PORTSMOUTH — What do you know about Portsmouth history?

The Portsmouth Historical Society posed this question to 32 participants who came out for a Portsmouth history trivia contest Thursday night at the Valley Inn restaurant.

Questions were prepared in advance by Jim Garman, town historian and Society president, who acted as the judge and scorer for the evening. Newport resident Dave Rogers was master of ceremonies.

The setting for the evening's event was itself the scene of an important episode in Portsmouth's history. 

In 1673, widow Rebecca Cornell died of suspicious causes in her home located on the site of the present-day Valley Inn. Her son, Thomas Cornell, whose family lived with Rebecca in the Cornell home, was later tried and convicted of her murder. His conviction was based in part on testimony from Rebecca's brother, who said she had appeared to him in a dream saying, “See how I was burned with fire.”

The trial of Thomas Cornell has been dramatized and performed by the Portsmouth Community Theater under the title, “The Ghostly Witness.”

The site’s grim history did nothing to curb the enthusiasm of trivia participants. Contestants were organized into seven teams consisting of anywhere from two to six people each. (One of them, the “Daunting Docent,” comprised of Historical Society docents and board members, put up a nearly perfect score but was ineligible for prizes.)

The official winning team was Team Spencer, followed by Stone Thayer in second place and McCurry Farm, which took third. Team Spencer received a framed copy of the Portsmouth Compact with a certificate of its victory — along with bragging rights until the next contest. All three teams also received copies of one of Jim Garman’s books on local history, “Historic Tales of Newport County.”

Doug Smith, Society vice president, credited the small team of board members and other volunteers who helped put the event together. This included Mr. Garman, Gary Gump, Rich Talipsky, Jane Roggero (a competitor on McCurry Farm), Tim Ryan and Anne Burns, whose team Rogue Islanders finished fourth in the competition. 

“These volunteers did a lot work publicizing, setting up and running the event and its success was due in large measure to their efforts. I’d like to also thank Valley Inn owner, Joe Occhi, for providing the perfect venue for a history trivia night,” he said.

This Portsmouth history trivia night was the second event of its kind hosted by the Society. The first contest in March featured teams from Portsmouth High and Middle schools in a contest that was ultimately won by a middle school team.

“Part of our mission as a historical society is to educate people about our past,” said Mr. Garman. “This trivia quiz kind of venue encourages participants to learn more about our background in a social setting that appeals to their natural competitive instincts. We plan to host another of these later on in the year.”