Towne Square
Path of History, Portsmouth, VA
The intersection of High and Court Street was known as Towne Square, the cornerstone of the community. The square that you are standing on was known as Courthouse Square, the site of the original courthouse from 1803-1846. In 1855 the Ocean Hotel opened at this location.
Portsmouth Parish, now Trinity Episcopal Church, was built on Church Square in 1762. This church still serves the citizens of Portsmouth.
The final square, Market Square, is where citizens bought and sold their goods.
The fire that burned the Hotel Monroe, also destroyed 13 businesses on the north side of High Street, east from Court Street. The loss was estimated at $1.5 million. The Famous, a women’s fashion store occupied the site from 1940 to 1991. Today the building is the home to the Tidewater Community College Visual Arts Center.
Prison Square was the site of the city jail and the location of public execution until 1860. In 1846, a new courthouse was built on this property and today the building serves as an art museum.
The Ocean Hotel was constructed on this corner between 1853-1855 by Col. Winchester Watts and Col. Arthur Emmerson. It was later renamed the Hotel Monroe and was destroyed by a fire on August 9, 1957.
Marker is on High Street east of Court Street, on the right when traveling west.
Courtesy hmdb.org
