Hendersons Point, Portsmouth, N.H. [Maps and Report]

Early improvements to the oldest continuously operating shipyard in the U.S.

This fascinating pair of maps and accompanying report were published by the Government Printing Office in 1901 as part of a volume for Congressional review. The contents detail the work of the U.S. Navy Bureau of Yards and Docks on surveying improvements to the Portsmouth Navy Yard. Notably, Navy officers were assessing the costs required to excavate and remove Henderson’s Point through a private contractor, allowing for yard expansion and an easier approach to the drydock facilities.

The Portsmouth Naval Yard was established in 1800 and played a crucial role in building and maintaining the U.S. fleet, especially during the Civil War. More recently (at the time of publication), the grounds of the shipyard were in use as a POW camp for captured prisoners from the Spanish-American War. The destruction of Henderson’s Point would ultimately take place in 1905, though with the assistance of the liberal application of dynamite.