There are places in Portsmouth where the past meets the present. Bristol Ferry Common is one of those places. To find it you must go to the end of Bristol Ferry Road where it intersects Bayview Avenue. The Bristol Ferry Town Common was established on March 12, 1714 by the Portsmouth Town Committee to be used by farmers and others to keep their livestock and other goods while waiting for the ferry to Bristol. Over the years the Town of Portsmouth has had to struggle to maintain its hold on this land as abutters have tried to absorb it. The Bristol Ferry Town Common Committee works to preserve it today. There is a lovely bench in the area of the Common where you can sit and contemplate its past as the transportation hub of the island. Ferries, trains, trolleys, schooners all met here at the end of Bristol Ferry Road.

  • Sarah Eddy photo from Town Common circa 1910