1956 Map of Portsmouth

About this map

Pease Air Force Base dominates the center of this coastal landscape, illustrating the significant mid-century military footprint in New Hampshire. Surrounding the base, the established urban core of Portsmouth and residential developments like Pannaway Manor and Meadowbrook show a community expanding alongside major transit corridors. The Boston and Maine Railroad and the newly revised Spaulding Turnpike link the regional centers of Dover, Kittery, and Greenland, while older routes like Lafayette Road connect family-named landmarks such as Breakfast Hill and Winnicut Mills. Along the shoreline, the map details the intricate tidal geography of the Piscataqua River and Great Bay, reaching down to Rye Harbor. Numerous local institutions, including Eliot High Sch and St Marys Cem, provide essential anchor points for genealogists tracing 20th-century family locations in Rockingham and York Counties.