Portsmouth in Scioto County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Portsmouth and the Ohio River
Photographed by J. J. Prats, April 16, 2019
1. Portsmouth and the Ohio River Marker
Inscription.
Portsmouth and the Ohio River. . The Ohio River floodwaters account for Portsmouth’s settlement. Alexandria, the county’s first town, was laid out in 1799 on the west bank of the Scioto at its confluence with the Ohio. Early settlers in Alexandria were forced to higher ground across the river in Portsmouth because of frequent flooding. As a result, Portsmouth, platted in 1803, became Scioto County's seat and business center by 1814. Prominent local industries included brick, stone, steel, wood products, and shoe manufacturing. As of 2003, the Ohio River is the cornerstone of Portsmouth’s transportation system, providing a means for materials to reach destinations throughout the region. It also serves as a recreation hub. The three mile long levee, first built in 1908, failed in the 1937 flood and was subsequently improved.
The Ohio River floodwaters account for Portsmouth’s settlement.
Alexandria, the county’s first town, was laid out in 1799 on the
west bank of the Scioto at its confluence with the Ohio. Early settlers in
Alexandria were forced to higher ground across the river in
Portsmouth because of frequent flooding. As a result, Portsmouth,
platted in 1803, became Scioto County's seat and business center
by 1814. Prominent local industries included brick, stone, steel,
wood products, and shoe manufacturing. As of 2003, the
Ohio
River is the cornerstone of Portsmouth’s transportation system,
providing a means for materials to reach destinations throughout the
region. It also serves as a recreation hub. The three mile long
levee, first built in 1908, failed in the 1937 flood and was
subsequently improved.
Erected 2003 by Ohio Bicentennial Commission, Tall Stacks, Inc., Portsmouth Area Chamber of Commerce and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 8-73.)
Location. 38° 43.832′ N, 83° 0.13′ W. Marker is in Portsmouth, Ohio, in Scioto County. It can be reached from the intersection of Front Street and Court Street when traveling west. It is outside of the levee, visible on the right as you pass through the Court Street gate. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Portsmouth OH 45662, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southern Ohio Hill Country. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Ohio River Valley, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other markers no longer nearby. Scioto County, Experience Our Heritage (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Scioto County, Experience Our Heritage (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different
Photographed by J. J. Prats, April 16, 2019
3. Marker at the Ohio River
The bridge in the distance is the U.S. 23 bridge that connects Portsmouth to the nearby Kentucky towns of South Shore and South Portsmouth.
marker also named Scioto County, Experience Our Heritage (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Scioto County, Experience Our Heritage (was about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Scioto County, Experience Our Heritage (was about 400 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Credits. This page was last revised on June 27, 2019. It was originally submitted on April 24, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 877 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on April 24, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.
