continued his activism and pursued a political career After being elected to Congress he wrote the Thirteenth Amendment which abolished slavery in 1865 after the American Civil War 13 Portsmouth quickly developed an industrial base due to its location at the confluence of the Ohio and Scioto rivers Early industrial growth included having meat packing and shipping facilities for Thomas Worthington s Chillicothe farm located north of Portsmouth on the Scioto River The city s growth was stimulated by completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal in the 1820s and 1830s 14 which provided access to the Great Lakes opening up northern markets The steamer Bonanza in Portsmouth during the 1884 flood But the construction of the Norfolk and Western N amp W railyards beginning in 1838 and the completion of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad B amp O junction at the city in the late 1850s quickly surpassed the canal in stimulating growth The railroads soon carried more freight than the canal with the B amp O connecting the city to the Baltimore and Washington DC markets By the end of the 19th century Portsmouth became one of the most important industrial cities on the Ohio River between Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and Cincinnati Ohio It became an iron and steel factory town with new companies like the Portsmouth Steel Company 20th century Edit The city s growth continued By 1916 during World War I Portsmouth was listed as being a major industrial and jobbing center the fourth largest shoe manufacturing center in the country and the largest manufacturer of fire and paving bricks in the United States Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel later called Empire Detroit Steel employed over one thousand people There were 100 other manufacturing companies producing goods from furniture to engines 15 Such industrial and shipping growth greatly benefited Boneyfiddle a west end neighborhood in Portsmouth where grand buildings were constructed with the wealth from the commerce As time passed much of the commerce began to move toward Chillicothe Street which has continued as the main thoroughfare of Portsmouth While Boneyfiddle is receiving new life it is a shadow of its former self The city population peaked at just over 42 000 in 1930 see Demographics below In 1931 the Norfolk Southern Corporation built a grand art deco passenger station in Portsmouth that provided a substantial entry to the city It was located at 16th and Findlay streets Passengers used the station for access to both interstate and intrastate train lines which provided basic transportation for many The widespread availability of affordable automobiles and changing patterns resulted in reduction in rail passenger traffic here and nationally The station was later used for offices and its keys were turned over to Scioto County in 2003 and the building was demolished in 2004 16 Suburbanization also affected the city By the 1950 census the population had begun to decline falling below 40 000 Some of this change was due to the effects of highway construction which stimulated suburban residential development in the postwar years But during the late 20th century foreign competition and industrial restructuring resulted in the loss of most of the industrial jobs on which Portsmouth s economy had been based the jobs were moved out of the area with many going overseas Further decline occurred in 1980 following the suspension of operations at Empire Detroit Steel s Portsmouth Works which took place after the sale of the steel plant to Armco Steel Armco Steel closed the plant because they did not want to replace the obsolete Open Hearth Furnaces with the more efficient basic oxygen steel furnaces The plant also needed a continuous caster to replace the obsolete soaking pits and blooming mill in 1995 When the steel mill was closed 1 300 steelworkers were laid off 21st century Edit Aerial view of downtown Portsmouth As of 2010 Portsmouth has a population of approximately 20 000 It has shared in the loss of jobs due to unskilled labor outsourcing and population migration to more populous urban areas citation needed Despite its relatively small size Portsmouth has been a regular stop for recent Presidential campaigns of the 21st century In September 2004 George W Bush visited the city as part of his reelection campaign 17 Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards also visited Portsmouth that month 18 The campaigns of 2008 resulted in numerous candidates and surrogates visiting Portsmouth and some spoke at Shawnee State University Bill Clinton on behalf of his wife Hillary Clinton 19 Republican candidate John McCain 20 and US Senator Barack Obama 21 who won the election In 2012 candidate Mitt Romney spoke at Shawnee State University 22 In March 2016 Bill Clinton visited Portsmouth again to campaign for his wife presidential candidate Hillary Clinton 23 In August 2017 US Senator and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders spoke at a rally held at Shawnee State University 24 Portsmouth and other parts of Scioto County have worked to redevelop blighted properties and create a new economy Along with adapting disused residential properties Portsmouth has begun the process of transforming abandoned industrial and commercial properties to other uses The city has initiated new developments in its downtown The Ohio Legislature passed House Bill 233 on April 20 2016 to authorize cities to create Downtown Redevelopment Districts They operate similarly to a Tax Increment Finance TIF District The city of Portsmouth formed a Downtown Redevelopment District DRD in 2017 in the Boneyfiddle neighborhood of the city to increase investment and development there 25 Through the early 21st century there has been a noticeable increase in investment in Portsmouth s local economy New investments and developments in the local economy led to Portsmouth s inclusion in Site Selection Magazine s Top 10 Micropolitan areas Celina Defiance and Portsmouth were among a group of cities tied for 10th Portsmouth attracted nine significant economic development projects in 2016 nearly as many as it had from 2004 to 2013 combined 26 27 In 2014 Portsmouth was one of 350 cities to enter a submission in the America s Best Communities competition hoping to win the 3 million first place prize 28 In April 2015 Portsmouth was chosen as one of the 50 quarter finalists winning 50 000 to help prepare a Community Revitalization Plan 28 In January 2016 Portsmouth s plan which emphasized using its most valuable asset the Ohio River as a key to revitalizing the city earned it one of 15 spots in the competition s semi finals 29 In April 2016 Portsmouth was one of seven cities eliminated at the semi final round but received an additional 25 000 for use in continuing to develop its plans to improve commercial and community access to the Portsmouth riverfront by making the port a premier regional destination for industrial development small business development and riverfront recreation 29 In 2019 Portsmouth was named Hallmarks Hometown Christmas Town The Friends of Portsmouth group held the annual Winterfest celebration event that brought Christmas lights vendors ice skating carriage rides tree lighting and more to Market Square 30 31 In 2020 the National Civic League named Portsmouth as an All American City along with nine other cities 32 Geography Edit A painting of the confluence of the Ohio and Scioto rivers showing the dissected plateau terrain and the Carl D Perkins Bridge Portsmouth is at the confluence of the Ohio Scioto and Little Scioto rivers It is a midway point among four major cities Charleston West Virginia Cincinnati and Columbus Ohio and Lexington Kentucky each of which are approximately ninety miles away roughly a two hour drive Much of the terrain is quite hilly due to dissected plateau around it Both rivers have carved valleys and Portsmouth lies next to both the Scioto and Ohio rivers It is within the ecoregion of the Western Allegheny Plateau 33 According to the United States Census Bureau the city has a total area of 11 07 square miles 28 67 km2 of which 10 73 square miles 27 79 km2 is land and 0 34 square miles 0 88 km2 is water 34 Neighborhoods Edit Sciotoville located 5 miles 8 0 km in the eastern part of Portsmouth off US 52 at Ohio 335 it is sometimes known as East Portsmouth but it is within the city limits with about 10 of the city s population living there North Moreland a community within Portsmouth north of the Village of New Boston North Moreland connects the larger western section of Portsmouth with Sciotoville Boneyfiddle several blocks west of downtown Portsmouth generally centered around the Market St 2nd St intersection Hilltop residential neighborhoods in Portsmouth located north of 17th St west of Thomas Ave and east of Scioto TrailClimate Edit Portsmouth has a hot summer humid continental climate Dfa closely bordering a humid subtropical climate Cfa Average monthly temperatures range from 31 8 F in January to 75 1 F in July PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State UniversityDemographics EditHistorical population CensusPop Note 1820527 18301 378161 5 18401 54412 0 18504 011159 8 18606 26856 3 187010 59269 0 188011 3216 9 189012 3949 5 190017 87044 2 191023 48131 4 192033 01140 6 193042 56028 9 194040 466 4 9 195036 798 9 1 196033 637 8 6 197027 633 17 8 198025 993 5 9 199022 676 12 8 200020 909 7 8 201020 226 3 3 202018 252 9 8 2021 est 18 014 1 3 Sources 2 35 36 37 2010 census Edit As of the census 38 of 2010 there were 20 226 people 8 286 households and 4 707 families residing in the city The population density was 1 885 0 inhabitants per square mile 727 8 km2 There were 9 339 housing units at an average density of 870 4 per square mile 336 1 km2 The racial makeup of the city was 90 1 White 5 1 African American 0 4 Native American 0 6 Asian 0 7 from other races and 3 0 from two or more races Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2 2 of the population There were 8 286 households out of which 28 5 had children under the age of 18 living with them 33 9 were married couples living together 17 5 had a female householder with no husband present 5 4 had a male householder with no wife present and 43 2 were non families 35 9 of all households were made up of individuals and 15 5 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older The average household size was 2 28 and the average family size was 2 93 The median age in the city was 36 1 years 21 6 of residents were under the age of 18 14 3 were between the ages of 18 and 24 23 6 were from 25 to 44 24 2 were from 45 to 64 and 16 4 were 65 years of age or older The gender makeup of the city was 46 4 male and 53 6 female 2000 census Edit As of the census 2 of 2000 there were 20 909 people 9 120 households and 5 216 families residing in the city The population density was 1 941 4 people per square mile 749 6 km2 There were 10 248 housing units at an average density of 951 5 per square mile 367 4 km2 The racial makeup of the city was 91 50 White 5 00 African American 0 63 Native American 0 61 Asian 0 02 Pacific Islander 0 32 from other races and 1 92 from two or more races Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0 93 of the population There were 9 120 households out of which 25 9 had children under the age of 18 living with them 37 9 were married couples living together 15 6 had a female householder with no husband present and 42 8 were non families 37 3 of all households were made up of individuals and 17 8 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older The average household size was 2 19 and the average family size was 2 87 In the city the population was spread out with 22 0 under the age of 18 11 3 from 18 to 24 25 9 from 25 to 44 21 2 from 45 to 64 and 19 6 who were 65 years of age or older The median age was 38 years For every 100 females there were 83 8 males For every 100 females age 18 and over there were 78 3 males The median income for a household in the city was 23 004 and the median income for a family was 31 237 Males had a median income of 31 521 versus 20 896 for females The per capita income for the city was 15 078 About 18 3 of families and 23 6 of the population were below the poverty line including 31 1 of those under age 18 and 14 5 of those age 65 or over Economy EditPortsmouth major employers include Southern Ohio Medical Center Kings Daughters Medical Center Ohio Shawnee State University Norfolk Southern Corp Railroad Southern Ohio Correctional Facility and OSCO Industries In November 2002 the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in nearby Piketon Ohio was recognized as a Nuclear Historic Landmark by the American Nuclear Society It had served a military function from 1952 until the mid 1960s when the mission changed from enriching uranium for nuclear weapons to one focused on producing fuel for commercial nuclear power plants The Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant ended enriching operations in 2001 and began to support operational and administrative functions and perform external contract work The site is currently being cleaned up for future development by Fluor B amp W Graf Brothers Flooring and Lumber the world s largest manufacturer of rift and quartered oak products has two satellite log yards in Portsmouth with the company s main office being located across the river in South Shore Kentucky Portsmouth is the home of Sole Choice Inc one of the largest manufacturers of shoelaces in the world Arts and culture EditBuildings and landmarks Edit See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Scioto County Ohio The facade of the historic Columbia Music Hall the only portion remaining after a fire in 2007 rebuilt in 2012 as the open air Columbia Music Arena 39 Many historical buildings in Portsmouth have been demolished because of poor upkeep other city development or the completion of new buildings that replaced the landmarks Landmarks that have been demolished include the old Norfolk amp Western rail depot churches dating back to the early 20th century houses dating to the 1850s Grant Middle School and the old Portsmouth High School and various elementary schools Many buildings survive from the early 19th century Old churches are among the reminders of Portsmouth s past and identity The historic 1910 Columbia Theater was destroyed by a fire in 2007 later demolished and rebuilt in 2012 as the open air Columbia Music Hall with a refurbished facade from the original structure serving as the entry point 39 40 41 Other noted historic buildings include the old monastery which can be seen for miles and Spartan Stadium as well as numerous buildings in the Boneyfiddle Historic District which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places In 1982 students from Miami University conducted research on several of Portsmouth s most important historic buildings This work resulted in an exhibition at the Miami University Art Museum and a book entitled Portsmouth Architecture in an Ohio River Town 42 In October 2016 a professor at Shawnee State University submitted a proposal to the State Farm Neighborhood Assist grant program to preserve Spartan Municipal Stadium 43 The stadium opened in 1930 as the original home of the Portsmouth Spartans now the fifth oldest active franchise in the National Football League as the Detroit Lions 43 In November 2016 the city won a 25 000 State Farm Neighborhood Assist grant toward the stadium s renovation 44 Library Edit Portsmouth Public Library The Portsmouth Public Library is the city s library founded in 1879 It has branch libraries throughout Scioto County The Southern Ohio Museum founded in 1979 has more than sixty exhibits on display including artwork by Clarence Holbrook Carter and Jesse Stuart China dolls Native American artifacts and works by local artists Floodwalls Edit Floodwall mural showing the city of Portsmouth as it appeared in 1903 Although developed on higher ground the city has been subject to seasonal flooding The city had extensive flooding in 1884 1913 and 1937 After the flood of 1937 the U S Army Corps of Engineers constructed a floodwall protecting the city which prevented two major floods in 1964 and 1997 In 1992 the city of Portsmouth began honoring some of the many accomplishments of its area natives by placing a star on the riverside of the floodwall This is known as the Portsmouth Wall of Fame and was instituted by then mayor Frank Gerlach Some of the honorees include Don Gullett Al Oliver and former United States Vice president Dan Quayle who was not a Portsmouth native 45 In 1992 a nonprofit group headed by Dr Louis R and Ava Chaboudy was formed to investigate developing a mural based tourist attraction on the floodwall In the spring of 1993 mural artist Robert Dafford was commissioned and began painting murals of Portsmouth s history 46 He hired local art student Herb Roe as an assistant Roe subsequently apprenticed to and worked for Dafford for 15 years 47 The project eventually spanned sixty 20 feet 6 1 m tall consecutive Portsmouth murals stretching for over 2 000 feet 610 m 48 Subjects covered by the murals span the history of the area from the ancient mound building Adena and Hopewell cultures to modern sporting events and notable natives These subjects include The Portsmouth Earthworks a large mound complex constructed by the Ohio Hopewell culture from 100 BCE to 500 CE Lower Shawneetown a Shawnee village that straddled the Ohio River just downstream during the late 18th century The 1749 Lead Plate Expedition to advance France s territorial claim on the Ohio Valley led by Pierre Joseph Celoron de Blainville Tecumseh a Shawnee leader who directed a large tribal confederacy that opposed the United States during Tecumseh s War and the War of 1812 He grew up in the Ohio country during the American Revolutionary War and the Northwest Indian War Henry Massie a founding father of the town and surveyor who laid out the original plat in 1803 A Civil War unit from Portsmouth Battery L fighting at Gettysburg Jim Thorpe a Native American athlete who played as the player coach of the semi professional Portsmouth Shoesteels in the late 1920s The Portsmouth Spartans a member of the NFL from 1929 to 1933 the organization later moved to Detroit to become the Detroit Lions Branch Rickey influential baseball coach inventor of the farm team system and the signer of Jackie Robinson to Major League Baseball Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 Clarence Holbrook Carter an American Regionalist and surrealist painter Carl Ackerman local photographer and historic photo collector whose collection was used for many of the river murals The disastrous Ohio River flood of 1937 which led to the construction of the floodwall Transportation stagecoaches riverboats railroads and the Ohio and Erie Canal which had its terminus just outside Portsmouth Local notables including Roy Rogers Jesse Stuart Julia Marlowe and Vern Riffe Other panels explore the local history of education the first European settlers industries including the steel industry shoe industry and the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant sister cities the local Carnegie library firemen and police period genre scenes of old downtown and other localities and a memorial to area armed forces veterans The original mural project was finished in the fall of 2003 Since then several additional panels have been added including murals honoring Portsmouth s baseball heroes in 2006 and the Tour of the Scioto River Valley TOSRV a bicycle tour between Columbus and Portsmouth in 2007 49 Indian Head Rock Edit The Indian Head Rock is an eight ton sandstone boulder which until 2007 rested at the bottom of the Ohio River Historically the boulder was used to record low river stages It is notable due to its history and due to the figures and names of individuals which were carved into the rock at times of low water levels In 1917 the construction of a dam downriver from Portsmouth meant that the rock would forever be submerged if not for its recovery by a group of local divers led by an Ironton historian The removal of the rock led the states of Kentucky and Ohio into a legislative battle to determine its ownership and disposition 50 The rock was returned to the state of Kentucky in 2010 Guinness World Records Edit Portsmouth s leaders and citizens have organized to win certification for several Guinness World Records for the city of Portsmouth In 2018 the Friends Plant Portsmouth event participants shattered the record for the most persons simultaneously potting plants 51 while later that year Portsmouth beat out Waukesha Wisconsin the previous world record holder for the most people simultaneously Christmas caroling which now stands at 1822 carolers They also beat the previous record for most people wrapping Christmas presents simultaneously 52 Parks and recreation Edit Greenlawn Cemetery Portsmouth has fourteen parks for residents and community use These include Alexandria Park Ohio and Scioto River confluence Bannon Park near Farley Square Branch Rickey Park on Williams Street near levee Buckeye Park near Branch Rickey Park Cyndee Secrest Park Sciotoville Dr Hartlage Park Rose Street in Sciotoville Labold Park near Spartan Stadium Larry Hisle Park 23rd Street amp Thomas Ave Mound Park 17th amp Hutchins Streets York Park riverfront Spartan Stadium Tracy Park Chillicothe amp Gay Streets and Weghorst Park Fourth amp Jefferson Streets 53 Portsmouth s Spock Community Dog Park named after a K9 who died protecting his partner was implemented in 2019 and is a recreational dog park that gives the community a place walk their dog and have leisure time 54 A new skate park designed by Spohn Ranch Skateparks is planned for construction in the near future 55 Pools Edit The McKinley Swimming Pool located on Findley Street was built during the Civil Rights era in memory of Eugene McKinley a 14 year old African American boy who drowned Portsmouth s other pool in the area that has long since closed was owned by the Terrace Club and was commonly referred to as the Dreamland Pool by community members The Terrace Club s pool was still segregated despite the progress of the Civil Rights movement which influenced the institutional make up of Portsmouth as well as protests across the nation During the 1960s Portsmouth made institutional changes to attempt to include the black community as well With the pool s construction being delayed and the African American community not having a place to swim in the area despite the Civil Rights act having been passed eventually a protest called the wade in occurred at Dreamland Pool on July 17 1964 56 The next summer in 1965 the Board of Directors of the Terrace Club pool unianimously removed their ban on African Americans and reopened under the name Dreamland Pool The McKinley Pool which opened in 1966 still remains and stands as a historic pool that represents Portsmouth s reform and the struggle against the laws of the Jim Crow Era 57 Greenlawn Cemetery Edit This active cemetery was established in 1829 Greenlawn is 40 acres in size and is the only public cemetery in the city of Portsmouth This cemetery incorporates several smaller cemeteries which are sections of Greenlawn Cemetery Sections included in Greenlawn Cemetery are City Evergreen Hebrew Holy Redeemer Hill North Methodist Hill South Robinson Old Mausoleum Soldiers Circle and St Marys The cemetery is located at Offnere Street and Grant Street It is maintained by the City of Portsmouth Sports EditPortsmouth had a series of semi pro football teams in the 1920s and 1930s the most notable being the Portsmouth Shoe Steels whose roster included player coach Jim Thorpe From 1929 to 1933 the city was home to the Portsmouth Spartans which joined the National Football League in 1930 The Spartans notably competed in the first professional football night game against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1930 58 59 Despite their on field success being based in the NFL s second smallest city during the Great Depression meant the team was in constant financial trouble This forced the sale of the team and its relocation to Detroit in 1934 where it became the Detroit Lions In the late 20th century the Portsmouth Explorers were one of the original teams in the Frontier League a non affiliated minor league baseball organization The Explorers played in the league s first three seasons from 1993 to 1995 In 1938 Portsmouth was also the home of the Portsmouth Red Birds a minor league team owned by the St Louis Cardinals In the late 1990s Portsmouth was home to the Superstar Wrestling Federation before its demise More recently Revolutionary Championship Wrestling has made its home in Portsmouth airing on local TV station WQCW Revolutionary Championship Wrestling in Portsmouth has featured such stars as Big Van Vader Jerry The King Lawler Demolition Ax Beautiful Bobby Eaton Wildcat Chris Harris and Ivan Koloff Government EditCity government Edit Portsmouth City Hall The city charter was adopted on November 6 1928 The city conducts business at their city hall which was constructed in 1935 City council meetings are held during the second and fourth weeks in the month The city reverted from being run by a city manager to a mayor in 1988 with the mayor being elected every four years In 2012 voters approved returning to a Council City Manager form of government this took effect in January 2014 Under the City Manager Council system the mayor and vice mayor are elected members of the city council who are appointed to their positions by the council The city manager is hired by and reports directly to the council The city manager oversees the day to day operations of city government and is the direct supervisor of all city department heads There are six wards in the city with elections of council members from the wards every two years The City Manager is Sam Sutherland 60 Ward City CouncilFirst Ward Sean Dunne Mayor City Council President Second Ward Charlotte Gordon Vice Mayor City Council Vice President Third Ward Andy ColeFourth Ward Lyvette Barnes MosleyFifth Ward Joey SandlinSixth Ward Dennis Packard 61 County government Edit Scioto County Courthouse Portsmouth is the county seat for Scioto County The courthouse is located at the corner of Sixth and Court Streets and was constructed in 1936 The sheriff s office and county jail once located in the courthouse are located in a new facility constructed in 2006 at the former site of the Norfolk and Western rail depot near U S 23 The county commissioners are Scottie Powell Chairman Bryan K Davis and Cathy E Coleman The county commissioners meet twice weekly on Tuesday and Thursdays at 9 30 am in room 107 on the first floor of the Scioto County Courthouse Response to the opioid epidemic Edit In the late 1990s an opioid epidemic of prescription drug abuse had swept the region 62 This caused an accelerated increase in social instability and crime 63 64 65 66 67 One of the most prevalent drugs was oxycodone a synthetic opiate known colloquially as oxy In May 2011 the Ohio Senate and House unanimously passed a bill signed into law by John Kasich authored by Portsmouth s state representative Dr Terry Johnson cracking down on pill mills 68 69 Shortly thereafter the DEA state and local law enforcement agencies worked to identify and shut down a pharmacy and several doctors who had prescribed hundreds of thousands of opiates over a two year period 70 by suspending their license to practice medicine In a May 2019 investigative story The Washington Post reported that fentanyl had been replacing oxycodone as the preferred opioid 71 Education EditPostsecondary Edit Massie Hall Shawnee State University campus Shawnee State University is a public university and the southernmost member of the University System of Ohio 72 In 1945 Ohio University established an academic center in Portsmouth In 1986 a legislative charter introduced by Vern Riffe to establish Shawnee State University was signed into law by Governor Richard Celeste 73 Shawnee State University offers associate s and bachelor s degrees in a variety of disciplines 74 They rank 9th nationwide according to The Princeton Review for their undergraduate degrees in Game design 75 76 Other popular majors are Nursing Business Administration Sociology Biology and Psychology 77 They also offer 7 master s degrees and one doctorate 78 SSU also has student and faculty exchange programs with several overseas institutions including the Jaume I University in Spain 79 Al Akhawayn University in Morocco 80 Zhejiang University of Technology in China 81 and the Ludwigsburg University of Education in Germany 82 SSU serves almost 3 000 matriculated undergraduates as well as several hundred grad and post grad students 73 Located in downtown Portsmouth SSU has a 62 acre campus 83 Its 28 buildings 84 include the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts Clark Planetarium Morris University Center and James A Rhodes Athletic Center 85 The university s library 86 was named the Clark Memorial Library in 1997 87 Shawnee State University s Clyde W Clark Planetarium features the Hubble Space Telescope Viewspace system 88 The university has on campus housing 89 for 934 students 90 All first year students must live in university housing unless they are married veterans over age 23 or living with their parents 89 The Shawnee State Bears are part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics NAIA competing in the Mid South Conference MSC since the 2010 91 The SSU Bears compete in 13 intercollegiate varsity sports including Baseball Basketball Cross country Golf Soccer Tennis Track and field and Volleyball In March 2021 the Men s basketball team defeated Lewis Clark State to become NAIA national champions Clubs on campus include the Art Club Chemistry Club Fantanime Geology Club History Club International Game Developer s Association IGDA Political Science Club Pre Med Club and Sexuality and Gender Acceptance SAGA 92 and an international group the Other World Society 93 In addition since 2008 except during the COVID 19 Lockdown the Zombie Education Defense club has hosted a semi annual campus wide week long massive game of nerf tag the Humans vs Zombies event Primary and secondary Edit Clark Athletic Complex Portsmouth has one public and two private school systems the Notre Dame schools and the Portsmouth STEM Academy The Portsmouth City School District has served the city since its founding in the 1830s and is the public school in the city Portsmouth City School District is notable having a storied basketball tradition by winning four OSHAA State Basketball Championships in 1931 1961 1978 and 1988 94 The Trojan basketball team has made 14 final four appearances they are 1925 1926 1927 1929 1931 1st 1934 2nd 1939 1941 1961 1st 1978 1st 1980 2nd 1988 1st 1990 2nd 95 and 2012 2nd The Trojan football team has also produced some notable teams as of late with an Associated Press Division 3 State Championship in 2000 a regional title and state semi final appearance in 2000 and finishing as regional runner up in both 2001 and 2002 In all the Trojans football team has sent 5 teams to the post season since 2000 as of the start of the 2009 season 96 97 In 2000 Portsmouth voters passed a much needed school bond issue which helped construct new schools for the district The new schools opened for the 2006 2007 school year These schools won the Grand Prize from School Planning amp Management s 2007 Education Design Showcase The award is awarded annually to the K 12 school that displays excellence in design and functional planning directed toward meeting the needs of the educational program 98 99 In addition the school system plans to build a new 10 million athletic complex 100 Portsmouth High School has an award winning Interactive Media program that has won multiple awards for both video and graphic design The class is under the direction of Chris Cole and the students run the local cable station TNN CH25 In 2009 the school system completed construction on a new 10 million athletic complex The 25 acre 10 ha Clark Athletic Complex 101 has a new football field baseball field softball field tennis courts and track 100 The complex is named for Clyde and Maycel Clark of the Clark Foundation major financial contributors for the construction of the facility 102 The new complex situated on the site of the former high school building and across the street from the current high school has three paintings by mural artist Herb Roe a 1992 Portsmouth High School alumnus 103 The murals depict three of the sports played at the new facility baseball tennis and football Portsmouth Notre Dame High School Notre Dame High School formerly Portsmouth Central Catholic High School has served the city s Roman Catholics and others since 1852 It is also notable for it s football team founded in 1929 It won two state championships in 1967 and 1970 94 Media EditPortsmouth is near the dividing line for several television markets including Columbus Cincinnati and Huntington Charleston There are two local television stations including WTZP an America One affiliate and WQCW a CW affiliate Portsmouth was prior to October 2017 served by WPBO a PBS affiliate Programs aired on WPBO were broadcast by WOSU in Columbus Local radio stations WIOI WKSG WNXT WPYK WZZZ and WOSP FM serve the radio listeners in the city Portsmouth is also served by three newspapers The Portsmouth Daily Times is the city s only daily newspaper and is also available online 104 The Community Common is a free biweekly newspaper 104 and the Scioto Voice is a weekly newspaper which is mailed to subscribers 105 The University Chronicle is the student led newspaper at Shawnee State University 106 Further information WHRRTransportation Edit The U S Grant Bridge crossing the Ohio River from Portsmouth to Greenup County Kentucky Highways Edit Portsmouth is served by two major U S Routes 23 and 52 Other significant roads include Ohio State Routes 73 104 139 140 and 335 The nearest Interstate highway is I 64 Interstate 73 is planned to use the newly built Portsmouth bypass i e Ohio State Route 823 en route from North Carolina To Michigan The I 74 Extension is planned to use US 52 through Portsmouth running concurrently with I 73 on the eastern side of Portsmouth Rail Edit See also South Portsmouth South Shore Amtrak station Portsmouth is an important location in the Norfolk Southern Railway network Norfolk Southern operates a railyard and locomotive maintenance facility for its long distance shipping route between the coalfields of West Virginia and points east to the Great Lakes Competitor CSX Transportation operates a former Chesapeake amp Ohio Railway line just east of the city in Sciotoville which crosses the Ohio River on the historic Sciotoville Bridge Amtrak offers passenger service to the Portsmouth area on its Cardinal route between New York City and Chicago The passenger station is located on CSX Transportation owned track in South Shore Kentucky across the Ohio River from Portsmouth Air Edit Portsmouth is served by the Greater Portsmouth Regional Airport PMH a general aviation airport The airport is located in Minford Ohio approximately 12 miles 19 km northeast of the city The nearest commercial airport is Tri State Airport HTS in Ceredo West Virginia approximately 3 miles 4 8 km outside Huntington West Virginia and 53 miles 85 km southeast of Portsmouth Public transportation Edit Public transportation for Portsmouth and its outlying areas is offered through Access Scioto County ASC 107 Notable people EditJames Mitchell Ashley drafter of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution Dale Bandy Ohio University basketball coach Henry T Bannon U S representative from Portsmouth 1901 1905 attorney author and historian Kathleen Battle opera singer Al Bridwell former Major League Baseball player Gerald Cadogan former Professional Football player Earl Thomas Conley country music singer and songwriter Emma M Cramer member of the Ohio House of Representatives Mary A G Dight physician Martin Dillon musician and operatic tenor Bil Dwyer cartoonist Dumb Dora and humorist Chuck Ealey former football player for University of Toledo and the Canadian Football League s Winnipeg Blue Bombers Hamilton Tiger Cats and Toronto Argonauts Steve Free ASCAP Award winning Appalachian musician Bill Harsha Ohio politician for the U S House of Representatives 1961 1981 Larry Hisle former Major League Baseball player currently employed with Milwaukee Brewers Organization Wells A Hutchins U S representative from Portsmouth 1883 1885 attorney Elza Jeffords U S representative from Mississippi 1883 1885 practiced law in Portsmouth prior to the American Civil War Liza Johnson film director Chase Wilmot Kennedy U S Army major general 108 Charles Kinney Jr Ohio Secretary of State 1897 1901 Cheryl L Mason Chairman Board of Veterans Appeals US Department of Veterans Affairs First woman to hold the office Serena B Miller author Jeff Munn Vice President of operations for Harlem Globetrotters Rocky Nelson former Major League Baseball player Josh Newman Major League Baseball pitcher Al Oliver former Major League Baseball player Wally Phillips longtime Chicago radio personality Del Rice former Major League Baseball player Branch Rickey baseball executive signed Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers Barbara Robinson author Herb Roe mural artist Roy Rogers singer and cowboy movie star Cheryl Shuman Media Personality strategic political and media strategist Stuff Smith jazz musician Adam Stevens 2 time champion crew chief with Kyle Busch in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 109 Currently works with Christopher Bell Ted Strickland former Ohio governor Gene Tenace former Major League Baseball playerSister cities EditPortsmouth has three sister cities as designated by Sister Cities International Great Corby England United Kingdom Orizaba Mexico Zittau Sachsen GermanySee also EditList of cities and towns along the Ohio RiverReferences Edit ArcGIS REST Services Directory United States Census Bureau Retrieved September 20 2022 a b c U S Census website United States Census Bureau Retrieved 2008 01 31 US Board on Geographic Names United States Geological Survey October 25 2007 Retrieved 2008 01 31 Find a County National Association of Counties Retrieved 2011 06 07 World Population Review US Census Annual Estimates Retrieved 2021 02 14 a b Ephraim George Squier Edwin Hamilton Davis 1848 Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley Smithsonian Institution pp 179 187 Hanna Charles Augustus February 22 1911 The Wilderness Trail Or The Ventures and Adventures of the Pennsylvania Traders on the Allegheny Path G P Putnam s sons via Google Books Ohio Historical Society Alexandria Retrieved 2008 02 28 a b Portsmouth Ohio Ohio History Central Retrieved October 3 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Andrew Feight Ph D Black Friday Enforcing Ohio s Black Laws in Portsmouth Ohio Scioto Historical accessed March 27 2018 http www sciotohistorical org items show 108 Ohio Historical Society Portsmouth Retrieved 2007 05 16 Underground Railroad Marker Portsmouth OH Waymarking accessed 27 March 2018 Andrew Feight PhD Tour Abolitionists amp the Underground Railroad Scioto Historical accessed 27 March 2018 Encyclopaedia Britannica Portsmouth Archived from the original on 2013 01 18 Retrieved 2008 02 28 Norfolk and Western Railway Company Agricultural and Industrial Dept 1916 Industrial and shippers guide Retrieved 2012 08 24 Scioto County Ohio Ohio Railroad Stations Past amp Present accessed 27 March 2018 USA TODAY Latest World and US News USATODAY com USA TODAY Retrieved 2017 07 03 permanent dead link Edwards pledges to keep jobs of workers at uranium plant The Blade 2004 09 17 Retrieved 2017 07 03 Herald Dispatch DAVID E MALLOYThe Bill Clinton visits Tri State area The Herald Dispatch Retrieved 2017 07 03 Herald Dispatch com Gallery McCain visits Portsmouth The Herald Dispatch Retrieved 2017 07 03 Herald DispatchHerald Dispatch com 2008 The Gallery Obama in Portsmouth The Herald Dispatch Retrieved 2017 07 03 Jarosz Brooks October 14 2012 Romney Campaigns in Portsmouth Oh WSAZ WSAZ President Bill Clinton makes a stop in Portsmouth Retrieved 2017 07 03 Puit Glenn August 22 2017 Sanders addresses healthcare public education in Portsmouth rally The Daily Independent Retrieved October 4 2021 Portsmouth to form Downtown Redevelopment District Community Common Retrieved 2017 07 03 a href Template Cite news html title Template Cite news cite news a CS1 maint others link Data points to economic growth Portsmouth Daily Times Retrieved 2017 07 03 a href Template Cite news html title Template Cite news cite news a CS1 maint others link Williams Mark Ohio 2nd in economic development report Columbus finishes 8th The Columbus Dispatch Retrieved 2017 07 03 a b Puskar John 2016 06 13 Fifteen Communities Advance in America s Best Communities 10M Prize Competition Frontier Communications Business Wire Retrieved 2019 07 22 a b Allen Wayne 2016 04 27 25 000 given to continue work Portsmouth Daily Times Retrieved 2019 07 22 Ball Lane December 1 2019 Winterfest attracts attention from the Hallmark Channel WOWK 13News Retrieved October 4 2021 Jenkins Kimberly November 18 2019 Portsmouth named Hallmark Hometown Christmas Town Portsmouth Daily Times Retrieved October 4 2021 McClanahan Gil 2020 08 20 Portsmouth Ohio named 2020 All American City WCHS Retrieved 2020 08 25 Level III Ecoregions of Ohio National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory U S Environmental Protection Agency Retrieved September 28 2013 US Gazetteer files 2010 United States Census Bureau Archived from the original on 2012 07 02 Retrieved 2013 01 06 Number of Inhabitants Ohio PDF 18th Census of the United States U S Census Bureau 1960 Retrieved 17 May 2020 Ohio Population and Housing Unit Counts PDF U S Census Bureau Retrieved 17 May 2020 Portsmouth city Ohio census gov Retrieved July 6 2022 U S Census website United States Census Bureau Retrieved 2013 01 06 a b Frank Lewis Fire Decimates Columbia Archived from the original on 2013 01 31 Retrieved 2007 11 12 Huntington News Archived from the original on 2011 07 23 Retrieved 2011 02 06 Columbia Music Arena in Portsmouth OH Cinema Treasures Edna Carter Southard ed 1982 Portsmouth Architecture in an Ohio River Town Oxford OH Miami University Art Museum ISBN 0 940784 01 7 a b Conley Ciara 2016 10 26 Spartan Municipal Stadium up for 25k grant Community votes needed to secure funding Portsmouth Daily Times Retrieved 2019 07 22 Conley Ciara 2016 12 01 Stadium renovation project wins 25k Portsmouth Daily Times Retrieved 2019 07 22 Jeff Barron July 27 2007 City to Repair Stars Portsmouth Daily Times Archived from the original on August 12 2014 Retrieved July 27 2007 Strickland Ted Portsmouth Flood Wall Mural Project Ohio Legacies Captured in Art Library of Congress Local Legacies Retrieved October 10 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Phyllis Noah August 27 2006 Diverse Display Portsmouth Daily Times Scioto County Ohio The Mural Project Archived from the original on 2010 04 25 Retrieved 2010 03 25 Wayne Allen August 19 2007 Newest Mural Honors TOSRV CommunityCommon Retrieved 2007 08 19 Hartman Steve March 28 2008 An Epic Battle Over A Rock CBS Portsmouth takes World Record Portsmouth Daily Times www portsmouth dailytimes com 2018 12 16 Retrieved 2022 07 25 Tavernise Sabrina 2020 01 11 This Town Is Known For Opioids Can It Escape That Image The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 2022 07 25 Portsmouth Area Resource Guide 2007 2008 The Community Common July 29 2007 p 4 Wkrc Portsmouth Gets New Dog Park Named after K9 Who Died Protecting Partner WKRC WKRC 9 Aug 2019 local12 com news local portsmouth gets new dog park named after k9 who died protecting partner Highly Anticipated Portsmouth Ohio Skatepark Prepares to Break Ground Highly Anticipated Portsmouth Ohio Skatepark Prepares to Break Ground Spohn Ranch www spohnranch com highly anticipated portsmouth ohio skatepark prepares to break ground 2021 01 29 Portsmouth Daily Times Andrew Feight Eugene McKinley Memorial POOL amp the End of Jim Crow in PORTSMOUTH OHIO Portsmouth Daily Times 5 July 2020 www portsmouth dailytimes com features lifestyle 50584 eugene mckinley memorial pool the end of jim crow in portsmouth ohio Andrew Feight Ph D Eugene McKinley Memorial Pool amp the End of Jim Crow in Portsmouth Ohio Scioto Historical accessed September 10 2021 https sciotohistorical org items show 117 Ohio Historical Society National Football League Retrieved 2007 05 16 Chris Murphy Portsmouth Spartans Historical Society Retrieved 2007 05 16 City Manager About Us City Council Archived from the original on 2012 09 05 Retrieved 2018 02 01 Aaron Marshall February 28 2011 Young lives wrecked by prescription drug epidemic in Southern Ohio The Plain Dealer Retrieved 2011 04 12 Aaron Marshall February 26 2011 Prescription drug epidemic brings Southern Ohio county to its knees The Plain Dealer Retrieved 2011 04 13 Statistics as bleak as tombstones back up Roberts apocalyptic talk The county has seen a 360 percent increase in accidental drug overdose deaths and has the highest hepatitis C rate in Ohio a rate that has nearly quadrupled in the past five years Holly Zachariah February 7 2010 Illegal prescription drug trade now epidemic The Columbus Dispatch Archived from the original on February 13 2010 Retrieved April 12 2010 Randy Yohe Violent Crime Wave Has Portsmouth Police Overwhelmed WSAZ TV Archived from the original on 2011 01 31 Retrieved 2011 04 12 A midday armed bank robbery in Portsmouth happened while we were covering at least two other felony investigations A string of assaults and home invasions and what police say is a drug fueled double kidnapping Gary Cohen February 4 2001 The Poor Man s Heroin An Ohio surgeon helps feed a growing addiction to OxyContin U S News amp World Report Archived from the original on October 19 2012 Retrieved April 12 2011 Last year about the time Lilly started his pain clinic local police noticed that drug related crimes in Portsmouth had started to rise Burglaries alone had increased 20 percent from the year before For a period of about three months police records show homes or pharmacies were being broken into and robbed of prescription drugs almost daily A Scioto County sheriff s deputy was arrested for stealing painkillers a man tried to rob a pharmacy of OxyContin and home break in reports show the only things stolen were cash and pills At the same time pharmacists were noticing scores of seemingly healthy young men coming in with prescriptions for OxyContin Frank Lewis February 1 2011 Horner talks about crime wave The Portsmouth Daily Times Archived from the original on September 29 2011 Retrieved April 12 2011 Senate passes pain clinic legislation Kasich could sign into law this week Portsmouth Daily Times May 17 2011 Archived from the original on September 29 2011 Retrieved May 17 2011 Frank Lewis May 21 2011 Pill mill crackdown Kasich signs House Bill 93 to regulate pain clinics Portsmouth Daily Times Archived from the original on September 29 2011 Retrieved May 26 2011 BREAKING NEWS Federal Agents Search Wheelersburg Doctor s Office WSAZ TV May 17 2011 Archived from the original on May 20 2011 Retrieved 2011 05 17 Editorial staff 2019 05 21 What Are the Differences between Oxycodone and Fentanyl Laguna Treatment Hospital Retrieved 2019 05 24 Explore Shawnee State University Niche a b Big Future by the College Board BigFuture College Search College Board BigFuture College Search Top 50 Colleges for Game Design www princetonreview com Retrieved 2022 07 25 Shawnee State University Ranks Among Top 10 Gaming Schools Shawnee State www shawnee edu Retrieved 2022 07 25 https www usnews com best colleges shawnee state university 12748 bare URL Degree Programs amp Academics at Shawnee State University www shawnee edu Retrieved 2022 07 21 Archived copy Archived from the original on 2005 03 25 Retrieved 2006 08 11 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Welcome to AUI web site Archived from the original on 2006 08 12 Retrieved 2006 08 11 English Version Archived from the original on 2006 08 12 Retrieved 2006 08 11 Partnerschaften 23 March 2021 Accessibility Services amp Support Shawnee State University www shawnee edu http www shawnee edu media ssu campus map pdf bare URL PDF Modern Educational Facilities Shawnee State University Shawnee State University WorldCat org www worldcat org About the Library Clark Memorial Library Shawnee State University Cappex www cappex com a b Housing Resources and Information Shawnee State University www shawnee edu Shawnee State University Portsmouth OH College Tuition Compare SHAWNEE STATE UNIVERSITY Athletics Archived from the original on 2010 05 27 Retrieved 2010 08 12 Clubs and Organizations Shawnee State University Retrieved 2019 01 26 Other World Society Other World Society Retrieved 2019 01 26 a b Ohio High School Athletic Association Ohio High School Athletic Association Retrieved 2007 05 17 OHSAA Ohio High School Athletic Association Web site Home joeeitel com Home OHSAA org Multiple Factors Cited by Jurors The Community Common communitycommon com July 11 2007 Retrieved 2007 07 13 City School Earn Top Design Award The Community Common communitycommon com July 11 2007 Retrieved 2007 07 13 a b Wayne Allen July 13 2007 City Schools Facility Awaits Council The Community Common communitycommon com Retrieved 2007 07 13 High School Hoimetown Portsmouth celebrating new stadium WOWK tv Archived from the original on 2011 07 26 Retrieved 2010 03 26 Ryan Scott Ottney July 15 2009 PHS names complex Portsmouth Daily Times Ryan Scott Ottney June 25 2009 A Pictures Worth Portsmouth Daily Times a b Home Portsmouth Daily Times Home The Scioto Voice Suspended Domain www ssuchronicle com ASC Public Transit www asctransit org Davis Henry Blaine Jr 1998 Generals in Khaki Raleigh NC Pentland Press p 210 ISBN 978 1 5719 7088 6 via Google Books Znidar Mark August 7 2015 Portsmouth native helps Kyle Busch put together magical run The Columbus Dispatch Columbus OH Retrieved 2015 12 16 Further reading EditAnn Hagedorn Beyond the River The Untold Story of the Heroes of the Underground Railroad New York Simon amp Schuster 2002 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Portsmouth Ohio Wikisource has the text of a 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica article about Portsmouth Ohio Official website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Portsmouth Ohio amp oldid 1148868880, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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