Portsmouth Compact Displayed at Town Hall for 378th Birthday

PORTSMOUTH, RI—A sheet of paper with frayed edges and a small hole turned 378 today and residents of this small Aquidneck Island town today filtered through Town Hall to pay their respects.

The Portsmouth Compact of 1638 was signed by a group of outcasts that had been banished for challenging the authority of the theocratic leaders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Anne Hutchinson and a some of her followers gathered on March 7 of that year and signed the document proclaiming their intention to create a "bodie politick" based on their own principles. Their search for land led them to Roger Williams, who in turn urged them to buy Aquidneck Island from the Narragansett Indians.

Now a priceless document held in the Rhode Island state archives, the Portsmouth Compact not only established the Aquidneck Island town, but also set a precedent. It was the first document to establish political and religious independence from England.

It didn't stay long in Portsmouth. In 1639, the leader of the group, William Coddington, moved south and founded Newport in 1639, bringing the document and early town meeting records along the way.

In 2013, the document was brought back from the state archives to be put on display for the town's 375th Anniversary celebration.

Last year, the Town Council passed a resolution declaring March 7 to be Portsmouth Founders Day to observe the town's long and rich history along with its pivotal role in shaping the nation during its gestation period.

With the formation of the annual Founders Day, the town secured a willingness on the part of state officials to bring the document back to Portsmouth Town Hall for the annual celebration.

Town Historian Jim Garman led a brief introduction to the Compact when it was first put on display on Monday. He will also offer a lecture on the early days of the town on Wednesday (March 9) at the Portsmouth Free Public Library from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Along with transporting the original document, the state archives office brought copies, including one (pictured here) that was given to the police department.

Police Chief Thomas Lee said he "intends to proudly display the Compact in the front lobby of the new police station."

An interesting history of early Portsmouth can be found HERE.