Business-owner George D. Selby joined others in the Portsmouth-area shoe industry to organize a bank in 1904. Selby’s Security Savings Bank &amp; Trust Company moved from its original location on Gallia Street (which is still standing today) to a new beaux-arts style building across the street in 1918. In 1929, just after the stock market crash, Selby’s bank merged with Central National Bank of Portsmouth. In 1974, the president of the Security Central National Bank, Harry Kuhner, decided to move the bank from Selby’s building to the old Montgomery Ward building.

Locals then decided to open a museum in the beautiful old building, but first, funding was needed. To help with this, Edmund J. Kricker, chairman of the board and chief executive officer at First Federal Savings &amp; Loan Association, offered to donate one dollar for every two dollars that were raised. Because of his help, the initial campaign brought in about $300,000. With this money, renovations on the old building began and collections for permanent exhibits were acquired. The Southern Ohio Museum and Cultural Center opened to the public in 1979.

The Southern Ohio Museum, located in the former Security Savings Bank & Trust Company building

Offical website of the Southern Ohio Museum

Website

Video

The Southern Ohio Museum, located in an old bank and opened in 1979, showcases Portsmouth’s culture and history. Permanent exhibits include the Wertz Collection’s Art of the Ancients, with over 10,000 objects that date back as far as the Paleo Indian era when the area was first settled by humans; the Carl Ackerman Collection of photos of Portsmouth from the 1860s through the 1980s; and the paintings of Portsmouth’s most famous painter, Clarence Holbrook Carter. The museum also features a 100-seat theater, reading room, student art studio, and exhibitions from local artists.

Southern Ohio Museum

This driving tour includes a variety of historic buildings, landmarks, markers, and museums throughout Portsmouth and neighboring communities in Scioto County. Be sure to explore some of the entries beyond the center of Portsmouth.

Squire Oscar Foster discovered the markings on this stone in 1931. For years, the stone had been&nbsp;used as a family's porch&nbsp;step. Foster&nbsp;gave the stone to local historian&nbsp;Alfred Fagan, who then gave the stone to the city. The people of Portsmouth decided to celebrate the history of the village of Alexandra with a ceremonial dedication of the stone. The rock was carried through town and placed in front of a flagpole, and this is where the stone can be found today.&nbsp; The Alexandria Stone has inscribed the letters E.L and the date of 1802. The E.L stands for Elias Langham, who was the first person to survey the land of Alexandria. While Elias Langham helped survey the land, he never lived in Alexandria. Still, his computation of the town was so important that this stone was possibly carved for him.&nbsp; This land was always important for different groups of people. The Adena, Hopewell, and Shawnee lived here before Alexandria was ever laid out. The last people that lived in the land were the Shawnee, and they had to leave because of a flood in the 1750’s. Americans took advantage of this empty land, and Alexandria was laid out in June 1799. Tomas Parker, a wealthy veteran, was the first to buy the land.&nbsp; While Tomas was the first to buy the land, he was not the first to manage the land. That duty would fall to his brother Alexander Parker. Alexander gained the power of attorney form his brother and hired Elias Langham to survey and grow crops. Alexander asked Elias to sell the land. In 1799, Elias sold seventeen lots of land and bought one for himself. While Alexander and Elias were extremely busy, they handed the town over to John Belli, and he became the first mayor. In three years, Scioto County was formed, along with the city of Portsmouth. In 1803, Portsmouth was formed on higher ground by Alexandria. The towns of Alexandria and Portsmouth would argue for a seat in the state legislature. People of Alexandria tried a last stand to gain the seat from Portsmouth in 1805 but failed. People began to leave Alexandria for western towns or nearby Portsmouth. By 1817 the village was considered a ghost town. Then in 1884, there was a flood that washed away the remaining houses.&nbsp;

In 1931, a local historian found a rock that dated back to the early 19th century from a lost village called Alexandria. During a civic celebration 1938, the people of Portsmouth dedicated this rock in a small park where the village of Alexandria was located-- the confluence of the Ohio and Scioto River. During the celebration, the Portsmouth Recreation Department named the park Alexandria Point Park, and this rock was named the Alexandria Stone.

Alexandria Point Park & Alexandria Stone 

Like many towns, Portsmouth needed an area where the townspeople could buy goods. People of Portsmouth decided to make their local area right here, between 7th street and Front Street. The area would get its name because in the 1800s farmer sold their goods on this street. Every Saturday farmers would set up shop, making it look like a little market in the middle of town giving the street its name. After years of farmers selling food, the businesses in the area changed to more retail stores.&nbsp;&nbsp; A fire in 1978 damaged many buildings on Market Street at a time of transition when many chain stores were being constructed outside of the downtown area to take advantage of highway traffic that bypasses the city core. A handful of local companies such as ToyTown and&nbsp;Market Street Hardware have survived these trends by combining their businesses&nbsp;into one building. Newer businesses such as Market Street Cafe opened in 2006 and soon became one of the most popular restaurants on Market Street.&nbsp;

For most of Portsmouth's history, Market Street was the center of commerce for families and businesses. From outdoor markets in the 19th century to modern supermarkets and department stores, people came from all around the county to Market Street to shop. Thanks to local entrepreneurs, city officials, preservationists, and concerned local citizens, Market Street remains an important part of the city’s economy. 

Market Street 

Although the City of Portsmouth is located on high ground, it has experienced flooding due to its proximity to the Ohio River. While flooding occurred in the city several times from the 1880s until the 1930s, it was the flood of 1937 that led to the construction of a floodwall by the Army Corps of Engineers. In 1964 and 1997, the wall was successful in preventing major flooding in the city. In 1992, the Portsmouth Wall of Fame was introduced by the city. The Wall of Fame honors the accomplishments of people from the area by placing stars on the floodwall. Located on the riverside of the wall, these can be seen by passengers driving down U.S. Route 23 in South Shore, Kentucky. That same year, Dr. Louis R. Chaboudy headed a nonprofit group that was formed to make the floodwall a tourist attraction. A year later in 1993, Robert Dafford, a mural artist, was hired to begin painting murals of Portsmouth’s history. Herb Roe, a local art student, was hired by Dafford to be his assistant. Roe then became Dafford’s apprentice and worked with him for fifteen years. The flood wall was completed in the October of 2002, with over 52 murals illustrating 2,000 years of history to the local area. The mural stretches 2,000 feet along Front Street and is walking distance from Shawnee State University. The murals cover the history of the Portsmouth area. Viewing from the left to the right, the mural displays the growth and development of the Scioto River Area in a timeline. It begins with the local Native American history, namely the Mound Builders, and the Shawnee Tribe. It then illustrates the small town of Alexandria, Portsmouth's predecessor which was flooded due to the rising river levels. From there the mural displays images significant to early development of the City of Portsmouth: Henry Massie's official founding of the city, the influence of the Kinney Family (whose original home titled "The 1810 House" is now a local history museum), the early Boneyfiddle shopping district, and more. There are several murals dedicated to our local veterans, police and firemen, churches, and businesses. There are also images depicting the development of technology as it was first introduced to Southern Ohio, such as the automobile. Important individuals were also given their own unique murals along the floodwall. One such individual is Roy Rogers. Also known as "King of the Cowboys", Roy Rogers was a radio singer/yodeler who grew up locally, and starred in over 93 films. Another individual who has been immortalized on the Portsmouth Floodwall is Branch Rickey, who signed baseball legend Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Indeed, the Portsmouth Floodwalls are a beautiful historical landmark and resource for learning more about the city's own history. It is no wonder that Portsmouth's citizens are so proud of the murals, as it is a showcase of how the city has grown and developed for over centuries. Even now, the murals continue to expand throughout the city, using art to convey the history of Portsmouth.

The Portsmouth Floodwall was constructed after the city of Portsmouth, Ohio faced its most devastating flood in 1937. The Army Corps of Engineers decided better flood prevention measures were needed, and the construction of a new floodwall began in 1940. The wall was completed ten years later in May 1950. In the year 1992 lifetime resident of Portsmouth Dr. Louis R. Chaboudy got the idea that the city should paint murals on the floodwall while on a AAA motor coach tour with his wife Ava. Later a committee was formed, and the decision was made to transform the floodwall into an art gallery depicting the history of Portsmouth and the surrounding area. These murals were completed in October 2002, and now the Portsmouth Floodwall stands as one of the crown jewels of the city. As a result, the wall now serves not only as a protective barrier between the city and the Ohio River but also as an artistic display of the city of Portsmouth’s history.

Portsmouth Flood Wall Murals

In 1993, the town of Portsmouth decided to put a memorial for the local servicemen with the names of men that lost their lives or are missing in action carved into stone with a flagpole in the center. The memorial features four benches made from locally quarried stone. Funding for the memorial came from donations and the purchase of bricks engraved with the names of local veterans. The memorial is kept up to date by the city of Portsmouth. The memorial includes 84 men from the area who died in World War I and 208 who perished in World War II. There are 31 names representing local men who died in Korea.&nbsp;This area is home to annual celebrations and commemorations of local veterans and the memorial continues to expand as funding is available and as new names are added.&nbsp; On the rear of the memorial is written "In honor and memory of all veterans of Scioto County who served our country in times of peace and war. And to those who paid the supreme sacrifice so that we may enjoy freedom. Their spirit, devotion, a love of country will be forever remembered."&nbsp;&nbsp;

Created in 1939 as a memorial for veterans of the Great War (known today as World War I), this Portsmouth memorial bears the names of soldiers from Scioto County who perished in both World Wars and conflicts ranging from Korea and Vietnam to modern wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Names of families' loved ones that served are written on bricks that encircle the memorial.

Scioto County KIA-MIA Memorial

Business-owner George D. Selby joined others in the Portsmouth-area shoe industry to organize a bank in 1904. Selby’s Security Savings Bank &amp; Trust Company moved from its original location on Gallia Street (which is still standing today) to a new beaux-arts style building across the street in 1918. In 1929, just after the stock market crash, Selby’s bank merged with Central National Bank of Portsmouth. In 1974, the president of the Security Central National Bank, Harry Kuhner, decided to move the bank from Selby’s building to the old Montgomery Ward building.

Locals then decided to open a museum in the beautiful old building, but first, funding was needed. To help with this, Edmund J. Kricker, chairman of the board and chief executive officer at First Federal Savings &amp; Loan Association, offered to donate one dollar for every two dollars that were raised. Because of his help, the initial campaign brought in about $300,000. With this money, renovations on the old building began and collections for permanent exhibits were acquired. The Southern Ohio Museum and Cultural Center opened to the public in 1979.

<div>Columbia Theatre opened in 1910 with 300 seats and offered a variety of shows and movies. The theater expanded&nbsp;in the late 1920s with over a thousand seats and sound equipment allowing for the first "talkie" movies to be seen, and heard, in the area.&nbsp;When the theater first opened, tickets were available for five cents making the possibility of seeing a movie open to nearly all&nbsp;Portsmouth residents. </div><div>The theater faced troubling times in the 1930s beyond the Great Depression. While many movie theaters fared reasonably well by offering low-cost tickets and a needed diversion from the hardships of the era, Portsmouth faced its own set of challenges. The floods of 1936 and 1937 damaged the theater&nbsp;and devastated the town, and the total&nbsp;cost of the flood upon the Portsmouth area exceeded $16 million.&nbsp;After the flood, the theater was restored and reopened. The theater operated until the&nbsp;1980s when it was closed as former patrons abandoned single-screen downtown movie houses for newer multiplexes.</div><div>Local residents and preservationists worked to revive the downtown area in the 1990s, and in 2006,&nbsp;Columbia Music Hall reopened as the centerpiece of this effort. Rather than showing movies, the historic theater reopened as a music hall. Only a year after its grand reopening, tragedy again struck as a&nbsp;2007 fire completely&nbsp;destroyed the inside of the building. Although the exterior walls were the only thing that was still standing, the owners vowed to rebuild. Unfortunately, the original music hall could not be saved following the fire and the building was&nbsp;demolished in 2008. Preservationists worked with the owners of the building to save the original&nbsp;facade and lobby, however, and the&nbsp;rest of the building was constructed around these parts of the original. The Columbia Music Arena reopened with these historic sections of the former theater and the newly-constructed theater in 2012.</div>

From the original theater's grand opening in 1910, this building has a been an important institution in Portsmouth. In the early years, the theater presented vaudeville productions, musical performances, and over time, the latest Hollywood movies. The building survived two major floods that devastated the city and surrounding communities as well as a fire. Thanks to local residents and preservationists, the building was saved and is now home to more musical entertainment with live bands and concerts being performed throughout the year.

Columbia Music Arena

<div>Ohio was a hotbed of professional football in the early twentieth century. Professional and semi-professional teams abounded. In the Ohio River Valley, semi-pro football found a home. A three-team league was formed which consisted of the Portsmouth Spartans, the Ironton Tanks, and the Ashland Armco’s.1 Teams were frequently sponsored by industries. Another team associated with Armco Steel played in Middletown, Ohio.1 Providing quality officiating was an issue. Concerns also arose about players' behavior and the game's image.2 </div><div> </div><div>Spartans football was so popular that the city supported a bond issue to construct Universal Stadium,&nbsp;a modern stadium for the team, in 1929. Scheduling rules were lax, and many NFL teams played teams from outside the league. Such was the case with the Portsmouth Spartans who played the Green Bay Packers in 1929.1 The Packers won the game, but Portsmouth’s success and following led to them being invited to join the NFL in 1930. The Green Bay Packers sponsored Portsmouth’s invitation.</div><div>Upon joining the NFL, the Spartans added players from other teams, including other semi-pro teams. Future Hall of Fame coach George “Potsy” Clark led the team. Top players included Earl “Dutch” Clark, also a Hall of Fame member, and Glen Presnell, George Christiansen, and Roy “Father” Lumpkin. Presnell led the NFL in scoring in 1933.3 The Spartans finished near the top of league standings in 1931 and 1932.</div><div> </div><div>The Portsmouth Spartans would participate in one of the NFL’s most storied games in 1932. For the first time, a playoff game was needed to determine the league championship after the Portsmouth Spartans and the Chicago Bears tied for first place. A game was scheduled to determine the champion. Because of a blizzard that hit Chicago, the game was moved indoors, to Chicago Stadium. The Bears and Cardinals had previously played a game in the stadium and that experience aided officials to negotiate special rules that accommodated a smaller field. Chicago won the game 9-0 on a disputed play.4</div><div> </div><div>Eventually, financial concerns would lead the community stockholders to sell the team to a group from Detroit in March of 1934.5 The Spartans elusive title would come to the Detroit Lions in 1935. Universal&nbsp;Stadium, later renamed Spartan Memorial Stadium, continued to host high school games. The stadium was designated as an Ohio Historical Site on October 5, 2003.6</div>

By 1934, professional sports had become something only large cities could financially support. Portsmouth, Ohio, the last small city in the National Football League (outside of Green Bay, Wisconsin) had struggled to remain viable. Beginning as a semi-pro team in 1929, the Spartans were very successful on the field. Enjoying great fan support, the team was provided a new home in 1929, Spartan Stadium. An invitation to the NFL came in 1930. On March 24, 1934, the sale of the Portsmouth Spartans to an ownership group from Detroit, Michigan was announced. With that announcement, Portsmouth’s short but proud professional football tradition ended. 

Spartan Municipal Stadium

Riverside Park opened for the first time in the summer of 1935 with the Portsmouth Pirates, an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, taking the field. The team lasted for two seasons (1935-1936) and had a record of 94-151. After the 1936 season, the team changed to the Portsmouth Redbirds and was affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals. This team became the pride of baseball in Portsmouth, and they lasted for four seasons (1937-1940) with a record of 271-244. The Redbirds were the first Portsmouth baseball team to make it to the playoffs. After the first playoff season came the second, but this time, the team made it to the Middle Atlantic League title game. The Portsmouth Redbirds won the title under the leadership of Bernhard Borgmann.Bernhard Borgmann is considered one of the Portsmouth Redbirds’ best managers. He managed the Redbirds for two seasons, leading them to the team’s only playoff appearances and their only league title. Generally, the team’s best manager is considered to be Walter Emmons Alston, who played for the Redbirds during the title season and was their last manager in the 1940 season. Once out of the minors, he managed the Dodgers and would win four World Series titles during his 23-year tenure with Brooklyn and Los Angeles. His legacy still lives on; he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on March 10, 1983. Alston was not the only baseball manager to come out of this area and end up in the Hall of Fame. The local hero, and the namesake of the park today, Branch Rickey ended up as one of baseball’s greatest general managers.  Branch Rickey was born in Stockdale, Ohio but ended up going to a local school in Lucasville, Ohio in 1899. He attended college at Ohio Wesleyan where he enjoyed playing sports. Rickey played and coached until World War I began. He then served as an officer in the U.S. Army in France where he commanded a chemical training unit that included two major league baseball players, Ty Cobb and Christy Mathewson. Rickey’s baseball legacy was cemented when he became the Brooklyn Dodgers manager. Along with winning four World Series Championships (1926, 1931, 1934, 1942) and National League pennants (1928, 1930, 1947, 1949), he was the man who signed the first African American player in the MLB. Jackie Robinson was signed in 1947, effectively breaking the color barrier in the sport. Along with breaking baseball's color barrier, Rickey was also very important in growing the game. Rickey had a keen eye for talent and wanted to put it to use. Rickey invested in purchasing two minor league baseball teams where he was able to groom talent for the big stage. By doing this, many teams felt they needed to do the same in order to keep up with the competition. Rickey's minor league teams produced hall of fame players such as Enos Slaughter and Stan Musial along with other players such as Pepper Martin, Joe Medwick, and Dizzy and Daffy Dean. All of these players were pivotal pieces in the Cardinals World Series wins. Rickey was also able to change the way players practiced and prepared. He is credited with bringing batting helmets, batting cages, and pitching machines into everyday practice for his players. He was also one of the first managers and general managers to hire a full-time statistical analysis employee to help his organizations.Rickey continued to manage the Dodgers until 1950 when an argument over how much power he had sent him to the Pittsburg Pirates. While manager of the Pirates he also made history by signing the first Latino player, Roberto Clemente. He managed the Pirates until 1955 when he retired. Branch Rickey passed away on December 9, 1965, in Columbia, Missouri at the age of 83. A year after his death in 1966, Portsmouth honored him by changing the name of Riverside Park to Branch Rickey Field. He was later elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967.   Today, the field is used by Shawnee State University, and the memory of the Redbirds is kept alive by the local Portsmouth Brewing Company with its Red Bird Ale.

In 1935, Portsmouth opened its first baseball park, Riverside Park. Two minor league teams used the field from 1935 to 1940, first the Portsmouth Pirates, then the Portsmouth Redbirds. After the team left Portsmouth, the field was then used for local games. In 1966, it was renamed for former Redbirds and Brooklynn Dodgers’ manager Branch Rickey, who signed Jackie Robinson in the 1940s. Local college Shawnee State University took control of the field in 1992 and still uses it today.

Branch Rickey Park 

A local native of Portsmouth, Ohio, John E. Williams worked for Drew-Selby Shoe Company before he decided to take what he learned&nbsp;to make his own company. In May of 1914, Williams opened a shoe factory&nbsp;on Murray Street with a workforce that quickly grew to 350 employees. The factory produced a variety of shoes including a special design that catered to the unique needs of&nbsp;Boys Scouts.&nbsp;John Williams noticed the growth of&nbsp;the Boy Scouts and offered special "scout shoes" that included a feature wherein the young men could pull the shoestring through a&nbsp;hole in a scout coin and wear the coin on their shoes. &nbsp; Three of John Williams' nephews, Forest L. Williams, Sr. and his brothers, A. Graves Williams and Paul Grant Williams,&nbsp;took inspiration from their uncle and formed Williams Manufacturing.&nbsp;During the Depression, this company grew because they were able to sell inexpensive shoes for adults and children. Area shoe companies such as Selby Shoes specialized in more expensive shoes for women and found their fortune decline. Selby closed their doors for good in 1957-a harbinger for the rest of the industry throughout Portsmouth and the Scioto Valley. Williams was the last shoe manufacturer in the region and ceased operations in 1976. Mitchell Manufacturing was created in 1902 and also specialized in making shoelaces and accessories in the region until factories overseas eclipsed domestic production.

Excelsior Shoe Factory was established in 1889 and soon became one of the most prominent employers in Portsmouth. This factory on Murray Street opened in 1914. Founded as the Excelsior Shoe Company, the business produced shoes throughout the early 20th century. The nephews of founder John E. Williams reorganized the family business and created a shoelace factory under the name Williams Manufacturing. Several other shoe factories operated in and around Portsmouth at this time and only one was eliminated by the Great Flood of 1937. In 1950, two large shoe companies-Excelsior and Shelby- accounted for about one-eighth of Portsmouth’s total workforce. 

A flood of foreign competition left a more lasting mark on the industry than the river floods that temporarily stymied production. Foreign competition led to the closure of the shoe factories although this building was still in use thanks to Mitchell Manufacturing which survived by focusing on the production of shoelaces in multi-packs under the name Mitchellace. Although the region was once home to many shoe factories, this former Excelsior Shoe Factory building is home to the only surviving company. Sole Choice is one of the last remaining American companies to manufacture shoe-related products. Perhaps a fitting metaphor for an industry that once employed thousands in the area, Sole Choice operates out of a small portion of the former Excelsior factory. 

Excelsior Shoe Factory (Sole Choice)

After numerous conversations and informal meetings, a group of interested persons met on August 24, 1948 to discuss the idea of creating a community theater. The organization elected officers and solicited memberships with each contributing member subscribing at a cost of five dollars. The organization officially incorporated on&nbsp;September 8, 1948 with about a hundred members.&nbsp;Barbara Robinson was selected to be a director for the first performance, a production of “My Sister Eileen" at the Portsmouth High School Auditorium.The set for the first play was built in the garages of volunteers who brought each part to&nbsp;the high school. Portsmouth High School's auditorium became the home for the community theater company for several years while the organization raised funds. When&nbsp;Doc Metro’s Strand movie house on Lawson was offered for&nbsp;sale,&nbsp;Portsmouth Little Theatre (newly formed non-profit organization) purchased the building. The first production of this theater in the Lawson Street location was “Dirty Work at the Crossroads." From that time to the present, this building served as the home of Portsmouth Little Theatre, which has brought&nbsp;over six decades of live entertainment to the residents of the region.&nbsp;

The organization is still a non-profit operated entirely by volunteers. Though the building is old, the organization has worked to preserve the structure and the community has sustained the organization through a variety of fundraisers in addition to attending events.&nbsp;

A member of the Ohio Community Theatre Organization (OCTA), this local volunteer-run theater company has produced and directed hundreds of plays and events over the past seven decades. The organization dates back to the post-World War II era when area residents formed a theater company and performed plays and musicals at the local high school before acquiring this former movie house. Portsmouth Little Theatre offers shows throughout the year that are produced by volunteer directors and actors, and the organization is sustained by donations and ticket sales. 

Portsmouth Little Theatre

The 1810 House is believed to be one of the last ones standing in Ohio from this time period. Descendants of the Kinney family still live in the area; some continue to visit and donate family artifacts for the museum’s collection. The 1810 House started as a log cabin when the Kinneys first arrived, and renovations were made to the building up until the 1900s. The museum today contains many of the family’s belongings, including outfits, dolls, paintings, old kettles, and wagon wheels. The pioneer days have not been very well preserved, making the 1810 House very unique. It is built mainly from walnut and oak logs, along with cement, brick, and clay from the ponds that were nearby. The bricks were hand-pressed by builders in the 1800s. Whenever the house had its last resident, it had no running water, an outhouse, lanterns for light, and slight vandalism from abandonment. The original structure had only four rooms and a latchstring door, along with spiral stairways. These characteristics of the 1810 House made it the perfect target for preservance, renovation, and the classic "pioneer" look that made the structure special. With the artifacts, the interesting build of the house, and the family history, the 1810 House has everything that a historian would admire in present-day time. The 1810 House has been opened to the public as a museum since the 1970s. Volunteers managing the house have done many fundraising activities for funding to keep the building and its history alive. Memberships are available to the public to help with funding.

Aaron Kinney and Mary Clingman settled into this home in 1804 after moving here from Pennsylvania. The 1810 House is currently owned and operated by the Scioto County Historical Society after the death of Kinney's granddaughter in 1946. She was the last resident of the 1810 house before the house turned into a museum. The Kinneys were a very well-known family in Portsmouth, Ohio, and volunteers at the house strive to keep their legacy lasting forever. The museum contains many artifacts that are over 200 years old, one artifact specifically dating back to the 17th century. The 1810 House is open to tours on a regular basis.

1810 House and Museum

The Kinney family originally came to Portsmouth, Ohio from Pennsylvania in the year 1804. Aaron Kinney and his wife Mary were both wealthy landowners, who ended up giving birth thirteen children, twelve of which lived into adulthood. These twelve children went on to become key leaders and citizens within the Portsmouth Community, becoming local government officials, bankers, businessmen, and river transportation workers. The Kinney family was so influential in Portsmouth's development, that a central road was named in their honor. In addition to their cemetery, the original Kinney Homestead that was home to Aaron and Mary Kinney has been converted into a museum that preserves the history of Southern Ohio known as the 1810 House. That homestead is located just down the road from the cemetery. On a deed dated October 18, 1839, Aaron and Mary gave the land that would later become the Kinney-Briggs Cemetery to their three sons Washington, Eli, and Peter before passing almost 10 years later. At the time the land cost only $1.00, which would be equal to about $30.00 today. Other influential members of Portsmouth's Community are also buried within the Kinney Family's Cemetery. One such individual is Major Uriah Barber. Born on January 2, 1761, Uriah Barber fought in the revolutionary war on the side of the patriots and achieved high ranks. He landed on the Little Scioto River in 1796, and is credited to have built the first log cabin in Portsmouth. This cabin later became the Old National hotel in 1803. After the war, Major Uriah Barber settled down in Portsmouth and was the earliest County Coroner in the city's records. He died June 26, 1846 after the city received a surprise attack from the Scioto Tribe of Native Americans.Other veterans buried in the cemetery include John Clingman, who fought alongside Barber in the Revolutionary War, as well as Henry Hall and Samuel Ross who fought in the Mexican-American war. Respectively, their families including their wives and children, have also been buried at the Kinney-Briggs Cemetery. Despite the significance of this burial ground to the history of Portsmouth, the cemetery spent years unmaintained and and after over a century, the Kinney-Briggs cemetery was completely overgrown and disappeared from the historic memory of the city. However, in 1991 a group of local neighborhood children discovered the gravestones when they were playing in the woods. "We noticed a tree had fallen down, and as we were playing on it we saw that it had landed on a brick wall," recounted Erin Isaac, one of those children, "My brothers Matt, Adam, and I went through and investigated, finding overturned gravestones. The entire cemetery was completely overgrown. Our summer project became cleaning up that cemetery, and trying to find out someone who could help us." The family members helped to clear and clean up the cemetery to the best of their ability, and years later the local Historical Society was able to take over and maintain the grounds.The cemetery remains in need of restoration, and some of the tombstones are completely illegible after spending one hundred years neglected.

With internments dating back to the early 19th century, the Kinney-Briggs Cemetery serves as the final resting place for many of the earliest settlers in Portsmouth. Among those interned here are officers and soldiers from the nation's earliest wars, the first settlers in the Ohio River Valley, and members of the Kinney family whose homestead now serves as a local history museum. Due to the poor maintenance and record-keeping, this important landmark was nearly lost to history as it was completely overgrown and forgotten. However, the cemetery was rediscovered in the 1990s by a group of local children playing out in the woods. Starting with those children, efforts were taken to clear the cemetery and local historians and preservationists have worked to study the history of those interred here and preserve the integrity of the tombstones. 

Portsmouth Ohio History Driving Tour

Southern Ohio Museum

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information