Strawbery Banke Presents
HISTORIC PORTSMOUTH #217

Among the legendary figures in Portsmouth, Charles H. "Cappy" Stewart ran an "antiques" business, as seen here at his Water Street shop in the 1930s. Stewart sold off many of the city’s most precious artifacts and architectural treasures, many to distant bidders. (continued below) 

 HISTORIC PHOTOS of the Greater Portsmouth Area appear here weekl

He is among the best known owners of the waterfront bordellos that were finally closed by city decree in 1912. Although he trafficked in prostitutes, some apparently in their early teens, and was involved in the city’s criminal underground and corrupt government, Portsmouth citizens who knew him only in his elder years often depict him as kindly, generous and "colorful".

LINKS TO MORE INFO
Red Lights on Water Street
The Men Who Tore Down Portsmouth

This image from the book STRAWBERY BANKE:
A Seaport Museum 400 Years in the Making
by J. Dennis Robinson
(c) Strawbery Banke Museum Collection