On this site stood the East Ferry freight shed, waiting room, office and ferry slips. For 294 years, ferries carried passengers, livestock and goods between Jamestown and Saunderstown to the west and Newport to the east. It was the oldest . . . — — Map (db m311981) HM
Memorial
to the veterans
of
Jamestown, Rhode Island
who served in the
Spanish - American War
World War One
World War Two
The Korean War
The Vietnamese War — — Map (db m88699) WM
On this Island of Conanicut known previous to 1636-38 as Quinungate, was the summer camping ground of the Narragansett Indians. Here met Chief Canonicus and Roger Williams and made an alliance between the Narragansett and Mohegan Indians with the . . . — — Map (db m311573) HM
Dedicated to the veterans of Jamestown whose patriotic and honorable service in our nation's wars and conflicts is remembered by a grateful community.
Colonial wars
Revolutionary War
War of 1812
Mexican War
Civil War . . . — — Map (db m311983) WM
In 1829, Congress appropriated $1,250 for a 600-pound fog bell for Beavertail. Prior to that time the keeper fired a cannon on foggy nights. That same year a fog bell house was built adjacent to the tower.
Beavertail has probably seen more . . . — — Map (db m88667) HM
1678
Town of Jamestown is incorporated. There are about 150 residents.
1705
Jamestown Town Council orders that a Watch House be built at "Beaver Tail."
1712
Jamestown Town Council . . . — — Map (db m88673) HM
Beavertail Light was lit with whale oil for many decades. Whale oil was smoky, hard to light at cold temperatures, and the quality varied greatly. In addition, early lights were dim and burned twenty to thirty gallons of oil a month.
In the . . . — — Map (db m56679) HM
Below this concrete cap sits the stone foundation Beavertail's 1749 lighthouse.
Initially built to provide safe passage into Newport's colonial harbor, it was designed and built by Peter Harrison, "America's first architect," who later . . . — — Map (db m56457) HM
The first assistant keeper at Beavertail Light was hired about 1859. It appears that the early assistant keepers shared part of the keeper's quarters or lived in one of the outbuildings on site.
In 1898, the U.S. Lighthouse Board added this . . . — — Map (db m88631) HM
The Beavertail Lighthouse Museum
welcomes visitors to the site of America's Third Oldest Lighthouse
Est. 1749
Originally built in 1898 for the assistant keeper, this restored house is now operated as a museum sponsored . . . — — Map (db m311885) HM
The Beavertail Lighthouse Museum
welcomes visitors to the site of America's Third Oldest Lighthouse
Est. 1749
This building built in 1898 for the Assistant Keeper and the adjacent built in 1856 for the Lighthouse Keeper. These restored . . . — — Map (db m311886) HM
The Beavertail Lighthouse Museum
welcomes visitors to the site of America's Third Oldest Lighthouse
Est. 1749
This building built in 1856 for the Lighthouse Keeper and the adjacent building built in 1898 for the Assistant Keeper. These . . . — — Map (db m311987) HM
The current tower was built in 1856 to replace a deteriorating 1753 structure.
The granite tower rises to a height of 40.9 feet and measures 10 feet on each side. It is constructed of 27 rows of granite blocks, weighing a total of 180 tons. . . . — — Map (db m88666) HM
Although most lighthouse keepers were married, at many small lighthouses they lived a solitary life while their families remained on the mainland. Beavertail, being on Conanicut Island, allowed the keepers and their family to live at the site. . . . — — Map (db m88672) HM
You are looking at the West Passage, one of two entrances to Narragansett Bay, New England's largest estuary. There are over 30 islands in the bay. There is very little commercial shipping in the West Passage since it is much shallower than the . . . — — Map (db m310857) HM
What resembles a submarine on the surface just over a mile southwest of this point is all that remains of the Whale Rock Lighthouse.
Whale Rock is a flat ledge about a half acre in size, yet it claimed at least eight ships and six lives . . . — — Map (db m88648) HM
Rhode Island Rebels
In the early 1770's even before the Declaration of Independence Narragansett Bay was the scene of frequent confrontations between the British Navy and Rhode Islanders. The British aggressively enforced their . . . — — Map (db m312031) HM
Conanicut Battery
A Revolutionary Fort
Built by Americans in 1776
Grounds cleared and tablet placed by the Daughters of the American Revolution of Rhode Island — — Map (db m56383) HM
Conanicut Battery
On Prospect Hill
A National Historic Site
In this National Historic Site are lasting relics of Jamestown's past and America's heritage.
⚓
Circa 1400
Evidence of a native American . . . — — Map (db m312030) HM
This area along the crest of Prospect Hill was an integral part of the Narragansett Bay coastal defense system from 1916 to 1945. From here, military observers had an unobstructed view of the approaches to the Bay, as well as East and West passages . . . — — Map (db m56678) HM
Inception
Fort Getty was built between 1901 and 1905, one of several forts built in response to an 1886 report by William Endicott, President Grover Cleveland's Secretary of War, detailing the country's vulnerability to attack from the sea. . . . — — Map (db m312034) HM
Situated atop 50-70 foot high cliffs with clear views of the horizon and Block Island to the south. Fort Wetherill held an important strategic position within an extended harbor defense system of Narragansett Bay during World Wars I and II.
The . . . — — Map (db m189619) HM
The Harbor Mine or Torpedo Complex was constructed during the period of 1908 to 1911 as part of a comprehensive harbor defense system for Narragansett Bay. The two-story concrete structure served as a Mine Storage Warehouse in which the parts . . . — — Map (db m56683) HM
Historically, the rocky cliffs behind and above the buildings of the Harbor Mine Complex were of military significance to Rhode Island's earliest colonists, who built earthen fortifications on its headland and installed cannon to protect nearby . . . — — Map (db m242649) HM
The current Jamestown mill was built in 1787, shortly after the American Revolution. It is wind-powered and was used primarily to grind dried kernels of white flint corn, also called "Indian" corn, into cornmeal for human consumption and into . . . — — Map (db m312036) HM
Jamestown Windmill
has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
in 1973
by the United States
Department of the Interior — — Map (db m312035) HM
This large flat stone with the narrow circular channel and a spout carved in it is believed to be a leaching stone. Similar stones were used to make cider, but the channels were wider and deeper.
A leaching stone was used to extract, or . . . — — Map (db m312038) HM
The Jamestown mill is a three-story octagonal tower with a domed cap, or bonnet, that rotates to bring the sails, or arms, into the wind. Its horizontally sloping sides are made of hand-hewn chestnut shingles on the outside.
The Milling . . . — — Map (db m312037) HM
This sculpture shows the present-day Sakonnet shoreline and an approximation of the shoreline 13,000 years ago.
Archaeological evidence and Wampanoag tradition tell us that people have lived at Sakonnet continuously since the end of the . . . — — Map (db m307031) HM
To your left is an ancient road that follows a ridge left by a retreating glacier about 13,000 years ago.Together with local waterways, this road connected the Sakonnets to 68 other Wampanoag villages to the north and east, and to other Native . . . — — Map (db m307032) HM
Attuck (deer) is sculpted entirely from native timber and driftwood collected in Rhode Island over the course of eight months. His frame is built from a fallen cedar, a sacred material in tribal communities. The enduring strength of . . . — — Map (db m312220) HM
Buying & Selling Acoaxet
After the war many Native people owned
land in Acoaxet with English-style deeds.
Mamanuah preserved his homelands by remaining
loyal to the English during King Philip's War and by selling
Awashonks' land instead . . . — — Map (db m307138) HM WM
This Tablet erected by the Rhode Island Society of Colonial Wars in recognition of the exceptional services rendered by Col. Benjamin Church. His fearless leadership and effective command during King Philip's War 1675-1676 — — Map (db m307061) WM
Distrust for the Newcomers
The Sakonnets and the English were not friends.
As many as 3,000 Sakonnets lived here in the 1600s.
They saw European ships sail by beginning in the 1500s.
European newcomers brought diseases but the
Sakonnets were . . . — — Map (db m307016) HM WM
Elisabeth Pabodie,
daughter of the Plymouth Pilgrims, John Alden & Priscilla Mullin, the first white woman born in New England.
Here lyteth the Body of Elisabeth the wife of William Pabodie who dyed . . . — — Map (db m312206) HM
Fal Solomon:
Indentured Here
Fal Solomon was a Sakonnet girl
ordered into indenture here
at the Wilbor House.
In 1757 an epidemic swept through Sakonnet. Fal
Solomon became ill, and her parents likely died. Dr.
William Wilbor brought . . . — — Map (db m307045) HM
Henry Tillinghast Sisson
1831 - 1910
Colonel of the Fifth Rhode Island
Artillery Regiment
Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island
In appreciation of the valor of
Colonel Sisson
and
the Fifth Rhode . . . — — Map (db m312213) HM
Honoring Awashonks
The land you are standing on was once
reserved for Awashonks and her people.
Awashonks is the best known Sakonnet sachem. She
led her people during the 1660s and 70s. This was a
chaotic time when the English used trickery, . . . — — Map (db m306910) HM WM
In honor of the men and women of Little Compton who served in the Korean Conflict, 1950-1953
Arruda, James A.
Bernard, Rodolphe H. Jr.
Bodington, Richard F.
Brayton, Arthur
Brownell, Carlton C.
Chaves, George F. . . . — — Map (db m312202) WM
In grateful appreciation of one hundred and twenty years of Christian service in this community by the
Methodist Episcopal Church
established in 1820 and united with the United Congregational church in 1940 — — Map (db m312204) HM
Mishoon
Dugout canoes provided Wampanoag people with transportation throughout the Northeast.
Mishoon is the traditional term for dugout canoe in my Wampanoag language. The dugout canoe practice and tradition that existed here for thousands of . . . — — Map (db m307132) HM
The Wampanoag people have a spiritual connection to plants that goes back to our creation. It is a relationship. When we are interacting with these plants, it is the way we would interact with any of our family members. We visit. We have ceremony . . . — — Map (db m312221) HM
An Apology and a Promise
The Little Compton Historical Society recognizes the harm done to the Wampanoag people by Little Compton's European settlers. We apologize for our part in that harm, and we are working to repair some of the damage . . . — — Map (db m312222) HM
Squant features prominently in our stories. She is a great being that oversees the health of the plants. especially berries. Squant was said to be married to Moshop the great giant who dragged his toe, causing the water to wash in and separate . . . — — Map (db m307124) HM
The Sakonnets did not fence their fields. English settlers did. Many of the stone walls you see today mark original English property lines. As early as 1661 Awashonks repaid debts to an English settler in Tiverton with stone walls built by her . . . — — Map (db m306949) HM
A weeku (weety8) is a Wampanoag house. The Sakonnets, and other Wampanoag communities in Massachusetts and eastern Rhode Island, would live in different types of houses depending on what time of year it was. During the spring and summer, . . . — — Map (db m307133) HM
Take A Walk On Your Land
To forever protect and preserve this property as farmland, development rights were
purchased by the Little Compton Agricultural Trust ("Ag Trust") in partnership with the
RI Department of Environmental Management.
. . . — — Map (db m307051) HM
The Sakonnet Diaspora
The descendants of the Sakonnets are a diaspora.
The Sakonnets began leaving their homelands in the Late 1600s, driven away by war, European diseases English encroachment, and fear. English neighbors burned a Native . . . — — Map (db m307144) HM
Three Sisters: A Symbiotic Garden
Living things grow best in relationship with others.
Oral history is imperative in preserving the culture of
Indigenous communities. For thousands of years, our
stories have encapsulated the experiences of . . . — — Map (db m306944) HM
This description arises from the antiquity of turtles and by picturing the rough shape of the continent. The northern United States and Canada are its head and front limbs; Florida and California are its back legs; and Mexico is the tail. Like . . . — — Map (db m312218) HM
United
Congregational
Church
Organized
1704
This building erected
1832
In commemoration
of the
Methodist
Church
Founded in 1820 and united with this church in 1940 . . . — — Map (db m312208) HM
In honor of the men and women of Little Compton who served in our nation's conflicts
Russel L Sisson, Vietnam
Antone Desouza III, Desert Storm
Frank Desouza, Desert Storm
David D Dougherty, Desert Storm
James S Waite Jr, . . . — — Map (db m312039) WM
In honor of the men and women of Little Compton who served in the Vietnam Conflict
Dec. 22, 1961 - May 7, 1975
John M. Babbitt
Robert I. Carr
Richard Davoll, Jr.
George P. Demenezes
Arnold E. Gifford
Harold A. Gifford . . . — — Map (db m312040) WM
Welcome to Sakonnet
Sakonnet is the traditional homeland
of the Sakonnet Wampanoag people.
People have lived at Sakonnet for over 13,000 years.
This exhibit shares their story from the end of the
last ice age to the present day. . . . — — Map (db m306958) HM
Wilbor House
Built circa 1690 by Samuel & Mary Wilbor
Home of eight generations
East end, 17th century, West end, 18th century
Additions, 19th & 20th century — — Map (db m306880) HM
In honor of the men and women of Little Compton who served in World War II
Almeida, Antone Jr.
Almeida, Louis A.
Andersen, Vernon A.
Arruda, George
Arruda, Louis
Arruda, Manuel Jr.
Auger, Armond A.
Bahia, . . . — — Map (db m312200) WM
In honor of the men and women of Little Compton who served in the World War 1917 - 1919
Almeida, John
Barker, Earl C.
Barker, Everett C.
Brownell, Ralph H.
Burchard, John C.
Carter, Charles E.
Carter, William S. . . . — — Map (db m312042) WM
To commemorate the birthplace of the Rhode Island Red breed of fowl which originated near this location Red fowls were bred extensively by the farmers of this district and later named "Rhode-Island-Reds" and brought into National prominence by the . . . — — Map (db m56093) HM
In this house the British General Prescott was taken prisoner on the night of July 9, 1777 by Lieutenant-Colonel Barton of the Rhode Island Line. — — Map (db m48060) HM
While many Rhode Islanders protested violently against British laws in the 1770s, about half of Newport's population remained loyal to the Crown, including Henry Overing who owned the blue house to the left ans surrounding farm.
Because of . . . — — Map (db m312223) HM
The Newport Restoration Foundation maintains this 40-acre site to provide a glimpse into Aquidneck Island's rural past. The area shaded in green on this map is open to the public from dawn to dusk. The Nichols-Overing house and other buildings . . . — — Map (db m311567) HM
You could not travel far on Aquidneck Island without seeing a windmill in the 1700-1800s.
Lacking the rapid rivers that powered industry elsewhere, coastal Rhode Islanders captured the ocean wind to power gristmills that ground corn and . . . — — Map (db m312231) HM
Imagine this twenty acre fort filled to capacity: 2,400 soldiers here to defend Newport with 468 cannon sited along the most probable attack routes. Though designed to house an imposing force, Fort Adams was normally garrisoned with several . . . — — Map (db m48125) HM
This was the home of Mr. Smith until his death in 1886. As a Real Estate Broker he helped to develop the land along Bellevue Avenue.
This property has been
placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States . . . — — Map (db m223109) HM
Celebrating the founding of Newport, religious liberty and the separation of church and state 1639
It is agreed and ordered that this south west end of the island, shall be called Newport and that the towne shall be built upon . . . — — Map (db m251394) HM
In 1653 settler-colonists laid claim to "Sowams," the ancestral home of the Pokanoket. Though the Pokanoket never relinquished their claim, settler-colonists soon occupied the land, including modern-day Barrington. Among these settler-colonists were . . . — — Map (db m251357) HM
The Bay Islands Park, managed by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, consists of nine sites that extend from Patience Island in the upper bay to Beavertail and Brenton Point overlooking Rhode Island Sound. Each of the nine . . . — — Map (db m48451) HM
In the 1840s, Alfred Smith from Middletown, working as a tailor in New York City, returned to Newport. His clients had been inquiring about real estate in Newport, and Smith intended to capitalize on their interest. He and farmer Joseph Bailey . . . — — Map (db m251311) HM
The Newport Historical Society invites you to Walk Newport's History and discover our city's rich past by exploring its historic buildings and landscape. This self-guided walking tourwith signs scattered throughout Newport's historic . . . — — Map (db m312235) HM
Bells have long been a symbol of significance in maritime history. They are used to note the arrival of notable guests, mark the daily routine aboard naval vessels, and serve as warning signals in the fog. — — Map (db m223194) HM
Fort Adams often was dubbed the country club of the army, especially by those officers and enlisted men who were assigned to it after duty in foreign areas. And its peacetime background was dotted with stories of high society . . . — — Map (db m48233) HM
1. Ferry Increasing numbers of Rhode Islanders board cruise boats and ferries to get out of the Bay. These ferries are reminiscent of the pleasure steamboats that were so common on Narragansett Bay one hundred years ago. 2. Fast . . . — — Map (db m56460) HM
In Honor of Ernest Coggeshall, Jr. 9/2/15 – 4/27/95 Capt. Joseph X. “Jay” OBrien, Jr. 4/21/54 – 12/16/90 Dad, Mom and Family [ Right Side of Monument : ] James Wah Gin Wong 1918 – 1993 Stephen Joseph . . . — — Map (db m48922) HM
Governor Philip W. Noel Lt. Governor J. Joseph Garrahy Director Dennis J. Murphy, Jr. Sen. Erich A. OD. Taylor, President Sen. Robert J. McKenna Mayor Humphrey J. Donnelly, III Committee Chairman James Thomson Douglas Agnes R. Curtis . . . — — Map (db m48973) HM
U.S. army officer, Joseph G. Totten superintended the construction of Fort Adams beginning in 1825. He oversaw all details of construction until 1838, when he was appointed as the first Chief Engineer of the newly created Army Corps of Engineers. [ . . . — — Map (db m48181) HM
This property has been
placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
Captain Phillips Hosue
Built cir 1730
Bought in 1806 by
Samuel Phillips, Mariner
Moved . . . — — Map (db m223237) HM
The late 19th century saw revolutionary changes in both weapons and strategies of defense. Steam powered ships with high velocity naval guns could now bring the walls down and rendered forts obsolete. To remedy the risk, Fort Adams expanded outside . . . — — Map (db m48230) HM
