Portsmouth in Scioto County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Millbrook Park ⎯⎯⎯ The Shoe Industry, 1869-1977 ⎯⎯⎯ Early 1900's Streetcar ⎯⎯⎯ Government Square, 1919
Floodwall Murals, 2000 Feet of History/2000 Feet of Art
Photographed by Craig Doda, January 7, 2021
1. Millbrook Park / The Shoe Industry, 1869-1977 / Early 1900's Streetcar / Government Square, 1919
Inscription.
Millbrook Park
Considered one of Ohio's three best amusement parks, this park was completed in
1902. It was located adjacent to the steel mill in New Boston. Streetcars delivered
passengers to the park where there was a roller coaster, carousel, pavilion, boating,
ballfield and a casino that hosted concerts. Millbrook Lake and lagoons enclosed the
park on three sides. Visitors could row a boat, take a gondola ride, or walk its many
paths. In winter, ice skating was popular. The demise of the park began with the flood
of 1913 and ended when the steel mill bought the remaining property in 1937.
The Shoe Industry, 1869-1977
The manufacture of shoes, once a thriving industry in Portsmouth, passed from the
local scene with the closing of Williams Manufacturing in 1976. This mural shows
several of the shoe factories including Selby, Irving Drew, Excelsior, and Williams. Also
depicted are Vulcan Corporation, which made shoe lasts; and Patterson Paper Box
Company, whose products were essential to the manufacture and distribution of shoes.
Mitchellace, the world's largest manufacturer of shoelaces is shown in the
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mural
entitled "Modern Industry".
Early 1900's Streetcar
Electric streetcars were first introduced in 1892 when the City of Portsmouth purchased
streetcars and laid the first tracks. A year later the city sold the cars and lines to
Portsmouth Street Railroad and Light Company. The first line included Second Street
to Chillicothe Street, then north to Ninth, East on Ninth to Offnere, then north to
Eleventh, east to Gallia, and then to New Boston. This mural features an early streetcar
with motormen, facing east, after the car turned the corner at Ninth and Chillicothe
Streets. Note the three motor men in their blue uniforms. The streetcars ceased
operation in 1938. At the far right stands the Civil War Memorial Statue in Tracy Park.
Government Square, 1919
The square was the hub of the business and financial district in Portsmouth at the end
of World War I. Prominent buildings in the mural include the former U.S. Post Office
Building, the Kricker Building, and the National Bank Building. The esplanade in the
central portion of the picture is surrounded by vintage automobiles. Also, entrance to
two public underground
Photographed by Craig Doda, January 7, 2021
2. Millbrook Park / The Shoe Industry, 1869-1977 / Early 1900's Streetcar / Government Square, 1919
restrooms are visible. Some of the buildings on the north side
as well as some other buildings on Gallia Street still exist today. (Marker Number 7.)
Location. 38° 43.849′ N, 83° 0.21′ W. Marker is in Portsmouth, Ohio, in Scioto County. It is on Front Street just west of Market Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 445 Front St, 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,
Photographed by Craig Doda, January 7, 2021
3. Millbrook Park mural
the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
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 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 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); 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); a different marker also named Scioto County, Experience Our Heritage (was about 500 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Scioto County, Experience Our Heritage (was about 500 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Photographed by Craig Doda, January 7, 2021
5. Early 1900's Streetcar mural
Photographed by Craig Doda, January 7, 2021
6. Government Square, 1919 mural
Credits. This page was last revised on February 5, 2021. It was originally submitted on February 4, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,432 times since then and 79 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on February 4, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
