North Scituate in Providence County, Rhode Island — The American Northeast (New England)
Esek Hopkins 1718-1802
First Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Navy
Scituate Heritage Trail
| | Historic Scituate, Rhode Island | |
Before he served as the First Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Navy, Esek Hopkins served as captain of the slave ship "Sally," which was operated by the Brown Brothers of Providence. The Sally embarked on an ill-fated voyage to Africa in 1764, resulting in one of the deadliest slave ship journeys. Of the 196 slave slaves acquired in Africa, 109 perished, some in a failed insurrection, some by suicide, and others by starvation or disease. Pictured below are shackles from the period used on slaves during the Middle Passage journey, and the ship's manifest.
Brothers Esek and Stephen Hopkins grew up off of Danielson Pike at their Uncle Joseph Wilkinson's Great House (left). It was located near St. Mary's Lane, opposite Darby Road. Esek Hopkins spent his final years on his farm on Admiral Street on Smith Hill in Providence (right).
The "Alfred", the flagship of the first American squadron, served the Continental Navy from 1775 to 1778, led by Commodore Esek Hopkins, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Navy.
On March 3-4, 1776, Commodore Hopkins led the first American Marine amphibious landing in the Bahamas.
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Erected 2021 by Town of Scituate, Rhode Island. (Marker Number 9.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Industry & Commerce • War, US Revolutionary • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1764.
Location. 41° 49.863′ N, 71° 36.371′ W. Marker is in Scituate, Rhode Island, in Providence County. It is in North Scituate. It is at the intersection of Danielson Pike and Battey Meetinghouse Road, on the right when traveling east on Danielson Pike. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 311 Danielson Pike, North Scituate RI 02857, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Quiet Corner and in Greater Providence. It is also in the American Northeast, in New England, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Scituate, Rhode Island (approx. 0.8 miles away); Stephen Hopkins 1707-1785 (approx. 0.8 miles away); Owen Soldiers' Monument (approx. one mile away); The Richmond Mill Bell (approx. one mile away); Scituate Honor Roll (approx. one mile away); Revolutionary War Memorial (approx. one mile away); The Bell Garden (approx. one mile away); Korea Memorial (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Scituate.
Additional keywords. human trafficking
Credits. This page was last revised on October 3, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 3, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 3, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
