Editing Portsmouth, Ohio (section)

==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.<ref name = "Squier">{{cite book|title=Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley|year=1848|publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]]|pages=179–187|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/4301/view/1/179/|author=Ephraim George Squier|author2=Edwin Hamilton Davis}}</ref>[[File:Portsmouth Works Group A B C D Squier and Davis 01.jpg|thumb|left|1847 map showing the location of the [[Portsmouth Earthworks]] northeast of Portsmouth.<ref name = "Squier"/>]]

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]].<ref name = "Hanna">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SCYMAAAAYAAJ|title=The Wilderness Trail: Or, The Ventures and Adventures of the Pennsylvania Traders on the Allegheny Path|first=Charles Augustus|last=Hanna|date=February 22, 1911|publisher=G. P. Putnam's sons|isbn=9780598504005 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

European-Americans began to settle in the 1790s after the American Revolutionary War, and the small town of Alexandria was founded.<ref name="Old Alexandria">{{cite web|url=http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=3057|title=Alexandria|access-date=2008-02-28|author=Ohio Historical Society}}</ref> Located at the confluence, Alexandria was flooded numerous times by the [[Ohio River|Ohio]] and the [[Scioto River|Scioto]] rivers.

In 1796, Emanuel Traxler became the first person of European descent to permanently occupy land in what would later be known as Portsmouth, after the United States gained its independence.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Portsmouth, Ohio|url=https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Portsmouth,_Ohio|access-date=October 3, 2021|website=Ohio History Central}}</ref>

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 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, New Hampshire]].<ref name=":0" />

The Ohio state legislature passed "[[Black Laws of 1804 and 1807|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.<ref>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.</ref>

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 farther away from slave catchers. Many continued into Canada to secure their freedom.<ref name="Foundation">{{cite web|url=http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=793|title=Portsmouth|access-date=2007-05-16|author=Ohio Historical Society}}</ref> A historical marker near the Grant Bridge commemorates this period of Portsmouth's history.<ref>[http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM5DYK_Underground_Railroad_Marker__Portsmouth_OH "Underground Railroad Marker - Portsmouth, OH"], Waymarking; accessed 27 March 2018</ref> [[James Mitchell Ashley|James Ashley]] of Portsmouth continued his activism and pursued a political career. After being elected to Congress, he wrote the [[Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution]], which abolished slavery in 1865 after the American Civil War.<ref>[http://www.sciotohistorical.org/tours/show/10 Andrew Feight, PhD., Tour: "Abolitionists & the Underground Railroad"], Scioto Historical; accessed 27 March 2018</ref>

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, Ohio|Chillicothe]] farm, located north of Portsmouth on the Scioto River. Its growth was stimulated by the completion of the [[Ohio and Erie Canal]] in the 1820s and 1830s,<ref name="EarlyGrowth">{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9061003|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130118163158/http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9061003|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-01-18|title=Portsmouth|access-date=2008-02-28|author=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref> which provided access to the Great Lakes, opening up northern markets.
[[File:The steamer 'Bonanza', at the Portsmouth Ohio waterfront during the 1884 flood OldBoat 022519.jpg|thumb|The steamer ''Bonanza'' in Portsmouth during the 1884 flood]]

The construction of the [[Norfolk and Western Railway|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 was one of the most important industrial cities on the Ohio River between [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|Pittsburgh]] and [[Cincinnati, Ohio|Cincinnati]]. 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 nation's fourth-largest shoe manufacturing center, and the nation's largest manufacturer of fire and paving bricks. [[Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel]] (later called Empire-Detroit Steel) employed over 1,000 people. 100 other manufacturing companies produced goods from furniture to engines.<ref name="N&W Shippers Guide">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dDsuAAAAYAAJ&q=shippers+guide+1916|title=Industrial and shippers guide|access-date=2012-08-24|author=Norfolk and Western Railway Company. Agricultural and Industrial Dept|year=1916}}</ref>

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 remained Portsmouth's main thoroughfare.

The city population peaked at just over 42,000 in 1930. In 1931, the [[Norfolk Southern Corporation]] built a grand, [[art deco]] passenger station at 16th and Findlay streets that provided a substantial entry to the city. 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.<ref>[http://www.west2k.com/ohstations/scioto.shtml "Scioto County, Ohio"], Ohio Railroad Stations Past & Present; accessed 27 March 2018</ref>

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 moved out of the area, with many going overseas.

Further decline occurred in 1980 after the suspension of operations at Empire Detroit Steel's Portsmouth Works, which took place after the sale of the steel plant to [[AK Steel Holding|Armco Steel]]. Armco Steel closed the plant because it did not want to replace the obsolete open hearth furnaces with 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 closed, 1,300 steelworkers were laid off.

===21st century ===
[[File:US Grant Bridge aerial 2017.jpg|thumb|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|date=September 2012}} Despite its relatively small size, Portsmouth has been a regular stop for recent presidential campaigns. In September 2004, [[George W. Bush]] visited the city as part of his reelection campaign.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna5963411|title=USA TODAY: Latest World and US News - USATODAY.com|website=USA TODAY|language=en|access-date=2017-07-03}}</ref> Vice-presidential candidate [[John Edwards]] also visited Portsmouth that month.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.toledoblade.com/Politics/2004/09/17/Edwards-pledges-to-keep-jobs-of-workers-at-uranium-plant.html|title=Edwards pledges to keep jobs of workers at uranium plant|date=2004-09-17|work=The Blade|access-date=2017-07-03|language=en-US}}</ref> During the 2008 campaign, numerous candidates and surrogates visited Portsmouth, and some spoke at [[Shawnee State University]]: [[Bill Clinton]] on behalf of [[Hillary Clinton]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/bill-clinton-visits-tri-state-area/article_73cb3ab2-f18a-5084-bfa9-c86c8673af5d.html|title=Bill Clinton visits Tri-State area|last=Herald-Dispatch|first=DAVID E. MALLOYThe|work=The Herald-Dispatch|access-date=2017-07-03|language=en}}</ref> Republican nominee [[John McCain]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.herald-dispatch.com/multimedia/photo_galleries/photos_news/gallery-mccain-visits-portsmouth/article_855bbd2a-9d6f-5219-9c00-3cb0e286e7aa.html|title=Gallery: McCain visits Portsmouth|last=Herald-Dispatch.com|work=The Herald-Dispatch|access-date=2017-07-03|language=en}}</ref> and U.S. Senator [[Barack Obama]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.herald-dispatch.com/multimedia/photo_galleries/photos_news/gallery-obama-in-portsmouth/article_19afe450-2a69-55d4-9c27-ed0606f413e9.html|title=Gallery: Obama in Portsmouth|last=Herald-DispatchHerald-Dispatch.com|first=2008/The|work=The Herald-Dispatch|access-date=2017-07-03|language=en}}</ref> who won the election. In 2012, candidate [[Mitt Romney]] spoke at Shawnee State University.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wsaz.com/home/headlines/Romney-Campaigns-in-Portsmouth-Oh-174065171.html|title=Romney Campaigns in Portsmouth, Oh.|last=Jarosz|first=Brooks|date=October 14, 2012|website=WSAZ}}</ref> In March 2016, Bill Clinton visited Portsmouth again to campaign for Hillary Clinton.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/President-Bill-Clinton-makes-a-stop-in-Portsmouth-371901212.html|title=President Bill Clinton makes a stop in Portsmouth|last=WSAZ|access-date=2017-07-03|language=en}}</ref> In August 2017, U.S. Senator and former presidential candidate [[Bernie Sanders]] spoke at a rally at Shawnee State University.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Puit|first=Glenn|date=August 22, 2017|title=Sanders addresses healthcare, public education in Portsmouth rally|work=The Daily Independent|url=https://www.dailyindependent.com/news/local_news/sanders-addresses-healthcare-public-education-in-portsmouth-rally/article_1fc1345a-8757-11e7-ba4b-63be08c2afa4.html|access-date=October 4, 2021}}</ref>

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. Portsmouth formed a Downtown Redevelopment District (DRD) in 2017 in the Boneyfiddle neighborhood to increase investment and development there.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.communitycommon.com/news/2091/portsmouth-to-form-downtown-redevelopment-district|title=Portsmouth to form Downtown Redevelopment District|access-date=2017-07-03|others=Community Common|language=en-US}}</ref>

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.<ref name="Data points to economic growth">{{Cite news|url=http://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/news/6219/data-points-to-economic-growth|title=Data points to economic growth|access-date=2017-07-03|others=Portsmouth Daily Times|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.dispatch.com/news/20170301/ohio-2nd-in-economic-development-report-columbus-finishes-8th|title=Ohio 2nd in economic-development report; Columbus finishes 8th|last=Williams|first=Mark|work=The Columbus Dispatch|access-date=2017-07-03|language=en}}</ref>

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.<ref name=ABCSemis>{{Cite news |url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160113005710/en/Fifteen-Communities-Advance-America%E2%80%99s-Communities-10M-Prize |title=Fifteen Communities Advance in America's Best Communities $10M Prize Competition |first=John |last=Puskar |work=[[Frontier Communications]] |publisher=[[Business Wire]] |date=2016-06-13 |access-date=2019-07-22}}</ref> In April 2015, Portsmouth was chosen as one of the 50 quarter-finalists, winning $50,000 to help prepare a Community Revitalization Plan.<ref name=ABCSemis/> 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 semifinals.<ref name=ABCResult>{{Cite news |url=https://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/news/7352/portsmouth-does-not-advance-in-competition |title=$25,000 given to continue work |first=Wayne |last=Allen |work=[[Portsmouth Daily Times]] |date=2016-04-27 |access-date=2019-07-22}}</ref> In April 2016, Portsmouth was one of seven cities eliminated at the semifinal round, but received an additional $25,000 for use in continuing to develop its plans to improve commercial and community access to the riverfront by making the port a premier regional destination for industrial development, small business development, and riverfront recreation.<ref name=ABCResult/>

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.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Ball|first=Lane|date=December 1, 2019|title=Winterfest attracts attention from the Hallmark Channel|work=WOWK 13News|url=https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/winterfest-attracts-attention-from-the-hallmark-channel/|access-date=October 4, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Jenkins|first=Kimberly|date=November 18, 2019|title=Portsmouth named Hallmark Hometown Christmas Town|work=Portsmouth Daily Times|url=https://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/news/43173/portsmouth-named-hallmark-hometown-christmas-town|access-date=October 4, 2021}}</ref>