| Portsmouth, Ohio | |||
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| — City — | |||
| A view of Market Street Plaza in Historic Boneyfiddle | |||
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| Nickname(s): P-Town | |||
| Motto: "Where Southern Hospitality Begins" | |||
| Location in the State of Ohio | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Ohio | ||
| County | Scioto | ||
| Founded | 1803 | ||
| Incorporated | 1815 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | David Malone | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 11.1 sq mi (28.6 km2) | ||
| • Land | 10.8 sq mi (27.9 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.3 sq mi (0.8 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 533 ft (162 m) | ||
| Population (2010) | |||
| • Total | 20,226 | ||
| • Density | 1,941.4/sq mi (749.6/km2) | ||
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP codes | 45662-45663 | ||
| Area code(s) | 740 | ||
| FIPS code | 39-64304[1] | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 1061567[2] | ||
| Website | www.portsmouthoh.org | ||
Portsmouth is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Scioto County. The municipality is located on the northern banks of the Ohio River and east of the Scioto River in Southern Ohio. The population was 20,226 at the 2010 census.
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Portsmouth's roots began in the 1790s when the small town of Alexandria was founded just west of where Portsmouth is today.[3] Alexandria was flooded numerous times by the Ohio River and the Scioto River. In 1803, Henry Massie spotted a place to move the town away from the flood plains. He began to plot the new city by distributing the land and mapping the streets. Portsmouth was founded in 1803 and was established as a city in 1815. Alexandria soon disappeared. Portsmouth quickly grew around an industrial base with the completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal,[4] and the construction of the N&W railyards and the B&O junction. This greatly benefited Boneyfiddle (which is a west-end neighborhood in Portsmouth), where grand buildings were constructed with the wealth from the commerce. As time passed, much of the commerce began to move towards Chillicothe Street, which is still today the main thoroughfare of Portsmouth. While Boneyfiddle is receiving new life, it is a shadow of its former self. Another notable part of Portsmouth's history in the 19th century was its importance on the Underground Railroad. It was located on a route that continued north to Detroit and into Canada.[5]
By 1950, the population hit its peak of approximately 37,000. Foreign competition eventually caused most of the industry on which Portsmouth's economy was based to move out of the area. A major blow came in 1980 when the steel industry suspended local operations. With a current population of approximately 20,000, the city is not far removed from many small cities along the Ohio River valley, sharing many of the same problems in an era of unskilled labor outsourcing and population migration to more urban areas with the subsequent loss of both skilled and unskilled labor.
| “ | We have a very high addiction rates in addition to the death rates. A lot of young people are addicted. Our treatment facilities are overwhelmed. The court systems are overwhelmed. | ” |
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—-Lisa Roberts, registered nurse with the Portsmouth City Health Department[6] |
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Since the late 1990s an epidemic of prescription drug abuse has swept the town and surrounding areas.[7] It has caused a dramatic increase in Hepatitis C cases,[8] drug related deaths,[9] robberies,[10][11][12] murder,[13] and an increased incidence of children born addicted to prescription drugs.[7] The most prevalent drug is OxyContin, a synthetic opiate originally developed as a cancer drug, known colloquially as oxys and hillbilly heroin (because of the drugs association with Appalachian areas of Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia).[14] The crisis is blamed on the proliferation of cash-only pain clinics, known as "pill mills" by locals. According to authorities there are as many as eight of the clinics in Scioto County alone,[9] the largest concentration of such operations per capita in any of Ohio's counties.[15] The clinics began opening up in the late 1990s, after state legislators passed a law stating that doctors could not be prosecuted for prescribing painkillers as long as they had examined and documented that a patient was in intractable pain and needed the medication.[16] The slightly more than half a dozen pain clinics dispense nearly 35 million pills a year,[7] or according to 2008 state pharmacy board statistics roughly 460 pills for every resident in a county of 76,000 people.[17] The geographic location has played a role in the size of the problem. Because it sits at the junction of three states and on the routes of several north-south and east-west highways, Portsmouth has become a distribution point for more than just the local area. The separate state jurisdictions do not track prescriptions amongst themselves which makes it harder to tell where the prescriptions are going. Also generations of poverty have helped to create an underground economy which lends itself to the distribution of illegal substances.[17] As of spring 2011 the county has had more than 120 drug related deaths over the preceding decade,[7] and in 2009 had the second-highest death rate in the state from accidental drug overdoses, even though it is sparsely populated compared to the urban population centers of the state.[18] According to Lisa Roberts, a registered nurse with the Portsmouth City Health Department, on top of the high death rates, Southern Ohio also distributes four times as many prescription drugs as Northern Ohio.[6] Local deaths from a lethal drug combination of opiates, sedatives and muscle relaxants are so common that locals have dubbed it the Portsmouth Cocktail.[7] Admissions into rehab facilities for painkiller addictions in the town are five times the national average.[19] Almost one in 10 infants born in Scioto County in recent years has been addicted to prescription drugs.[19] Because of the extent of the problem, the Drug Enforcement Administration has listed Scioto County on its watch list of the 10 most-significant places in the country for trafficking in prescription drugs.[9] In February 2011 a film crew from NBC Universal was in town filming for the cable television show Intervention on A&E.[20] On April 11, 2011 the show aired as a special episode Intervention In-Depth: Hillbilly Heroin, and dealt with the effects of prescription drug abuse on residents of the town and surrounding area.[21]
In 2007 Paul Volkman, a doctor from Chicago who had worked at a pain clinic in Portsmouth since 2003, was indicted. He went to trial in February 2011 at the federal court in Cincinnati.[22] Volkman was convicted of 18 counts of illegal prescription drug distribution, and was found guilty in connection with the deaths of four of his patients, although he is suspected of causing almost 20 deaths. He faces from 20 years to life in prison.[23]
In 2011 the DEA and state and local law enforcement agencies began to crack down on the problem in the area. On May 17, 2011 the DEA served Immediate Suspension Orders (suspension of their license to practice medicine) on 4 local doctors and pharmacy in Scioto County, including Dr. Margy Temponeras. In a press release about the situation, the DEA described Temponeras as one of the largest dispensers of controlled substances in the US.[24]
| “ | Nationally, prescription drug abuse is one of our largest substance abuse problems, and in southern Ohio abuse of pharmaceuticals has reached almost epidemic proportions. Doctors that prescribe dangerous drugs, for reasons not driven by medical need, are a danger to the community. The actions taken today illustrate that DEA is committed to work with our law enforcement partners and attack this problem head on. | ” |
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—-Robert Corso, DEA Special Agent in Charge[24] |
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The DEA also served ISOs on 3 other doctors, John Temponeras, Mark Fantazuzzi, and Michael Dawes and a pharmacy, Prime Pharmacy, located at 902 Fourth Street in Portsmouth.[24] The ISOs were issued by the DEA after a preliminary finding determined that the continued registration of the doctors and pharmacy constituted an imminent danger to public health and safety. They prohibit the parties from possessing or dispensing controlled substances, pending the outcome of ongoing investigations.[25] As a result of the ISO, Dr. John Temponeras resigned from his position at the Southern Ohio Medical Center.[26]
On May 17, 2011 the Ohio Senate unanimously (30-0) passed House Bill 93 which deals with the regulation of pain clinics. The legislation calls for a performance analysis of the Ohio Automated Rx Review System, limits the ability of prescribers to personally furnish controlled substances, reforms Medicaid provisions to improve consumer education, improves licensing and law enforcement issues related to pain-management clinics and calls for the development of a statewide prescription drug "take-back" program.[27] The amended bill was returned to the Ohio House where the Senates changes were voted upon and the amended bill was signed into law by Governor John Kasich Friday May 20, 2011.[28]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 4,011 |
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| 1860 | 6,268 | 56.3% | |
| 1870 | 10,592 | 69.0% | |
| 1880 | 11,321 | 6.9% | |
| 1890 | 12,394 | 9.5% | |
| 1900 | 17,870 | 44.2% | |
| 1910 | 23,481 | 31.4% | |
| 1920 | 33,011 | 40.6% | |
| 1930 | 42,560 | 28.9% | |
| 1940 | 40,466 | −4.9% | |
| 1950 | 36,798 | −9.1% | |
| 1960 | 33,637 | −8.6% | |
| 1970 | 27,633 | −17.8% | |
| 1980 | 25,993 | −5.9% | |
| 1990 | 22,676 | −12.8% | |
| 2000 | 20,909 | −7.8% | |
| 2010 | 20,226 | −3.3% | |
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 20,909 people, 9,120 households, and 5,216 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,941.4 people per square mile (749.6/km²). There were 10,248 housing units at an average density of 951.5 per square mile (367.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.50% White, 5.00% African American, 0.63% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population. There were 9,120 households out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.9% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.8% were non-families. 37.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.87. In the city the population was spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 83.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $23,004, and the median income for a family was $31,237. Males had a median income of $31,521 versus $20,896 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,078. About 18.3% of families and 23.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.1% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.
Portsmouth is at the confluence of the Ohio, Scioto, and Little Scioto Rivers. Portsmouth is also a midway point between four major cities: Charleston, Cincinnati, Lexington and Columbus, all of which are approximately ninety miles away (roughly a two hour drive). Much of the terrain is quite hilly due to dissected plateau around it. However, both rivers carve a river valley, making Portsmouth nestle between the Scioto and Ohio Rivers.
The city charter was originally adopted on November 6, 1928. The city conducts business at their city hall which was constructed in 1935. City council meetings are held during the second and fourth weeks in the month. The city reverted from being run by a city manager to a mayor in 1988. The mayor is elected every four years. There are six wards in the city with elections of the wards every two years. The city also has a long history of recalls for elected officials, such as the mayor recall in 2004. Most recently, the city's first female mayor was recalled on December 7, 2010.
| Ward | City Councillor |
|---|---|
| First Ward | Kevin Johnson |
| Second Ward | Rich Saddler |
| Third Ward | Nicholas R. Basham |
| Fourth Ward | Jerrold Albrecht |
| Fifth Ward | John Haas |
| Sixth Ward | Richard Noel |
Portsmouth is the county seat for Scioto County. The courthouse is located at the corner of Sixth and Court Streets and was constructed in 1936. The county jail, once located in the courthouse, is now located in a new facility in the same location where the Norfolk and Western rail depot used to stand near U.S. 23. It was constructed in 2006.
Portsmouth was a city focused on industry and manufacturing until the 1970s, when a number of companies closed down their factories over labor issues and foreign influences. Since the closure of these factories, Portsmouth has suffered a loss of jobs and revenue. The city is currently trying to promote service businesses, with the Southern Ohio Medical Center currently being the biggest employer in the city of Portsmouth. Portsmouth is also home to the newest state university in Ohio, Shawnee State University. Shawnee State enrolls between 3,300 and 4,000 students, and grants Associate and Baccalaureate degrees. The school also issues a very limited number of Master’s Degrees. Much of the recent economic growth and change is based on service to SOMC and Shawnee State University.
In November 2002, the Portsmouth Uranium Enrichment Plant in nearby Piketon, Ohio was recognized as an ANS Nuclear Historic Landmark by the American Nuclear Society. It had served a military function from 1952 until the mid-1960s when the mission changed from enriching uranium for nuclear weapons to one focused on producing fuel for commercial nuclear power plants. The Portsmouth Uranium Enrichment Plant ended enriching operations in 2001 and began to support operational and administrative functions and perform external contract work. All uranium enrichment in the area has been taken over by a sister plant located in Paducah, Kentucky. Uranium enrichment functions had previously been shared by the two plants. USEC interests in the area remain strong with the American Centrifuge Plant under construction in Piketon. This commercial uranium enrichment facility is expected to employ up to 500 people and reach an initial annual production level of 3.8 million SWU by 2012.[30]
Graf Brothers Flooring and Lumber, the world's largest manufacturer of rift and quartered oak products, has two satellite log yards in Portsmouth, with the company's main office being located across the river in South Shore, Kentucky. Portsmouth is also the home of Mitchellace Inc., the largest manufacturer of shoelaces in the world.
Portsmouth is served by two major U.S. Routes: 23 and 52. Other significant roads include Ohio State Routes 73, 104, 139, 140, and 335. The nearest Interstate highway is I-64.
Norfolk Southern offers a railyard for long distance shipping and is currently reopening the repair shops. Amtrak offers passenger service to the Portsmouth area under the Cardinal route between New York City and Chicago. The passenger station is located in South Shore, Kentucky across the Ohio River. This is an unmanned station so tickets must be purchased online or if the train stops from the conductor.
Portsmouth also offers air services with the Greater Portsmouth Regional Airport (PMH) located in Minford, Ohio, which is approximately 12 miles (19 km) northeast of the city on State Route 335.
Public transportation for Portsmouth and its outlying areas is offered through Access Scioto County (ASC).[31]
Portsmouth used to be home to Ohio University Southern Campus; however, it moved to Ironton (Lawrence County) in the early 1980s. The former Ohio University buildings became home to Shawnee State Community College, which in 1986, through the diligent efforts of then Ohio House Speaker Vern Riffe became Shawnee State University, Ohio's thirteenth and newest institution.
Portsmouth has one public and one private school system. The Portsmouth City School District has served the city since its founding in the 1830s and is the public school in the city. Portsmouth City School District is notable having a storied basketball tradition by winning four OSHAA State Basketball Championships in 1931, 1961, 1978, and 1988.[32] The Trojan basketball team has made 13 final four appearances, they are 1925, 1926, 1927, 1929, 1931 (1st), 1934 (2nd), 1939, 1941, 1961 (1st), 1978 (1st), 1980 (2nd), 1988 (1st), & 1990 (2nd.[33] The Trojan football team has also produced some notable teams as of late with the an Associated Press Division 3 State Champions in 2000, a regional title, and state semifinal appearance in 2000, and finishing as regional runner up in both 2001, and 2002. In all the Trojans football team has sent 5 teams to the post season since 2000, as of the start of the 2009 season.[34][35] In 2000, Portsmouth voters passed a much needed school bond issue, which helped construct new schools for the district. The new schools opened for the 2006-2007 school year. These schools won the Grand Prize from School Planning & Management's 2007 Education Design Showcase. The award is awarded annually to the K-12 school that displays "excellence in design and functional planning directed toward meeting the needs of the educational program."[36][37] In addition, the school system plans to build a new $10 million athletic complex.[38] Portsmouth High School has an award winning Interactive Media program that has won multiple awards for both video and graphic design. The class is under the direction of Chris Cole and the students run the local cable station TNN CH25.
In 2009 the school system completed construction on a new $10 million athletic complex. The 25-acre (100,000 m2) Clark Athletic Complex[39] has a new football field, baseball field, softball field, tennis courts, and track.[38] The complex is named for Clyde and Maycel Clark of the Clark Foundation, major financial contributors for the construction of the facility.[40] The new complex, situated on the location of the former high school building and across the street from the current high school, also sports three new paintings by mural artist Herb Roe, a 1992 Portsmouth High School alumni.[41] The murals depict three of the sports played at the new facility, a baseball game, a tennis match, and a football game.
Notre Dame (Catholic) Schools(formerly Portsmouth Central Catholic HS) have served the city's Roman Catholics and others since 1852. It is also notable for its football team founded in 1929. It has won two state championships in 1967 and 1970.[32]
Many historical buildings in Portsmouth have been demolished because of poor upkeep, other city improvements, or the completion of other buildings that replaced the landmarks. Landmarks that have been demolished include the old Norfolk & Western rail depot, churches dating back to the early 20th century, houses that dated back to the 1850s, Grant Middle School, and currently the old Portsmouth High School and various elementary schools. Nevertheless, there are many buildings still standing in the city that date back to the early 19th century. Old churches still stand as a reminder of Portsmouth's past and identity. Along with the Columbia Theater, which was given a major facelift (the building has since been destroyed in a fire),[42][43][44] other buildings include the old monastery, which can be seen for miles, Spartan Stadium, and numerous buildings in the Boneyfiddle Historic District, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Also A Notable Landmark Is Patsy's Inn Restaurant which has been In operation On Clay Street since 1948. In 1982, students from Miami University conducted research on several of Portsmouth's most important historic buildings. This work resulted in an exhibition at the Miami University Art Museum and a book entitled Portsmouth: Architecture in an Ohio River Town.[45] See also List of Registered Historic Places in Ohio, Scioto County Portsmouth Public Library, the city's only public library, was founded in 1879; it has branch libraries throughout Scioto County. The Southern Ohio Museum, founded in 1979, has over sixty exhibits on display including artwork by Clarence Holbrook Carter and Jesse Stuart, China dolls, Native American artifacts, and works by local artists.
The Indian Head Rock is an eight-ton sandstone boulder which until recently resided in the bottom of the Ohio River. The removal of the rock, which is now housed in a Portsmouth municipal building, has led the states of Kentucky and Ohio into a legislative battle to determine its ownership and disposition.[46] The rock has now been returned to the state of Kentucky.
Portsmouth has fourteen parks for its residents and community use. These parks include Alexandria Park (Ohio and Scioto River confluence), Bannon Park (near Farley Square), Branch Rickey Park (on Williams Street near levee), Buckeye Park (near Branch Rickey Park), Cyndee Secrest Park (Sciotoville), Dr. Hartlage Park (Rose Street in Sciotoville), Labold Park (near Spartan Stadium), Larry Hisle Park (23rd Street & Thomas Ave.), Mound Park (17th & Hutchins Streets), York Park (riverfront), Spartan Stadium, Tracy Park (Chillicothe & Gay Streets), and Weghorst Park (Fourth & Jefferson Streets).[47]
Even though the city was on higher ground, it was still prone to flooding. The city had great deal of flooding in 1884, 1913, and 1937. After the flood of 1937, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed a floodwall protecting the city, which prevented two major floods in 1964 and 1997. In 1992, the city of Portsmouth began honoring some of the many accomplishments of its area natives by placing a star on the riverside of the floodwall, known as the Portsmouth Wall of Fame and instituted by then mayor Frank Gerlach. Some of the honorees include Don Gullett, Al Oliver, and former United States Vice-President Dan Quayle, who was not a Portsmouth native.[48]
In 1992 a nonprofit group headed by Dr. Louis R. Chaboudy was formed to investigate a mural based tourist attraction on the floodwall. In the spring of 1993, mural artist Robert Dafford was commissioned and began painting murals of Portsmouth's history. He hired local art student Herb Roe as an assistant. Roe subsequently apprenticed to and worked for Dafford for 15 years.[49] The project eventually spanned sixty 20 feet (6.1 m) tall consecutive Portsmouth murals, stretching for over 2,000 feet (610 m).[50] Subjects covered by the murals span the history of the area from the ancient mound building Adena and Hopewell cultures to modern sporting events and notable natives. These subjects include:
The original mural project was finished in the fall of 2003. 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 tour between Columbus and Portsmouth in 2007.[51]
Portsmouth had a series of semi-pro football teams in the 1920s and 1930s, the most notable being the Portsmouth Shoe-Steels, whose roster included player-coach Jim Thorpe. From 1929 to 1933, the city was home to the Portsmouth Spartans, which joined the National Football League in 1930. The Spartans competed in the first professional football night game, against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1930.[52][53] Despite their success, the team could not survive in the NFL's second smallest city in the depths of the Great Depression; it was sold and moved to Detroit in 1934, where it survives today as the Detroit Lions. The Portsmouth Explorers were one of the original teams in the Frontier League, a non-affiliated minor league baseball organization. The Explorers played in the league's first three seasons, from 1993 to 1995. In 1938, Portsmouth was also the home of the Portsmouth Red Birds, a minor league team owned by the St. Louis Cardinals. In the late 1990s Portsmouth was home to the Superstar Wrestling Federation before its demise. More recently Revolutionary Championship Wrestling has made its home in Portsmouth airing on local TV station WQCW. Revolutionary Championship Wrestling in Portsmouth has featured such wrestling stars as Big Van Vader, Jerry "The King" Lawler, Demolition Ax, "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton, "Wildcat" Chris Harris, and Ivan Koloff.
Portsmouth is a dividing line of numerous television markets, which includes the Columbus, Cincinnati, and Huntington-Charleston markets. There are two local television stations in Portsmouth which are WTZP - The Zone which is an America One affiliate that focuses on adding local programming such as news, local events, high school sports and locally produced shows & WQCW, a CW affiliate. Portsmouth is also served by the local PBS station, WPBO, which is a WOSU Columbus extension. Local radio stations WIOI, WNXT, WNKE, WZZZ, WOSP-FM and WHRR-LP serve the radio listeners in the city. Portsmouth is also served by three newspapers. The Portsmouth Daily Times[54] is the city's only daily newspaper. The Community Common[55] is a free biweekly newspaper and the Scioto Voice[56] is a weekly newspaper, which is mailed to subscribers. The University Chronicle[57] is the student-led newspaper at Shawnee State University.
Portsmouth has three sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:
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