[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 129 (Wednesday, July 26, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3617-S3618]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             400TH ANNIVERSARY OF PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE

 Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the city of 
Portsmouth, NH, on the 400th anniversary of its first European 
settlement.
  Historians trace Portsmouth's earliest New World beginnings to the 
1623 arrival of David Thomson. With a 6,000-acre land patent in hand 
from the Council for New England, David and his wife Amias Cole Thomson 
stepped ashore and constructed a settlement known as Pannaway 
Plantation. The name is thought to mean ``place where the water spreads 
out'' in the language of the Abenaki, one of the many Tribes that 
inhabited, hunted, and farmed the land and fished local waters long 
before the Thomsons arrived in Little Harbor. Pannaway found success as 
a fishing outpost; however, the Thomsons and their crew left for 
another settlement in Boston Harbor just a few short years later. A new 
group of settlers directed by Captain John Mason and led by Captain 
Walter Neale would return in 1630 and establish a colony along the 
Piscataqua River known as Strawbery Banke. The port facilitated trade 
that served fishing, lumber, and shipbuilding interests. It was 
officially incorporated as the town of Portsmouth in 1653, an homage to 
the English town in Hampshire County where Captain Mason lived.
  In these early years, Portsmouth rose to prominence as a major center 
for commerce and government. It was the colonial capital of New 
Hampshire, and its dwellings housed wealthy merchants as well as 
hunters, trappers, fishermen, shipbuilders, and other skilled crafters. 
Portsmouth also played a pivotal role in our country's fight for 
independence. Four months before shots were fired in Lexington and 
Concord, a group of local men captured Fort William and Mary, a 
military post that guarded access to the waters of Portsmouth Harbor 
and the Piscataqua River, and distributed its gunpowder to towns around 
the colony. Many historians consider the raid as one of the first acts 
of overt defiance in the American Revolution.
  The new Nation also relied on Portsmouth's expertise in shipbuilding 
to build vessels for the Continental Navy. Captain John Paul Jones 
lived in Portsmouth while supervising construction of the USS Ranger. 
The first ship to fly the American flag into battle, the USS Raleigh 
was built on nearby Badger's Island. The Raleigh is proudly depicted on 
New Hampshire's State flag and the Great Seal of the State of New 
Hampshire.
  The area's rich heritage of shipbuilding as well as the deep, ice-
free waters of Portsmouth Harbor made it an ideal location for a 
Federal navy yard. In 1800, President John Adams established the 
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. It is the U.S. Navy's oldest continuously 
operating shipyard in the country, and its current workforce is 
responsible for overhauling and repairing America's modern submarine 
fleet. In the early 20th century, the shipyard and the city welcomed 
delegates from Russia and Japan to negotiate an end to the countries' 
year-and-a-half-long conflict. They arrived in Portsmouth in August 
1905 at the suggestion of President Theodore Roosevelt, who received a 
Nobel Prize for his efforts to broker an end to the Russo-Japanese War. 
In Portsmouth, President Roosevelt could count on both the naval 
shipyard to observe diplomatic protocols and the people of the city to 
act as gracious hosts to both delegations. The friendly, relaxed 
environment proved conducive to securing the first international treaty 
to be signed on U.S. soil and an agreement that set the tone for 
Pacific relations in the century to follow.
  Portsmouth has witnessed so much since its first European settlement, 
and city residents understand the social, cultural, and economic 
benefits of preserving and celebrating this history. Its charming 
downtown retains and blends four centuries of unique buildings, 
architecture, landmarks, and community spaces, including the 1695 
Sherburne House at Strawbery Banke Museum, the 1716 Warner House, the 
1784 Governor John Langdon House, the 1855 reconstruction of the iconic 
North Church, the 1878 rebuilding of the Music Hall, and 1954 creation 
of Prescott Park. Efforts to sustain these treasures and more have 
positioned the city as a popular heritage tourism destination with a 
thriving arts and culture scene, boutique shops, and a variety of local 
restaurants and cafes. They have also reinvigorated a sense of 
community among Portsmouth residents by bringing to light their shared 
history and the city's distinct local character.
  Within these efforts, city residents devote special attention to 
giving voice to the generations of people who contributed to 
Portsmouth's long, complex story with little or no recognition in 
previous town histories. They carefully consider and pay respect to the 
Native Tribes--the Abenaki, the Pennacook, the Wabanaki peoples, and 
more--who inhabited the area for thousands of years prior to European 
contact. Local museums share the experiences and perspectives of 
immigrants across the centuries who were drawn to Portsmouth with 
prospects for a better life. The city is home to the Black Heritage 
Trail of New Hampshire, an organization that strives to build 
communities that are more inclusive by promoting awareness and 
appreciation of African-American history, as well as the Portsmouth 
African Burying Ground. After years of discussion and deliberation by a 
city-organized committee, the 18th

[[Page S3618]]

century gravesite was rededicated in 2015 as a park titled ``We Stand 
In Honor of Those Forgotten.'' The site is now a sobering memorial that 
encourages reflection on the full, unvarnished history of the region.
  Around the 300th anniversary of its first European settlement, the 
city of Portsmouth worked alongside the local chamber of commerce to 
create a new slogan that would attract new industry and accentuate the 
high quality of life for residents of the community. They settled on 
``The City of the Open Door,'' an expression that conveys optimism and 
invites people of every faith, every culture, and every background to 
the city to help write the next memorable chapter of Portsmouth's long 
and impressive story. City residents continue to exemplify this ethos a 
full century later. I congratulate the city of Portsmouth on this 
important milestone and wish the community all the best as it 
celebrates its past and looks forward to its bright future.

                          ____________________