Strawbery Banke Presents
HISTORIC PORTSMOUTH #215 

August seems a temperate time to recall the famous ice jam on the Piscataqua River. The river did not actually freeze on February 11, 1918, but jammed when floating chunks from the bay collided in the outgoing tide. (Continued below)

HISTORIC PHOTOS of the Greater Portsmouth Area appear here weekl

Passengers of the ice-bound Navy Yard ferry #1048 walked to the mainland on wooden planks. This group of well-dressed businessmen, one carrying a rope, appears to be posing for souvenir photo en route to the stranded ship. The ferry broke loose that afternoon during the next tide.  

(c) Strawbery Banke Museum Collection