Portsmouth has a unique history and we are fortunate to have historical landscapes that remind us of our history. It is import for us to preserve and enjoy these landscapes that are town owned. I am working on a driving guide for these places, so my next few blogs will focus on them.

Town Pond.

The Town Pond area was important to the early settlers of Portsmouth. They landed near the area in 1638 when they first settled the area. The pond allowed entry to the settlement area from Narragansett Bay and it was close to a brook for drinkable water and a cove for entry to the Sakonnet River.  It was a salt (tidal pond) until 1949. At that time it was filled with dredged material and became a mudflat. With the help of Senator John Chafee, Congress authorized a “Narragansett Bay Ecosystem Restoration Study” that included restoration of the pond. The work of restoring the pond took 3 years (2005 to 2008).

Location: There is a parking lot off of Anthony Road near Boyd’s Lane.

Activities: You can walk along the pond to the shore. There are beautiful views for photography around the railroad bridge. You might imagine what the pond looked like in colonial days.