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
On Beavertail Road south of Clarkes Village Road, on the left when traveling south.
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
On Fort Wetherill Road, on the left when traveling south.
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
On Beavertail Road south of Clarkes Village Road, on the left when traveling south.
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
On Narragansett Avenue east of North Road, on the left when traveling east.
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
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
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
On Beavertail Road, on the right when traveling south.
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 designed . . . — — Map (db m56457) HM
On Beavertail Road south of Clarkes Village Road, on the left when traveling south.
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
On Beavertail Road south of Clarkes Village Road, on the left when traveling south.
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
Near Beavertail Road south of Clarkes Village Road, on the left when traveling south.
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
On Beavertail Road south of Clarkes Village Road, on the left when traveling south.
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 m88640) HM
On Beavertail Road south of Clarkes Village Road, on the left when traveling south.
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
On Fort Wetherill Road, on the right when traveling east.
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