1749History
The 1749 "Lead Plate Expedition" to advance France's territorial claim on the Ohio Valley, led by Pierre Joseph Céloron de Blainville.
1758Government
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 L...
1796Infrastructure
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 in...
1803Disaster
In 1803, Henry Massie found a better location slightly east and somewhat removed from the flood plains.
1804Military
The Ohio state legislature passed "Black Laws" in 1804 that restricted movement of free blacks and required persons to carry papers, in an effort to dissuade blacks from settlin...
1812Military
during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812.
1829Government
=== Greenlawn Cemetery ===
Greenlawn Cemetery, established in 1829, is 40 acres in size and is Portsmouth's only public cemetery.
1831Infrastructure
In 1831, Portsmouth drove out African Americans from the city under this pretext.
1838Architecture
The construction of the 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 ...
1852Education
Notre Dame High School, formerly Portsmouth Central Catholic High School, has served the city's Roman Catholics and others since 1852.
1865Military
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.
1879Government
=== Library ===
The Portsmouth Public Library is the city's library, founded in 1879.
1884Disaster
It had extensive flooding in 1884, 1913, and 1937.
1910Disaster
The historic 1910 Columbia Theater was destroyed by a fire in 2007, demolished, and rebuilt in 2012 as the open-air Columbia Music Hall, with a refurbished façade from the origi...
1916Military
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 larges...
1917Architecture
In 1917, the construction of a dam downriver from Portsmouth meant that the rock would forever be submerged, if not for its recovery by a group of local divers led by an Ironton...
1925Sports
The Trojan basketball team has made 14 final four appearances, in 1925, 1926, 1927, 1929, 1931 (1st), 1934 (2nd), 1939, 1941, 1961 (1st), 1978 (1st), 1980 (2nd), 1988 (1st), 199...
1928Government
== Government ==
=== City government ===
The city charter was adopted on November 6, 1928.
1929Culture
The Portsmouth Spartans, a member of the NFL from 1929 to 1933; the organization later moved to Detroit to become the Detroit Lions.
1930Architecture
The stadium opened in 1930 as the original home of the Portsmouth Spartans, now the fifth-oldest active franchise in the National Football League (as the Detroit Lions).
1931Architecture
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.
1934Sports
This forced the sale of the team and its relocation to Detroit in 1934, where it became the Detroit Lions.
1935Architecture
The city conducts business at City Hall, which was constructed in 1935.
1936Architecture
The Scioto County Courthouse is at the corner of Sixth and Court Streets and was constructed in 1936.
1937Disaster
After the flood of 1937, the U.S.
1938Infrastructure
In 1938, Portsmouth was also the home of the Portsmouth Red Birds, a minor-league team owned by the St.
1945Government
In 1945, Ohio University established an academic center in Portsmouth.
1947Sports
Branch Rickey, influential baseball coach, inventor of the farm team system, and the signer of Jackie Robinson to Major League Baseball; Robinson broke the baseball color line w...
1952Military
It served a military function from 1952 until the mid-1960s, when the mission changed from enriching uranium for nuclear weapons to producing fuel for commercial nuclear power p...
1964Disaster
Army Corps of Engineers constructed a floodwall protecting the city, which prevented two major floods in 1964 and 1997.
1965Architecture
The next summer, in 1965, the Board of Directors of the Terrace Club pool unanimously removed its ban on African Americans and reopened under the name Dreamland Pool.
1966Architecture
The McKinley Pool, which opened in 1966, still remains and represents Portsmouth's reform and the struggle against the laws of the Jim Crow Era.
1967Sports
It won two state championships, in 1967 and 1970.
1979Government
The Southern Ohio Museum, founded in 1979, has more than 60 exhibits, including artwork by Clarence Holbrook Carter and Jesse Stuart, China dolls, Native American artifacts, and...
1980Infrastructure
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 Armco Steel.
1982Education
In 1982, Miami University students conducted research on several of Portsmouth's most important historic buildings.
1986Government
In 1986, a legislative charter introduced by Vern Riffe to establish Shawnee State University was signed into law by Governor Richard Celeste.
1988Government
The city reverted from being run by a city manager to a mayor in 1988, with the mayor elected every four years.
1992Disaster
In 1992, Portsmouth began honoring some of the many accomplishments of its area natives by placing a star on the riverside of the floodwall.
1993Infrastructure
In 1993, muralist Robert Dafford was commissioned and began painting murals of Portsmouth's history.
1995Economy
The plant also needed a continuous caster to replace the obsolete soaking pits and blooming mill in 1995.
1997Education
The university's library was named the Clark Memorial Library in 1997.
2000History
=== 2000 census ===
As of the census of 2000, 20,909 people, 9,120 households, and 5,216 families resided in the city.
2001Infrastructure
The Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant ended enriching operations in 2001 and began to support operational and administrative functions and perform external contract work.
2002Infrastructure
In November 2002, the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in nearby Piketon, Ohio, was recognized as a Nuclear Historic Landmark by the American Nuclear Society.
2003Architecture
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.
2004History
In September 2004, George W.
2006Infrastructure
Since then several additional panels have been added, including murals honoring Portsmouth's baseball heroes in 2006; and the Tour of the Scioto River Valley (TOSRV), a bicycle ...
2007History
=== Indian Head Rock ===
The Indian Head Rock is an eight-ton sandstone boulder that until 2007 rested at the bottom of the Ohio River.
2008Education
During the 2008 campaign, numerous candidates and surrogates visited Portsmouth, and some spoke at Shawnee State University: Bill Clinton on behalf of Hillary Clinton, Republica...
2009Education
In 2009, the school system completed construction on a new $10 million athletic complex.
2010Infrastructure
=== 21st century ===
As of 2010, Portsmouth has a population of approximately 20,000.
2011Infrastructure
In May 2011, the Ohio Senate and House unanimously passed a bill cracking down on pill mills (signed into law by John Kasich) authored by Portsmouth's state representative Terry...
2012Education
In 2012, candidate Mitt Romney spoke at Shawnee State University.
2014Infrastructure
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.
2015Culture
In April 2015, Portsmouth was chosen as one of the 50 quarter-finalists, winning $50,000 to help prepare a Community Revitalization Plan.
2016Civil Rights
In March 2016, Bill Clinton visited Portsmouth again to campaign for Hillary Clinton.
2017History
In August 2017, U.S.
2018Culture
In 2018, the "Friends Plant Portsmouth" participants shattered the record for the most people simultaneously potting plants.
2019Infrastructure
In 2019, Portsmouth was named Hallmarks' Hometown Christmas Town.
2021Sports
In 2021, the men's basketball team defeated Lewis–Clark State to become NAIA national champions.