Portsmouth, New Hampshire (est. 1623)
I love this old-time photo of the little guy up there on top of that pole waving his hat in his right hand while looking out over Market Square in my hometown, Portsmouth. Fun fact: The left side of that building is where my family opened up a children’s store called G.Willikers! back in 1978 and where I built my rooftop condo 20 years later.
Our family store, a beloved local institution, was born the same year as the first Market Square Day, an event meant to celebrate the revitalization of Market Square, Portsmouth’s annual street festival. When the 40th Market Square Day rolled around in 2017, a former colleague at the Portsmouth Herald asked me to write a piece about the past 40 years of Portsmouth history.
Of course, you can’t write about 40 years of this town’s history without also traveling a little further back in time. The article turned out to be one of my favorite stories ever, so I am posting it here — along with some other fun writing about our historic little city by the Piscataqua River.
History on the march in Market Square
Do you hear that bell?
Hidden behind the clock on the North Church steeple, for over a century and a half, it has kept time — and marked the passage of history — in the heart of Market Square. …
In a city settled nearly four centuries ago, a mere 40 years can flash by in what seems like an instant.
Bicycle Time Traveler
1889
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Dateline 1889. One thing I adore about this little burg we call Portsmouth is that we love to blur the lines between present and past.
And what better way to time travel on a warm November day than perched atop a contraption whose front wheel stands no less than 4 feet tall and whose back wheel is a sporty 17 inches? Oh, did I mention my old-fashioned high-wheeler no brakes?
