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Portsmouth, OhioPhoto: Vasiliymeshko · CC BY 4.0
A+History
History · Portsmouth

Portsmouth dates to 1803, and 43% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 97% of U.S. towns · #26 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it

35 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 105 buildings between them. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1957 on, and the census since 1820.

1803founded
35on the National Register
43%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
30famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Portsmouth’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Portsmouth began

When was Portsmouth founded?

1803

Portsmouth dates its founding to 1803 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1820.

First census: 527 in 18202020 census: 18,252223 years

How historic is Portsmouth?

A+

More historic than 97% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1808.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Portsmouth’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Portsmouth is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #26 of 993 in Ohio. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.

A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Portsmouth’s overall grade.
Founding era1803, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194042.5% of homes (±3.7) · typical OH town 14.5% · U.S. 8.4%A+National Register35 listings, 139 historic buildings, 78.4 per 10,000 residents · typical OH town 2.9 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 97%
NewerOlder
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 97%

Ohio towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Ohio town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Portsmouth’s 78.4 sits above most of its state (91% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 139 historic buildings outnumber those of 91% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.7 points). Two sources give 1803.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Portsmouth’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Landmarks on the Register35 places on the National Register.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Second Street Historic District takes in 71 historic buildings.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Portsmouth, and 6 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

35 listings protect 139 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
35
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
139
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
Aaron Kinney House
Aaron Kinney HouseFirst Presbyterian ChurchHorseshoe MoundBoneyfiddle Commercial DisrictSt. Mary's Roman Catholic ChurchGreenlawn Cemetery ChapelAll Saints Episcopal Church, built 1833Hurth HotelBigelow United Methodist ChurchDole-Darrell HouseElden HouseEvangelical Church of ChristGeorge H. Gharky HouseJoseph Marsh HouseLabold House and GardensOdd Fellows HallPortsmouth Fire Department No. 1, built 1895Portsmouth Foundry and Machine WorksPurdum-Tracy HouseReed, Joseph G., CompanyScioto County CourthouseSteindam HouseStreich ApartmentsWilliam Newman HouseEli Kinney HouseMeyer HouseZottman HouseSecond Presbyterian ChurchAnderson Brothers Department Store, built 1899Judge William V. Peck HouseSecond Street Historic DistrictCunningham-Maier HouseSixth Street Historic DistrictGeneral U.S. Grant BridgeEugene McKinley Memorial Pool
BuildingsDistrictsSitesStructures

Architectural styles listings

Unknown15
Greek Revival3
Federal2
Italianate1
Gothic1
Renaissance Revival1
Aaron Kinney HouseFederal
First Presbyterian ChurchUnknown
Horseshoe MoundSite
Boneyfiddle Commercial DisrictItalianate
St. Mary's Roman Catholic ChurchUnknown
Greenlawn Cemetery ChapelGothic
All Saints Episcopal ChurchBuilt 1833
Hurth HotelRenaissance Revival
All 35 listings
Bigelow United Methodist ChurchBuilding · listed 1987Dole-Darrell HouseBuilding · listed 1987Elden HouseBuilding · listed 1987Evangelical Church of ChristBuilding · listed 1987George H. Gharky HouseBuilding · listed 1987Joseph Marsh HouseBuilding · listed 1987Labold House and GardensBuilding · listed 1987Odd Fellows HallBuilding · listed 1987Portsmouth Fire Department No. 1Building · listed 1987Portsmouth Foundry and Machine WorksBuilding · listed 1987Purdum-Tracy HouseBuilding · listed 1987Reed, Joseph G., CompanyBuilding · listed 1987Scioto County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1987Steindam HouseBuilding · listed 1987Streich ApartmentsBuilding · listed 1987William Newman HouseBuilding · listed 1987Eli Kinney HouseBuilding · listed 1988Meyer HouseBuilding · listed 1988Zottman HouseBuilding · listed 1996Second Presbyterian ChurchBuilding · listed 1996Anderson Brothers Department StoreBuilding · listed 2001Judge William V. Peck HouseBuilding · listed 1979Second Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1983Cunningham-Maier HouseBuilding · listed 1987Sixth Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1988General U.S. Grant BridgeStructure · listed 2001Eugene McKinley Memorial PoolStructure · listed 2019

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Help out

Start Portsmouth’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Portsmouth’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewPortsmouth from the Kentucky shore of t…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Portsmouth came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Portsmouth.

Read it all →

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.

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 abandonment of Lower Shawneetown.

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

ChaptersFoundation20th century21st century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Portsmouth in 1903

Passages that mention Portsmouth, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Portsmouth’s New .Charter. — Vol. 49, page 117, March 17, 1851. An amendment to the act incorporating the City of Portsmouth perpetuating all ordinances of the Town of Portsmouth not inconsistent with the act of incorporation.
A history of Scioto County, Ohio,1903 · page 455Read the page →
Read the text

Portsmouth’s New .Charter. — Vol. 49, page 117, March 17, 1851. An amendment to the act incorporating the City of Portsmouth perpetuating all ordinances of the Town of Portsmouth not inconsistent with the act of incorporation.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Portsmouth’s New Charter.—Vol. 49, page 117, March 17, 1851. An amendment to the act incorporating the City of Portsmouth perpetuating all ordinances of the Town of Portsmouth not inconsistent with the act of incorporation. ; School House.—Vol. 69, page 265, April 25, 1872, authorized the Board of …
history of scioto county, ohio, together with a pioneer record of southern ohio1903 · page 455Read the page →
Read the text

Portsmouth’s New Charter.—Vol. 49, page 117, March 17, 1851. An amendment to the act incorporating the City of Portsmouth perpetuating all ordinances of the Town of Portsmouth not inconsistent with the act of incorporation. ; School House.—Vol. 69, page 265, April 25, 1872, authorized the Board of Education of Portsmouth to borrow, $20,000 to erect a school house. Bonds were to run four years.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Passage from history of scioto county, ohio, together with a pioneer record of southern ohio that mentions Portsmouth
history of scioto county, ohio, together with a pioneer record of southern ohio1903 · page 1316Read the page →
David GharKy was one of the most interesting characters who ever took part in public affairs in Portsmouth. To begin with, he was one of the first nine City Fathers of Portsmouth, Ohio, and he continued to be a Councilman of the town of Portsmouth from March 15, 1815, until March, 1823. He was Town…
A history of Scioto County, Ohio,1903 · page 704Read the page →
Read the text

David GharKy was one of the most interesting characters who ever took part in public affairs in Portsmouth. To begin with, he was one of the first nine City Fathers of Portsmouth, Ohio, and he continued to be a Councilman of the town of Portsmouth from March 15, 1815, until March, 1823. He was Town Treasurer of Portsmouth, Ohio, from March 15, 1815, until April 1, 1822, when he was removed by a unanimous vote for squandering the circulating medium of the

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Portsmouth, 1803 to 1957

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1803
    FoundingPortsmouth is established
  3. 1808Post officeThe Portsmouth post office opens
  4. 1833BuiltAll Saints Episcopal Church is built
  5. 1848Post officeThe Sciotoville post office opens
  6. 1865In the archivePortsmouth from the Kentucky shore of the Ohio
  7. 1884In the archiveThe steamer 'Bonanza', at the Portsmouth Ohio waterfront during the 1884 flood OldBoat 02…
  8. 1890In the archiveThe Buckeye State, Ohio's State Flower is the Scarlet Carnation. The Betsy Ann
  9. 1895BuiltPortsmouth Fire Department No. 1 is built
  10. 1899BuiltAnderson Brothers Department Store is built
  11. 20th century
  12. 1909Born hereStuff Smith is born here
  13. 1920Post officeThe Sciotoville post office closes
  14. 1930CensusPopulation peaks at 42,560
  15. 1940Born hereMike Schuler is born here
  16. 1948Born hereKathleen Battle is born here
  17. 1954Born hereBill Sali is born here
  18. 1957On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Portsmouth, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1860s to the 1890s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1860s–1890s4 items
Portsmouth from the Kentucky shore of the Ohio1865Portsmouth from the Kentucky shore of the Ohio"Dan Rice": Owned by T.M. Lyom [i.e., Lynn] Portsmouth, Ohio1866"Dan Rice": Owned by T.M. Lyom [i.e., Lynn] Portsmout…The steamer 'Bonanza', at the Portsmouth Ohio waterfront during the 1884 flood OldBoat 0225191884The steamer 'Bonanza', at the Portsmouth Ohio waterfr…The Buckeye State, Ohio's State Flower is the Scarlet Carnation. The Betsy Ann1890The Buckeye State, Ohio's State Flower is the Scarlet…
1900s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
On the map

Portsmouth on the map, 1957 to 1960

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Portsmouth. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Portsmouth on the 1957 USGS mapPortsmouth on the 1960 USGS map1957Huntington sheet · 1:250,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Portsmouth.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Portsmouth from the Kentucky shore of the Ohio
Retake this viewPortsmouth from the Kentucky shore of the Ohio, 1865

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Portsmouth’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Portsmouth, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,0001850190019502000Peak: 42,560

Peaked at 42,560 in 1930; 18,252 people lived here in 2020.

21 censuses, 1820–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Portsmouth’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

30 famous people were born in Portsmouth

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Kathleen BattleAmerican opera singer · b. 1948
S
Stuff SmithAmerican musician · b. 1909
Bill SaliAmerican politician · b. 1954
Mike SchulerAmerican basketball coach · b. 1940
E
Earl Thomas ConleyAmerican country music singer-songwriter · b. 1941
L
Liza JohnsonAmerican film editor and film director · b. 1970
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Portsmouth’s post office has been open since 1808. Another post office, Sciotoville, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Portsmouth
1808–today
Sciotoville
1848–1920
18001910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Colony Mobile Home ParkEast PortsmouthNorth MorelandPortsmouth Mobile Home ParkSciotovilleVera Junction
Gone or out of use
Briggs SchoolschoolSciotoville Post Officepost office
1cemetery inside Portsmouth
Greenlawn

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Clay TownshipIts storyC−New BostonIts storyB−RosemountIts storyC−Porter TownshipIts storyB−SciotodaleIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHarrison Township2 historic placesB

Questions about Portsmouth’s history

What year was Portsmouth founded?

In 1803, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Portsmouth’s post office opened in 1808, and the census of 1820 counted 527 people here.

How does Portsmouth rank for history?

Portsmouth is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #26 of 993 in Ohio. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Portsmouth?

35 listings: 29 buildings, among them the Aaron Kinney House (listed 1973, the first), 3 historic districts, the Boneyfiddle Commercial Disrict, the Second Street Historic District and the Sixth Street Historic District, with 105 contributing buildings, 1 site, and 2 structures. 139 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Portsmouth?

43% of Portsmouth’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.7 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1946.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (2), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (35), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.