History
Portsmouth was settled in 1638 by Anne Hutchinson and her followers. It was founded by the signers of the Portsmouth Compact, including Anne Hutchinson's husband William Hutchinson. Its original Indian name was Pocasset. It was officially named Portsmouth on May 12, 1639.
Photo of a plaque commemorating the Portsmouth CompactIt became part of the colony of Rhode Island and eventually of the colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and the state that bears that name.
Portsmouth is the site of an important capture during the American War for Independence. Colonel Wiliam Barton of Rhode island captured the British Commander-in-Chief, General Richard Prescott there. It is also the site of Rhode Island's only major battle in that war on August 29, 1778. During the Battle of Rhode Island the 1st Rhode Island Regiment, which was comprised mostly of African-American soldiers served in the army of Gen. John Sullivan.
In 1926, Benedictine monks founded the Portsmouth Abbey School as a place for educating boys on the western side of the town.
In 2006, the Portsmouth High School Boys Track Team went undefeated with a recored of 8-0 and won the Eastern Division Championship, beating their top rivals.
Since 1985, Portsmouth has been home to Clement's Market, a large supermarket, and an alternative of the strip malls in nearby Middletown.
Mount Hope Bridge linking Portsmouth, RI, to Bristol, RIIn 2006, the Portsmouth High School Boys Track Team went undefeated with a recored of 8-0 and won the the Eastern Division Championship, beating their top rivals.
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