PORTSMOUTH — Back by popular demand, the document that marked the founding of Portsmouth 379 years ago will be at Town Hall on Tuesday, March 7, for another public viewing.

The Portsmouth Compact will be on display from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. inside the Town Council Chambers at Town Hall, 2200 East Main Road. 

Seating is limited, so early arrival is recommended. Town Historian Jim Garman will speak at 11:30 a.m., and a representative from the Rhode Island State Archives — which houses the Compact — will be on hand to answer questions about the storage and its handling as well as other early Portsmouth documents.

The Compact was signed by a group of men from Boston who were followers of Anne Hutchinson, then on trial for heresy in the Puritan-controlled Massachusetts Bay Colony. It established a “bodie politic” where individuals could worship their Christian religion without interference from the government. The Compact is considered by many to be the first document in American history that severed both political and religious ties with England. 

The display will be part of the town’s annual Founders’ Day observance, established by the Town Council at the behest of the Portsmouth Historical Society.

Trivia night on March 9

The Society is also hosting its first Portsmouth History Trivia Night for high school and middle school students at the Gulf Stream Bar and Grille (formerly Melville Grille), 1 Lagoon Road, from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, March 9.

Students have been invited to form teams for the event, which will focus on trivia about Portsmouth history. Town Historian Jim Garman, who’s also the Historical Society’s president, noted that a key element of the Society's mission is to build enthusiasm for preserving and supporting local history.

“There seems to be little time in our school curricula for local history, so maybe a little competition will provide an incentive for our students to investigate Portsmouth's fascinating history,” Mr. Garman said.

One of the owners and managers of the restaurant, Reada Evans, offered to host the event immediately upon hearing about it. She also recommended the Society recruit former Congressional candidate Dave Rogers of Newport, who has volunteered to be the emcee for the evening. 

Building is history

The Gulf Stream building itself is a part of Portsmouth's history, as it’s housed in an original Quonset hut, built in 1942 as part of the U.S. Navy's PT-Boat Training Center at Melville. The space was converted into a restaurant over 30 years ago and began operation as The Gulf Stream Bar and Grille in May 2016.

Doug Smith, the Society’s vice president, said the group plans to make Portsmouth history trivia night an annual event and to sponsor additional history trivia competitions for all ages at other local venues in the coming months. 

"It's a fun way of learning about the history of our community that Portsmouth residents of all ages can enjoy,” he said.