Portsmouth loses some history in Maupin House fire

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Portsmouth lost a bit of its history when fire struck the historic Maupin House last week.

"I was horrified," said Greg Eatroff, curator of the local history and genealogy room at the Portsmouth Public Library. "It's just such a historically important building. ... It was architecturally fascinating. There were so many important historical documents stored there, and the human loss is absolutely tragic."

Eatroff can tell you anything you want to know about Olde Towne Portsmouth and the Maupin's place in history.

"The house dates back to the 19th century," Eatroff said, "and the modern family lived there since 1902. They'd been residents of Portsmouth long before then, very prominent ones. They were involved in the railroad industry here in Portsmouth in the 19th