Rhode Island Forts

American Forts: East

RHODE ISLAND

Last Update: 24/JANUARY/2010

Compiled by Pete Payette - Š2010 American Forts Network

Woonsocket Armory
(unknown), Woonsocket
The RI National Guard Armory had a "dummy" training battery used for coast artillery practice. In 1922 it was officially named Battery Flynn.

Camp Arnold
(1861 - 1862), Pawtucket
A Civil War training camp located in Riding Park that replaced Camp Hallett in Cranston.

Pawtucket Armory
(unknown), Pawtucket
The RI National Guard Armory had a "dummy" training battery used for coast artillery practice. In 1922 it was officially named Battery Gatchell.

Prospect Hill Fort (2)
(1777 - unknown), Providence
A large Patriot fort located near the present-day Roger Williams Memorial on Beacon Hill. Also known as College Hill Fort. It was 300-by-150 feet, with four bastions, moated, mounting 58 guns.

Fox Hill Fort
(1775 - unknown), Providence
A Patriot ten-gun fort. Located near Fox Point on Brooke Street between Wickenden and India Streets. No longer exists.

Nearby were the two circular Patriot Ferry Lane Redoubts.

Fort Sullivan
(1778 - 1780's), Providence
A Patriot fort located at Chestnut and Friendship Streets, near the present-day Johnson and Wales University campus.

Fort Independence
(1775 - 1810's), Providence
Originally Robin Hill Fort, located on Robin Hill, and was once connected by earthworks to Sassafras Hill Fort (1775 - 1810's) on Sassafras Point near the present-day Municipal Wharf. The fort has been restored and is now a park near Vermont and Michigan Aves..

Fort William Henry
(1812 - 1815), Providence
Located at Fields Point. It was once connected by earthworks to Fort Independence and Sassafras Hill Fort. No longer exists.

Old State Arsenal
(1840 - unknown), Providence
A state militia armory located at 176 Benefit Street.

Camp Burnside
(1861), Providence
A Civil War training camp located at the old Dexter Parade Grounds at present-day Dexter, Parade, and Cranston Streets. The Providence Armory is now on the site.

Providence Armory
(unknown), Providence
The RI National Guard Armory on Cranston Street had two "dummy" training batteries used for coast artillery practice. In 1922 they were officially named Battery Crocker (10-inch DC) and Battery Babcock (12-inch mortar).

Newman Garrison
(1674 - 1676), Rumford
A fortified parsonage, once located on the north side of Newman Ave. near Meeting House Pond. It was destroyed during King Philip's War. Rumford was considered part of Massachusetts until 1862.

Old Rehoboth Garrisons
(1674 - 1676), East Providence
Several garrison houses were once here, including Seekonk Garrison. All were destroyed during King Philip's War in 1676, except Seekonk. East Providence was once known as Rehoboth, and was part of Massachusetts until 1862.

Hog Pen Point Fort
(1775 - 1815 ?), East Providence
A Patriot work located on Fort Hill at Bold Point, formerly known as Hog Pen Point. Some earthworks still remain.

Kettle Point Batteries
(1775), East Providence
Several Patriot earthwork batteries were once located here.

Bullock's Point Fort
(1776), Riverside
A large Patriot work at Bullock Point.

Camp Hallett
(1861), Cranston
A Civil War training camp used before Camp Arnold was built in Providence.

Pawtuxet Neck Fort
(1774 - 1780 ?, 1798 - 1800, 1812 - 1815), Pawtuxet Neck
A Patriot earthwork fort with a blockhouse, armed with two 12-pounder guns, later with two 6-pounders. Garrisoned by the Pawtuxet Rangers. Abandoned after the American Revolution. Reactivated during the French - American War. Rebuilt as a stone fort in 1812. Abandoned after the war. Many of the stones and timber were later used to build private homes in the area.
(website and info courtesy of Capt. Ken Gilbert, Pawtuxet Rangers, R.I. State Militia)

Warwick Neck Fort
(Rocky Point Park)
(1776 - 1780's), Warwick
A strong Patriot fort built at Rocky Point to prevent the British from landing here to make a land advance against Providence.

Pumham's Fort
(1644 - 1676), Warwick
A Narragansett Indian fort built by the colonial militia for mutual protection. The site is located near the eastern arm of Greenwich Bay on Paine and Fort Streets, now overgrown.

Fort Daniel
(1770's), East Greenwich
A Patriot nine-gun fort built by the Kentish Guards to prevent the British fleet from entering Greenwich Cove. Exact location undetermined.

East Greenwich Armory
(unknown), East Greenwich
The RI National Guard Armory had a "dummy" training battery used for coast artillery practice. In 1922 it was officially named Battery Mosher.

Nayatt Point Fort
(1776 - 1780's), Nayatt
A Patriot fort or battery was once located here. The nearby Nayatt Point Lighthouse was built in 1856.

Another Patriot fort was located nearby in Barrington, or this may be a reference to the same fort.

Burr's Hill Fort
(1778 - 1781), Warren
A Patriot work erected on Burr Hill after the British attacked the town in 1778.

King Philip's Fort
(1660's - 1675), Mount Hope, Bristol
The main village of the Pokanoket Indians, serving as Metacom's (King Philip's) stronghold. The colonials drove out the Indians in 1675, and built a temporary fort, Mount Hope Fort, which lasted only about one month. (There is a Fort Hill on the north side of town.)

Popasquash Point Fort
(1776 - 1780's), Bristol
A Patriot six-gun battery was once located here on the western side of Bristol Harbor.

Fort Leverett
(1675), North Tiverton (or Fall River, MA)
Built by the colonial militia near Pocasset Swamp. Exact location undetermined.
(see also MASSACHUSETTS page 4)

Fort Barton
(1776 - 1781), Tiverton
A Patriot redoubt that still exists near Highland Road. Originally named Tiverton Heights Fort. Staging area for the August 1778 Battle of Rhode Island. An observation tower and several markers are located at the site.

Bristol Mud Battery
(1776), Bristol
A Patriot breastwork that protected the ferry. Located near Hope and Church Streets.

Bristol Gun House
(1808), Bristol
A Federal/state armory was proposed for this location to store 10 cannon on traveling carriages for use in times of crisis. If built, location undetermined.

(see page 2 for colonial defenses of Newport - Narragansett Bay)

(see page 3 for modern defenses of Newport - Narragansett Bay)

Quidnessett Fort
(1776 - 1780's), North Quidnessett
A Patriot fort was once located here.

Camp Endicott
(Davisville Naval Construction Training Center)
(1942 - 1994), near Davisville
A Naval Construction Battalion (Seabees) Training Center located north of Quonset Point, on 475 acres annexed from the Navy's Advance Base Depot Davisville. This is the location where the ubiquitous "Quonset Hut" was invented. Today there are no visible remains, mostly demolished in 1999 - 2000. Portions of the former Navy base are now being redeveloped by the state.

Nearby was Camp Thomas (1942 - 1946), the Navy's Advance Base Depot Receiving Barracks, located on 142 acres in the northeast corner of NCTC Davisville. No remains.

Camp Dyer
(1898), North Kingstown
A Spanish-American War state muster camp at Quonset Point. This site was already in use as the state's National Guard annual summer encampment. The site was later incorporated into the Quonset Point Naval Air Station (1941 - 1974), now the Quonset State Airport. The Quonset Aviation Museum (opened 1992) is here, a working museum inside the last remaining brick hangar on the East Coast. The RI Air National Guard still uses a portion of the former base.

Camp Beeckman
(1917), North Kingstown
A state National Guard mobilization center at Quonset Point.

Smith's Castle
(1637 - 1676), Cocumscussoc
A garrison and trading post built just north of Roger Williams' original trading post. Richard Smith, Sr. died in 1666, bequeathing the house to his son, Richard Jr.. This was the base of operations for colonial troops against the Narragansett and Wampanoag Indians during "The Great Swamp Fight" of 1675. It was destroyed by the Indians in 1676, and rebuilt as a plantation house in 1678. The much altered house is now a museum, located at 55 Richard Smith Drive. It was fully restored in 1996.

Roger Williams' Trading Post
(1636 - 1651), Wickford
Roger Williams' first trading post established in the colony. He sold out in 1651 to Richard Smith, Sr.. The blockhouse was destroyed during King Philip's War in 1676. Located on the west side of US 1 just south of Smith's Castle.

Wickford Fort
(1776 - 1780's), Wickford
A Patriot fort was once located here.

Bonnet Point Fort
(1776 ?, 1777 - 1860's, intermittent), Bonnet Shores
Also known as Bonnet Point Battery, this elliptical work was used during the American Revolution by both Patriots and British. It may have also been known as Boston Neck Fort, a Patriot fort originally located here, or nearby (?), in 1776. Bonnet Point Battery was rebuilt during the War of 1812 and the Civil War. It still exists. A WWII observation tower is also still here.

Queen's Fort
(1675), Exeter
Indian survivors of "The Great Swamp Fight", which was near West Kingston, took refuge here. This was a stronghold of the Narragansett Indians. The ruins of the semi-circular bastion consist of a low wall of rocks on a hilltop. The site was never discovered by the colonial militia during King Philip's War.

Canonchet's Fort
(Great Swamp State Wildlife Management Area)
(1675), West Kingston
A Narraganset Indian fortified village in the Great Swamp. Somewhere between 100 and 340 Indians were massacred here by the colonial militia in the "Great Swamp Fight" (December 1675). The 1906 granite monument for the fort and battle is located about one mile or so north of the presumed actual site on Great Neck.

Jireh Bull's Garrison
(1675), South Kingstown
A stone house once located on Tower Hill on the west side of Middle Bridge Road, along Pettaquamscutt Cove. It was destroyed during King Philip's War, days before the "Great Swamp Fight", and was rebuilt in 1684. The site was excavated in 1918. Surrounded by private property.

Point Judith Fort
(1775 - unknown), Point Judith
A Patriot fort was once located here along with the first lighthouse. In 1818 it was reported as a six-gun fort. It was abandoned by the 1850's. The present Point Judith Lighthouse was built in 1857, replacing the earlier 1816 and 1810 towers.

Fort Ninigret (park) ? ?
(1510's ?, 1637 ?), Charlestown
Used by the Niantic Indians, possibly as a defense against white settlers or Pequot Indians. Originally this was an early European fort (name unknown) as evidenced by its military architecture, presumed to have been Dutch. Scholars continue to dispute the nationality of the original builders. The present name was probably given in 1676 when this land became part of the Wampanoag/Narragansett Indian Reservation after King Philip's War concluded. The preserved site on Fort Neck has been a park since 1883 when the Indian reservation was disestablished by the state. European military artifacts were found nearby in 1921.
See also Fort Ninigret - A Portuguese Fort by Dr. Manuel Luciano da Silva (1971)

Westerly Armory
(unknown), Westerly
The RI National Guard Armory had a "dummy" training battery used for coast artillery practice. In 1922 it was officially named Battery Merrill (6-inch DC).

Noyes' Neck Fort
(1776 - 1780's), Weekapaug
A Patriot fort or battery was once here.

Watch Hill Fort
(1776 - 1780's), Watch Hill
A Patriot fort or battery was once here.

¤ COAST and HARBOR DEFENSES of EASTERN LONG ISLAND SOUND (partial)

¤ Fort Mansfield
(1898 - 1917), Watch Hill
Located on Napatree Point. It was a subpost of Fort H.G. Wright on Fishers Island, NY. Batteries here are Battery Wooster (1901 - 1917), Battery Crawford (1901 - 1917), and Battery Connell (1901 - 1917), which is submerged in the surf zone due to a hurricane in 1938. A fire-control tower no longer remains.

¤ Oaks Inn Military Reservation
(1942 - 1944), near Avondale
Site of a four-gun 155mm gun battery on Panama mounts, with barracks (no remains). Battery 114 was to be built here. The Panama mounts still existed until the site was bulldozed for residential development in 2008.
(thanks to Chris Zeeman of the Coast Defense Study Group for info on present-day status)

¤ ALSO: Additional fire-control towers in Rhode Island associated with HD Long Island Sound were located at Block Island (three remain), Green Hill (gone), Charlestown Beach (one remains), and at Weekapaug Point (gone).

NEED MORE INFO: Blockhouse Lane in Little Compton, near Brown Point; Fort Hill in Bristol; Stony Fort Road north of Kingston.

Information on the forts and garrison houses during King Philip's War was gathered from "King Philip's War: The History and Legacy of America's Forgotton Conflict" by Eric Schultz and Michael Tougias, 1999 The Countryman Press.

Colonial Narragansett Bay - page 2 | Modern Narragansett Bay - page 3

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