Prescott Park is a ten-plus acre waterfront park in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The land was purchased in the 1930s by two sisters, Josie and Sarah Prescott. The sisters, public school teachers, had used an inheritance to systematically purchase and clear properties along the

Piscataqua River The Piscataqua River (Abenaki: ''Pskehtekwis'') is a tidal river forming the boundary of the U.S. states of New Hampshire and Maine from its origin at the confluence of the Salmon Falls River and Cochecho River. The drainage basin of the river ...

. The sisters' goal was to create a public waterfront park, free and accessible to all, replacing what had become a run-down and seedy industrial area. In 1949 the Prescott sisters' trust was established with $500,000. The park was willed to the city of Portsmouth in 1954 for public enjoyment. Prescott Park comprises over of waterfront property along the Piscataqua River. Since 1974 it has hosted full outdoor productions of Broadway plays for family audiences during the summer months. There are also many flower gardens and water fountains maintained since the mid-1960s. The park is directly across Marcy Street from the Strawbery Banke Museum. The Players' Ring Theater is located in the park.

External links

Prescott Park
at City of Portsmouth website
Prescott Park Arts Festival

References

{{reflist Geography of Rockingham County, New Hampshire Tourist attractions in Portsmouth, New Hampshire Parks in Rockingham County, New Hampshire