Portsmouth, Ohio Portsmouth, Ohio Location in the state of Ohio Location in the state of Ohio Location of Portsmouth in Scioto County Location of Portsmouth in Scioto County Portsmouth is a town/city in and the governmental center of county of Scioto County, Ohio, United States. It lies in far southern Ohio, just east of the mouth of the Scioto River at the Ohio River, and athwart from Kentucky.
Portsmouth's European-American roots date to the 1790s, when the small town of Alexandria was established west of Portsmouth's site. Alexandria was flooded various times by the Ohio and the Scioto rivers, especially in a massive flood in January and February 1937.
Portsmouth was established in 1803 and was established as a town/city in 1815.
Portsmouth quickly interval around an industrialized base due to its locale at the confluence of the Ohio and Scioto rivers; early industrialized growth encompassed having meat packing and shipping facilities for Thomas Worthington's Chillicothe farm, positioned north of Portsmouth on the Scioto River.
Portsmouth expansion continued with the culmination of the Ohio and Erie Canal, which provided access to the Great Lakes, opening up northern markets.
By the end of the 19th century, Portsmouth became one of the most meaningful cities on the Ohio River between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.
By 1916, Portsmouth was listed as being a primary industrial and jobbing center, with it being the fourth-largest shoe manufacturing center in the nation and the biggest manufacturer of fire and paving bricks in the United States.
As time passed, much of the commerce began to move towards Chillicothe Street, which is still today the chief thoroughfare of Portsmouth.
Another notable part of Portsmouth's history in the 19th century was its importance on the Underground Railroad.
Foreign competition and industrialized revamping resulted in most of the industrialized jobs on which Portsmouth's economy was based moving out of the area.
-Lisa Roberts, registered nurse with the Portsmouth City Health Department (2010) Since the late 1990s and enigma of unemployment, an epidemic of prescription drug abuse has swept the town and encircling areas. It has caused a dramatic increase in Hepatitis C cases in the county, drug-related deaths, robberies, murder, and an increased incidence of kids born addicted to prescription drugs. The most prevalent drug is Oxy - Contin, a synthetic opiate originally advanced 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). According to authorities, there are eight such clinics in Scioto County alone, the biggest concentration of such operations per capita in any of Ohio's counties. The clinics began opening 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. The slightly more than half a dozen pain clinics dispense nearly 35 million pills a year, or, as stated to 2008 state pharmacy board statistics, roughly 460 pills for every resident in a county of 76,000 citizens . Because Portsmouth is positioned at the junction of three states and on the routes of a several north-south and east-west highways, it has turn into a distribution point for more than just the small-town area.
As of spring 2011, the county has had more than 120 drug-related deaths over the preceding decade, and in 2009 had the second-highest death rate in the state from accidental drug overdoses, although it is sparsely populated compared to the urban populace centers of the state. According to Lisa Roberts, a registered nurse with the Portsmouth City Health Department, Southern Ohio distributes four times as many prescription drugs as Northern Ohio, contributing to the high death rates. Local deaths from a lethal drug combination of opiates, sedatives and muscle relaxants are so common that locals have dubbed it the Portsmouth Cocktail. Admissions into rehab facilities for painkiller addictions in the town are five times the nationwide average. Almost one in 10 infants born in Scioto County in recent years has been addicted to prescription drugs. Because of the extent of the problem, the Drug Enforcement Administration has listed Scioto County on its watch list of the 10 most momentous places in the nation for trafficking in prescription drugs. In 2007 Paul Volkman, a doctor from Chicago who had worked at a pain clinic in Portsmouth since 2003, was indicted.
Nationally, prescription drug abuse is one of our biggest substance abuse problems, and in southern Ohio abuse of pharmaceuticals has reached almost epidemic proportions.
The support group SOLACE formed to tackle this problem; it has helped to raise enhance awareness of the copy and has lobbied the state home for legislation. Governor John Kasich referred to the group in his first State of the State Address, and members of the group were featured in the A&E documentary entitled Intervention In-Depth: Hillbilly Heroin (2011). The group opened an official command posts in Portsmouth and worked with Attorney General Mike De - Wine to make a documentary about drug abuse. SOLACE's accomplishments have been promoted as an example of how a small, dedicated group could effect real change in their community. But, Ohio voters in 2011 rejected a proposed $1 million drug prevention tax levy backed by SOLACE and other anti-drug abuse organizations. In May 2011 the Ohio Senate and House unanimously passed House Bill 93, authored by Portsmouth's representative in the Ohio House, Dr.
The legislation called 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 advancement consumer education, improves licensing and law enforcement issues related to pain-management clinics, and calls for the evolution of a statewide prescription drug "take-back" program. The amended bill was signed into law by Governor John Kasich on May 20, 2011. In the town/city the populace 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.
A painting of the confluence of the Ohio and Scioto Rivers, showing the dissected plateau terrain and the Carl D.
Portsmouth is at the confluence of the Ohio, Scioto, and Little Scioto Rivers.
Portsmouth is a midway point among four primary cities: Charleston, West Virginia, Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio; and Lexington, Kentucky, each of which are approximately ninety miles away (roughly a two-hour drive).
Both rivers have carved valleys and Portsmouth lies next to both the Scioto and Ohio rivers.
It is inside the ecoregion of the Western Allegheny Plateau. According to the United States Enumeration Bureau, the town/city has a total region of 11.07 square miles (28.67 km2), of which 10.73 square miles (27.79 km2) is territory and 0.34 square miles (0.88 km2) is water. Sciotoville - positioned 5 miles (8.0 km) in the easterly part of Portsmouth off US 52 at Ohio 335; it is sometimes known as East Portsmouth, but it is inside the town/city limits, with about 10% of the city's populace living there.
North Moreland - a improve inside Portsmouth, north of the Village of New Boston.
Hilltop - residentiary neighborhoods in Portsmouth positioned north of 17th St., west of Thomas Ave and east of Scioto Trail Portsmouth City Hall The town/city conducts company at their town/city hall, which was constructed in 1935.
The town/city reverted from being run by a town/city manager to a mayor in 1988, with the mayor being propel every four years.
Under the City Manager/Council system, the mayor and vice-mayor are propel members of the town/city council who are appointed to their positions by the council.
The town/city manager oversees the day-to-day operations of town/city government and is the direct supervisor of all town/city department heads.
Portsmouth is the governmental center of county for Scioto County.
Portsmouth primary employers include Southern Ohio Medical Center, United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC), Shawnee State University, Norfolk Southern Corp.(Railroad), Southern Ohio Correctional Facility and OSCO Industries.
In November 2002, the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in close-by Piketon, Ohio was recognized as a Nuclear Historic Landmark by the American Nuclear Society.
Graf Brothers Flooring and Lumber, the world's biggest manufacturer of rift and quartered oak products, has two satellite log yards in Portsmouth, with the company's chief office being positioned athwart the river in South Shore, Kentucky.
Grant Bridge crossing the Ohio River from Portsmouth, Ohio to Greenup County, Kentucky.
Portsmouth is served by two primary U.S.
Other momentous roads include Ohio State Routes 73, 104, 139, 140, and 335.
The I-74 Extension is prepared to use US 52 through Portsmouth, running concurrently with I-73 on the easterly side of Portsmouth Portsmouth is an meaningful locale in the Norfolk Southern Railway network.
Competitor CSX Transportation operates a former Chesapeake & Ohio Railway line just east of the town/city in Sciotoville, which crosses the Ohio River on the historic Sciotoville Bridge.
Amtrak offers passenger service to the Portsmouth region on its Cardinal route between New York City and Chicago.
The passenger station is positioned on CSX Transportation-owned track in South Shore, Kentucky, athwart the Ohio River from Portsmouth.
Portsmouth is served by the Greater Portsmouth Regional Airport (PMH), a general aviation airport.
The airport is positioned in Minford, Ohio, approximately 12 miles (19 km) northeast of the city.
Public transit for Portsmouth and its outlying areas is offered through Access Scioto County (ASC). 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.
In 1986, through the accomplishments of Ohio House Speaker Vern Riffe, the state allowed expansion of programs to qualify it as Shawnee State University, Ohio's thirteenth and newest institution.
Portsmouth has one enhance and two private school systems (the Notre Dame schools and the Portsmouth STEM Academy).
The Portsmouth City School District has served the town/city since its beginning in the 1830s and is the enhance 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. The Trojan basketball team has made 14 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). and 2012 (2nd).
In 2000, Portsmouth voters passed a much needed school bond issue, which helped construct new schools for the district.
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." In addition, the school fitness plans to build a new $10 million athletic complex. Portsmouth High School has an award winning Interactive Media program that has won multiple awards for both video and graphic design.
The 25-acre (10 ha) Clark Athletic Complex has a new football field, baseball field, softball field, tennis courts, and track. The complex is titled for Clyde and Maycel Clark of the Clark Foundation, primary financial contributors for the assembly of the facility. The new complex, situated on the site of the former high school building and athwart the street from the current high school, has three paintings by mural artist Herb Roe, a 1992 Portsmouth High School alumnus. The murals depict three of the sports played at the new facility: baseball, tennis, and football.
Notre Dame (Catholic) Schools(formerly Portsmouth Central Catholic HS) have served the city's Roman Catholics and the rest since 1852.
See also: List of Registered Historic Places in Ohio Scioto County Many historical buildings in Portsmouth have been completed because of poor upkeep, other town/city development, or the culmination of new buildings that replaced the landmarks.
Landmarks that have been completed include the old Norfolk & Western rail depot, churches dating back to the early 20th century, homes dating to the 1850s, Grant Middle School, and the old Portsmouth High School and various elementary schools.
In 1982, students from Miami University conducted research on a several of Portsmouth's most meaningful 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. The Portsmouth Public Library is the city's library, established in 1879.
The Southern Ohio Museum, established in 1979, has more than sixty exhibits on display including artwork by Clarence Holbrook Carter and Jesse Stuart, China dolls, Native American artifacts, and works by small-town artists.
The removal of the rock, has led the states of Kentucky and Ohio into a legislative battle to determine its ownership and disposition. The modern has been returned to the state of Kentucky.
Portsmouth has fourteen parks for inhabitants and improve use.
These 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.
In 1992, the town/city of Portsmouth began honoring some of the many accomplishments of its region natives by placing a star on the riverside of the floodwall.
This is known as the Portsmouth Wall of Fame and was 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. In the spring of 1993, mural artist Robert Dafford was commissioned and began painting murals of Portsmouth's history.
Roe later apprenticed to and worked for Dafford for 15 years. The universal eventually spanned sixty 20 feet (6.1 m) tall consecutive Portsmouth murals, stretching for over 2,000 feet (610 m). Subjects veiled by the murals span the history of the region from the ancient mound building Adena and Hopewell cultures to undivided sporting affairs and notable natives.
The Portsmouth Earthworks, a large mound complex constructed by the Ohio Hopewell culture from 100 BCE to 500 CE.
A Civil War unit from Portsmouth, Battery L, fighting at Gettysburg Jim Thorpe, a Native American athlete who played as the player/coach of the semi-professional Portsmouth Shoesteels in the late 1920s.
Transportation stagecoaches, riverboats, barns s and the Ohio and Erie Canal, which had its end just outside Portsmouth.
Other panels explore the small-town history of education, the first European settlers, industries (including the steel industry, shoe industry, and the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant), sister cities, the small-town Carnegie library, firemen and police, reconstructiongenre scenes of old downtown and other localities, and a memorial to region armed forces veterans.
Since then a 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. Portsmouth had a series of semi-pro football squads in the 1920s and 1930s, the most notable being the Portsmouth Shoe-Steels, whose roster encompassed player-coach Jim Thorpe.
From 1929 to 1933, the town/city was home to the Portsmouth Spartans, which joined the National Football League in 1930.
In the late 20th century, the Portsmouth Explorers were one of the initial squads in the Frontier League, a non-affiliated minor league baseball organization.
In 1938, Portsmouth was also the home of the Portsmouth Red Birds, a minor league team owned by the St.
More recently Revolutionary Championship Wrestling has made its home in Portsmouth, airing on small-town TV station WQCW.
Revolutionary Championship Wrestling in Portsmouth has featured such stars as Big Van Vader, Jerry "The King" Lawler, Demolition Ax, "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton, "Wildcat" Chris Harris, and Ivan Koloff.
Portsmouth is near the dividing line for a several tv markets, including Columbus, Cincinnati, and Huntington-Charleston.
Portsmouth is also served by WPBO, a PBS affiliate.
The Portsmouth Daily Times is the city's only daily newspaper.
Representative from Mississippi (1883 1885); practiced law in Portsmouth before to the American Civil War Portsmouth has three sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International: List of metros/cities and suburbs along the Ohio River Ohio Historical Society.
Ohio Historical Society.
Erika K.; Scott B.; Valeria W., "Pain Clinics, Painkiller Addiction, and a Petition to Fight Both", Rehab Journal, The Canyon, retrieved 2011-04-13 "Prescription drug epidemic brings Southern Ohio county to its knees".
Statistics as bleak as tombstones back up Roberts' apocalyptic talk: The county has seen a 360 percent increase in accidental drug-overdose deaths and has the highest hepatitis C rate in Ohio, a rate that has nearly quadrupled in the past five years, thanks to junkies who are shooting up.
Last year, about the time Lilly started his pain clinic, small-town police noticed that drug-related crimes in Portsmouth had started to rise.
The Portsmouth Daily Times.
"Crime in Portsmouth, Ohio (OH): Murders, Rapes, Robberies, Assaults, Burglaries, Thefts, Auto thefts, Arson, Law Enforcement Employees, Police officers".
Scioto County has the biggest concentration of pain clinics per capita of all of Ohio's counties.
Residents first noticed pain clinics opening in the county in the late 1990s, not long after Ohio legislators passed a new law.
"Prescription drug epidemic brings Southern Ohio county to its knees".
Nearly one in 10 babies were born addicted to drugs last year in southern Ohio's Scioto County.
The Portsmouth Daily Times.
The DEA also served an ISO on Prime Pharmacy positioned at 902 Fourth Street in Portsmouth.
Dawes, both have worked at one time at Southern Ohio Complete Pain Management in Portsmouth, Ohio, and are responsible for the prescribing of hundreds of thousands of oxycodone products and anti-anxiety medications over the past two years.
Portsmouth Daily Times.
Portsmouth Daily Times.
Portsmouth Daily Times.
Portsmouth Daily Times.
Portsmouth Daily Times.
Portsmouth Daily Times.
Portsmouth Daily Times.
Portsmouth Daily Times.
Portsmouth Daily Times.
"Number of Inhabitants: Ohio" (PDF).
"Ohio: Population and Housing Unit Counts" (PDF).
"About Us, City Council".
"USEC Portsmouth centrifuge plant project, USA".
Access Scioto County (ASC) a b Ohio High School Athletic Association.
"City School Earn Top Design Award".
Portsmouth Daily Times.
Portsmouth Daily Times.
Portsmouth: Architecture in an Ohio River Town.
"Portsmouth Area Resource Guide 2007 2008".
Portsmouth Daily Times.
Portsmouth Daily Times.
"Scioto County, Ohio-The Mural Project".
Ohio Historical Society.
"Portsmouth Spartans Historical Society".
Portsmouth Daily Times Wikimedia Commons has media related to Portsmouth, Ohio.
Wikisource has the text of a 1911 Encyclop dia Britannica article about Portsmouth, Ohio.
Municipalities and communities of Scioto County, Ohio, United States County seat: Portsmouth
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Portsmouth, Ohio - Populated places established in 1803 - 1803 establishments in Ohio
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