Barrington in Bristol County, Rhode Island — The American Northeast (New England)
Welcome to Sowams Woods
Barring Land Conservation Trust
| | Established 1979 | |
Photographed by Cindy Elder
1. Trailhead Sign for Sowams Woods Marker
A Conservation Success Story - Sowams Woods is a 12.3 acre parcel owned and managed by the Barrington Land Conservation Trust. It took four years, two-million dollars and a far-reaching coalition to protect the property forever. The effort earned the John H. Chafee Award for Conservation in 2010.
History In 1653, the Brown family grazed cattle here. Nicholas Cooke, Governor of Rhode Island, owned the land in 1776. Cooke's descendants, the Jenckes, sold the property to the the Rhode Island Country Club in 1911.
In 2003, a coalition formed to protect Sowams Woods from development. The effort included neighbors, local philanthropists, members of the Pokanoket Tribe, the Town of Barrington, the Nature Conservancy, the RI Department of Environmental Management, and the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Project of the National and Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Ancestral Pokanoket Land
The property lies on the ancestral lands of the Pokanoket people, which includes the East Bay and parts of Seekonk, Swansea and Rehoboth. In Pokanoket, "Sowams" refers to the southern section of their homeland.
The Pokanoket people describe Sowams Woods as a place of peace once set aside for women and childbirth. The trail markings represent the seven colors of the
this page online
"I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees"
- Henry David Thoreau
Erected 2025 by Barrington Land Conservation Trust.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Environment • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 2010.
Location. 41° 43.966′ N, 71° 20.117′ W. Marker is in Barrington, Rhode Island, in Bristol County. It can be reached from the intersection of South Lake Drive and Washington Road, on the right when traveling east. For information on parking and directions to the trailhead for Sowams Woods, visit https://www.blct.org/protected-lands/public-access/sowams-woods/. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 111 S Lake Dr, Barrington RI 02806, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Providence and on Narragansett Bay. It is also in the American Northeast and in New England. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Little Echo (approx. half a mile away); Brickyard Pond (approx. 0.9 miles away); World War II Memorial (approx. 0.9 miles away); Drownville (approx. one mile away); a different marker also named Drownville (approx. one mile away); Bay Spring (approx. 1.2 miles away); Soldiers and Sailors Monument (approx. 1½ miles away); World War I Memorial (approx. 1½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Barrington.
More about this marker. This marker provides the trail map, history and ecology of Sowams Woods.
Regarding Welcome to Sowams Woods. Sowams Woods is considered a sacred space by the Pokanoket Tribe, who indicate it was once a place reserved for women and childbirth. In 1653, the Brown family grazed cattle here. Nicholas Cooke, former Governor of New York, owned the land in 1776.
Additional keywords. Conservation land
Credits. This page was last revised on December 24, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 1, 2025, by Cindy Elder of Barrington, Rhode Island. This page has been viewed 87 times since then and 29 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on September 1, 2025, by Cindy Elder of Barrington, Rhode Island. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. A wide shot of the marker in context. • A less cropped photo of the marker. • Can you help?
