Structure fires have played a significant role in shaping modern Portsmouth. The first fire ever recorded in the city occurred in 1696, when native tribesmen raided the Portsmouth Plains and torched five settlers' homes and nine barns.
The first major blaze downtown ignited in 1781. Flames from a burning barn on Chestnut Street, now site of The Music Hall, spread to other structures, including Rockingham House, the stately home of Judge Woodbury Langdon.
|Market Street in 1902, a Century After the First Great Portsmouth Christmas Fire|
The last fire was the most devastating. It was discovered around seven o'clock on the night of December 22, 1813, in a barn on Court Street where the Stone Church stands today. Gusting, westerly winds carried flaming material down State Street, and more and more buildings caught fire. By the time the townspeople managed to douse the flames, ten hours after it started, a long swath of destruction scarred the center of Portsmouth, from the barn to the Piscataqua River. This 'Great Portsmouth Fire' destroyed roughly 272 buildings on fifteen acres.
The Great Portsmouth Christmas Fires, which includes a short walking tour, will be available for $2.99 at Barnes & Noble, the Apple Store, Smashwords, Kobo, and other online retail sites by the end of May.