Warren in Bristol County, Rhode Island — The American Northeast (New England)

Who was Hugh Cole?

— Warren Bike Path —

Photographed by G.W.Bartlett, June 24, 2026

1. Who was Hugh Cole? Marker

Inscription.

Who was Hugh Cole?. . , June, 1628: Born in Devonshire England , 1633: Hugh and his family arrive in Plymouth as indentured servants , 1634: Hugh was hired by neighbors to tend to their cows. Every day from April to November he milked the cows, brought them to pasture, and then returned them to their stalls in the evening. His yearly salary: 50 bushels of corn. , 1637: Hugh Cole's parents built the first inn in Plymouth. The enterprising Coles built their inn directly across from the Puritan church and adjacent to the Baptist church. On Sundays parishioners from both churches would sneak away from their cold stiff pews to warm up by the fire in Cole's Inn, often with whiskey in hand. Coles parents were repeatedly fined for allowing people to drink on Sunday during public worship. , 1650's: Hugh was hired to be Surveyor of Highways and charged with surveying lands throughout the Colonies. This task brought Hugh Cole into frequent contact with Wampanoag seeking to swap for English goods like iron kettles and metal farming tools. , 1667: Hugh purchased from Metacomet (King Philip) 500 acres of land on the west bank of the Mattapoisett River (no Cole's River) in Swansea, Massachusetts. Hugh lived alongside the Wampanoag in peace, but relations between the Wampanoag and English colonists were in general becoming hostile and violent. , 1675: Wampanoag warriors abducted Hugh's two sons and brought them to their camp at Mount Hope. Metacomet ordered that the two boys be returned to their father, who Metacomet said, had always been a friend to the Wampanoag. Metacomet safely escorted the two boys back to their father. Metacomet warned Hugh that he could not control his young warriors and the he should take his family and leave as soon as possible. Hugh wisely heeded his friend's warning. Within an hour of his leaving, Hugh's home was burned by the young Wampanoag warriors and his relatives who had refused to leave their homes were killed. Hugh took his family to Portsmouth and lived there until the end of King Philip's War. He made wooden wheels and sold them to his Portsmouth neighbors. , 1677: Hugh returned to Swansea and later built a house on the Kickemuit River in present-day Warren. His well on the bank of the river still exists today. , January 22, 1699: Hugh Cole died. He is buried at Tyler Point Cemetery in Barrington., ( photo captions ) , Figure 1: Plymouth Bay , Figure 2: Boy and a bull , Figure 3: Colonial farm along river

June, 1628: Born in Devonshire England
1633: Hugh and his family arrive in Plymouth as indentured servants
1634: Hugh was hired by neighbors to tend to their cows. Every day from April to November he milked the cows, brought them to pasture, and then returned them to their stalls in the evening. His yearly salary: 50 bushels of corn.
1637: Hugh Cole's parents built the first inn in Plymouth. The enterprising Coles built their inn directly across from the Puritan church and adjacent to the Baptist church. On Sundays parishioners from both churches would sneak away from their cold stiff pews to warm up by the fire in Cole's Inn, often with whiskey in hand. Coles parents were repeatedly fined for allowing people to drink on Sunday during public worship.
1650's: Hugh was hired to be Surveyor of Highways and charged with surveying lands throughout the Colonies. This task brought Hugh Cole into frequent contact with Wampanoag seeking to swap for English goods like iron kettles and metal farming tools.
1667: Hugh purchased from Metacomet (King Philip) 500 acres of land on the west bank of the Mattapoisett River (no Cole's

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River) in Swansea, Massachusetts. Hugh lived alongside the Wampanoag in peace, but relations between the Wampanoag and English colonists were in general becoming hostile and violent.
1675: Wampanoag warriors abducted Hugh's two sons and brought them to their camp at Mount Hope. Metacomet ordered that the two boys be returned to their father, who Metacomet said, had always been a friend to the Wampanoag. Metacomet safely escorted the two boys back to their father. Metacomet warned Hugh that he could not control his young warriors and the he should take his family and leave as soon as possible. Hugh wisely heeded his friend's warning. Within an hour of his leaving, Hugh's home was burned by the young Wampanoag warriors and his relatives who had refused to leave their homes were killed. Hugh took his family to Portsmouth and lived there until the end of King Philip's War. He made wooden wheels and sold them to his Portsmouth neighbors.
1677: Hugh returned to Swansea and later built a house on the Kickemuit River in present-day Warren. His well on the bank of the river still exists today.
January 22, 1699: Hugh Cole died. He is buried

Photographed by G.W.Bartlett, June 24, 2026

2. Who was Hugh Cole? Marker

at Tyler Point Cemetery in Barrington.

( photo captions )
Figure 1: Plymouth Bay
Figure 2: Boy and a bull
Figure 3: Colonial farm along river

Erected by Town of Warren.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Parks & Recreational Areas • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the King Philip's War 1675-1676 series list. A significant historical date for this entry is January 22, 1699.

Location. 41° 43.566′ N, 71° 15.773′ W. Marker is in Warren, Rhode Island, in Bristol County. It can be reached from Asylum Road 0.3 miles west of Cole School Road, on the left when traveling north. Located along the Warren Bike Path on the new bridge crossing the Kickemuit River. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Warren RI 02885, 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

Warren Bike Path image. Click for full size.

Photographed by G.W.Bartlett, June 24, 2026

3. Warren Bike Path

The marker is on the new bridge along the Warren Bike Path. West of this marker about Kickemuit River Wildlife..

in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: History of the Kickemuit River (here, next to this marker); In Memory of Hugh Cole (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Early Warren and the start of King Philip's War (approx. 0.3 miles away); Vietnam Memorial (approx. ¾ mile away); Warren, RI (approx. one mile away); Washington St. (approx. one mile away); The Warren Armory (approx. 1.1 miles away); Baptist Church in Warren, R.I. (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Warren.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. More information about Hugh Cole's well, Early Sowams History, Ousamequin at Burr's Hill Burial Ground, and the Cole Family in Plymouth Colony.

Also see . . .
1. Hugh Cole Biography and Burial Detail.

In 1675, at the beginning of the war with his friend, Chief King Phillip, two of Hugh Cole's sons were made prisoners by the Indians and taken to Phillip at Mt. Hope. Phillip ordered them set free because
Photographed by G.W.Bartlett, June 24, 2026

4. Warren Recreation Park
Park at Warren Recreation Park on the east side of Asylum Road, adjacent to the Warren Bike Path.
he said, "Hugh Cole had always been a friend."

(Submitted on June 25, 2026, by G.W.Bartlett of Hingham, Massachusetts.)

2. Hugh Cole Well - Sowams Early History.

Following the King Philip War (1675-1676) which forced him to relocate to Portsmouth, RI, he returned to what was then Swansea to build a farm on the east bank of the Kickemuit River where only the well now remains.

(Submitted on June 25, 2026, by G.W.Bartlett of Hingham, Massachusetts.)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 4, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 24, 2026, by G.W.Bartlett of Hingham, Massachusetts. This page has been viewed 17 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 24, 2026, by G.W.Bartlett of Hingham, Massachusetts. 4. submitted on June 25, 2026, by G.W.Bartlett of Hingham, Massachusetts. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.