Portsmouth Rhode
Island Home Improvement
Portsmouth
was settled in 1638 as the second settlement in the area. With
Anne Hutchinson as leader of the settlement, Portsmouth became the
first community founded in the New World by a woman. Its Indian
name was Pocasset, and on May 12, 1649, the name of Portsmouth was
confirmed. And as original settlement, Portsmouth became part of
the original group of settlements which united to form the Colony
of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.
The
history of Portsmouth, which was at one time the most populous
town in the colony, is rich with the flavor characterizing Rhode
Island's early settlements. In fact, it was in Portsmouth that the
most daring capture of the Revolutionary War was accomplished. The
British Commander-in-Chief, General Richard Prescott, was captured
by Rhode Islander, Colonel William Barton in the Overing House,
which is, today, located on West Main Road and marked with an
historical plaque.
Reflections
of Portsmouth's daring and significant past are further evidenced
by several other historical landmarks. Founders Brook is marked as
the site of the landing of the first settlers from Boston in 1638.
This group was spirited under the leadership of John Clark and
William Coddington. The Portsmouth Compact, the first instrument
for governing as a true democracy, is inscribed on a bronze and
stone marker. The little valley known as the Hessian Hole is a
reminder of the famous Battle of Rhode Island, likewise, a
memorial dedicated to those blacks that fought in the Battle of
Rhode Island as the first black regiment to fight for the American
Flag, is located in Portsmouth. Located on the corner of East Main
Road and Union Street is the Southernmost School, the nation's
oldest school, containing antique school desks, school bells and a
variety of original textbooks.
Portsmouth
is a fully-developed, fully serviced community. Among its features
are several public golf courses, a modern motor hotel, antique
shops, numerous marinas, and, the Sakonnet Times, a weekly
newspaper serving the towns of Portsmouth, Tiverton and Little
Compton.
Today,
many of the town's working population is employed in private
industry, in Portsmouth and nearby communities. The earliest
source of income for the townspeople was farming and shipbuilding.
However, boat building continues as one of the areas major
industries.
Many
areas, such as Melville, which was heavily occupied with Naval
installations prior to the massive Naval reduction in 1974, have
become the sites for the development of commercial, industrial,
and recreational facilities. At the Melville small boat basin, for
example, a 340-slip, fully serviced marina and boat building
complex has replaced what was once a Naval docking facility, and
the Navy's first PT - boat training facility.
Our Handy Men are fully equipped and
ready to serve your needs.
info@RhodeIslandHomeImprovement.com
|
Portsmouth Rhode Island Home Improvement
