Placenames of Portsmouth

The business of naming is as old as language itself. The names a town bestows on its rivers and river banks, streets, buildings and other landmarks provide a window into the soul of that town, through the history it chooses to celebrate. In 1623, the first settlers arrived in what would one day be known as Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Native Americans in these parts already had a name for the swift flowing Piscataqua River. The settlers took over from there. Delighted with the vegetation they found, they named their new home Strawbery Banke. Join Portsmouth writer, artist and amateur historian Nancy Grossman for an informative and entertaining stroll through the town's historic South End and downtown, its Victorian neighborhoods and the newer streets of the 20th century - and beyond. 466 Streets, 253 Images, 16 Maps Meet a colorful array of Portsmouth's citizens - heroes, heroines, everyday folks and pillars of the community, even the odd scoundrel. Visitors from 'away' have made their mark too, but let there be no mistake - this is a Portsmouth story, through and through.