Fort Wetherill State Park

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Fort Wetherill State Park
Rhode Island State Park
Fort wetherill4.JPG
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  United States
StateFlag of Rhode Island.svg  Rhode Island
County Newport
Town Jamestown
Elevation66 ft (20 m) [1]
Coordinates 41°28′46″N71°21′54″W / 41.47944°N 71.36500°W / 41.47944; -71.36500 Coordinates: 41°28′46″N71°21′54″W / 41.47944°N 71.36500°W / 41.47944; -71.36500   [1]
Area61.5 acres (25 ha)
Established1972
ManagementRhode Island Department of Environmental Management Division of Parks & Recreation
USA Rhode Island location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in Rhode Island
Website: Fort Wetherill State Park

Fort Wetherill State Park is a public recreation area occupying 61.5 acres (24.9 ha) at the southeastern tip of Conanicut Island in the town of Jamestown, Rhode Island. The state park sits on the East Passage of Narragansett Bay opposite Fort Adams State Park. From 1901 through World War II, Fort Wetherill and Fort Adams were part of a string of coastal defenses designed to protect the bay's entrance points. The Fort Wetherill battery and training camp were acquired by the State of Rhode Island from the United States in 1972. [2] The park is used for sightseeing, scuba diving, picnicking, boating, fishing, and hiking. [3]

Conanicut Island island in the United States of America

Conanicut Island is the second largest island in Narragansett Bay in the US state of Rhode Island. It is connected on the east by the Claiborne Pell Bridge to Newport on Aquidneck Island, and on the west by the Jamestown-Verrazano Bridge to North Kingstown on the mainland. The island comprises the town of Jamestown, Rhode Island. The United States Census Bureau reported a land area of 24.46 km2 (9.44 sq mi) and a population of 5,622 as of the 2000 census.

New England town Basic unit of local government in each of the six New England federated states of the United States

The New England town, generally referred to simply as a town in New England, is the basic unit of local government and local division of state authority in each of the six New England states and without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states. New England towns overlay the entire area of a state, similar to civil townships in other states where they exist, but they are fully functioning municipal corporations, possessing powers similar to cities in other states. New Jersey's system of equally powerful townships, boroughs, towns, and cities is the system which is most similar to that of New England. New England towns are often governed by a town meeting legislative body. The great majority of municipal corporations in New England are based on the town model; statutory forms based on the concept of a compact populated place are uncommon, though they are prevalent elsewhere in the U.S. County government in New England states is typically weak at best, and in some states nonexistent. Connecticut, for example, has no county governments, nor does Rhode Island. Both of those states retain counties only as geographic subdivisions with no governmental authority, while Massachusetts has abolished eight of fourteen county governments so far. With few exceptions, counties serve mostly as dividing lines for the states' judicial systems.

Jamestown, Rhode Island Town in Rhode Island, United States

Jamestown is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island in the United States. The population was 5,405 at the 2010 census. Jamestown is situated almost entirely on Conanicut Island, the second largest island in Narragansett Bay. It also includes the uninhabited Dutch Island and Gould Island. Jamestown is ranked as the 444th wealthiest place to live in the United States as of 2016, with a median home sale price of $1,229,039.

Related Research Articles

Fort Adams

Fort Adams is a former United States Army post in Newport, Rhode Island that was established on July 4, 1799 as a First System coastal fortification, named for President John Adams who was in office at the time. Its first commander was Captain John Henry who was later instrumental in starting the War of 1812. The current Fort Adams was built 1824–57 under the Third System of coastal forts; it is part of Fort Adams State Park today.

Misquamicut State Beach

Misquamicut State Beach is a seaside public recreation area in the town of Westerly, Rhode Island. It occupies a portion of Misquamicut Beach, a 3-mile-long (4.8 km) barrier island that extends westward from Weekapaug to Watch Hill and separates Winnapaug Pond from the Atlantic Ocean. The state beach covers 51 acres (21 ha) and features a large beach pavilion with multiple public facilities.

Dutch Island (Rhode Island) island in the United States of America

Dutch Island is an island lying west of Conanicut Island at an entrance to Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island, United States. It is part of the town of Jamestown, Rhode Island, and has a land area of 0.4156 km². It was uninhabited as of the United States Census, 2000. The island was fortified from the American Civil War through World War II and was known as Fort Greble from 1898 to 1947.

Beavertail State Park

Beavertail State Park is a public recreation area encompassing 153 acres (62 ha) at the southern end of Conanicut Island in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. The state park's main attraction is the active Beavertail Lighthouse, the current tower of which dates from 1856. During World War II, the park area was part of Fort Burnside, one of several coastal fortifications designed to protect Narragansett Bay. The park's scenic shoreline offers hiking, picnicking, and saltwater fishing.

Brenton Point State Park state park of Rhode Island, United States

Brenton Point State Park is a public recreation area occupying 89 acres (36 ha) at the southwestern tip of Aquidneck Island in the town of Newport, Rhode Island. The state park offers wide vistas of the Atlantic Ocean where it meets Narragansett Bay. The park lies adjacent to the Newport Country Club, part of Newport's Ocean Drive Historic District. It is managed by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Parks and Recreation, and is overseen by the staff at nearby Fort Adams State Park.

Fort Adams State Park

Fort Adams State Park is a public recreation and historic area preserving Fort Adams, a large coastal fortification located at the harbor mouth in Newport, Rhode Island, that was active from 1841 through the first half of the 20th century. The state park hosts the annual Newport Jazz Festival and Newport Folk Festival and is the home of Sail Newport and Eisenhower House.

Colt State Park

Colt State Park is public open space that occupies 464 acres (188 ha) on Poppasquash Neck in the township of Bristol, Rhode Island, once owned by industrialist Samuel P. Colt. The park is a major component of the Poppasquash Farms Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a stop on the East Bay Bike Path. The park includes trails, picnic groves, boat ramps, an observation tower, and an open air Chapel-by-the-Sea.

Fort Wetherill

Fort Wetherill is a former coast artillery fort that occupies the southern portion of the eastern tip of Conanicut Island in Jamestown, Rhode Island. It sits atop high granite cliffs, overlooking the entrance to Narragansett Bay. Fort Dumpling from the American Revolutionary War occupied the site until it was built over by Fort Wetherill. Wetherill was deactivated and turned over to the State of Rhode Island after World War II and is now operated as Fort Wetherill State Park, a 51-acre (210,000 m2) reservation managed by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

Burlingame State Park

Burlingame State Park and Campground is a public recreation area located in the town of Charlestown, Rhode Island. The state park's 3,100 acres (1,300 ha) offer camping, hiking, and water activities on Watchaug Pond.

Scarborough Beach (Rhode Island)

Scarborough State Beach is a public recreation area fronting the Atlantic Ocean in the town of Narragansett, Rhode Island. The state park occupies 60 acres (24 ha) comprising two units located at 870 and 970 Ocean Road. The beach offers saltwater bathing, picnicking, observation tower, and boardwalk.

Lincoln Woods State Park

Lincoln Woods State Park is a public recreation area covering 627 acres (254 ha) around Olney Pond four miles (6.4 km) northwest of Pawtucket in the town of Lincoln, Rhode Island. The state park is known for its giant glacial boulders and the stony nature of its terrain which prevented most of the parkland from being used as farmland or for other development.

Fishermens Memorial State Park

Fishermen's Memorial State Park is a public recreation area and campground encompassing 91 acres (37 ha) on Point Judith in the town of Narragansett, Rhode Island. The state park occupies a portion of the former Fort Nathaniel Greene, named after Rhode Island native and Revolutionary War general Nathaniel Greene.

Goddard Memorial State Park

Goddard Memorial State Park is a public recreation area occupying 490 acres (200 ha) along the shores of Greenwich Cove and Greenwich Bay in Warwick, Rhode Island. The state park grounds were once the estate of Civil War officer and Rhode Island politician Robert Goddard, whose children gave the land to the state in 1927 as a memorial to their father. The park features a nine-hole golf course, an equestrian area with 18 miles (29 km) of bridle trails, swimming beach, canoeing area, picnicking facilities, game fields, and a performing arts center.

Haines Memorial State Park

Haines Memorial State Park is public recreation area in the town of Barrington on the northeastern side of Narragansett Bay, six miles (9.7 km) south of East Providence, Rhode Island. The state park offers picnicking, play fields, fishing and boating facilities, and is a stop on the East Bay Bike Path.

Charlestown Breachway State Beach

Charlestown Breachway State Beach is a seaside public recreation area on Block Island Sound in the town of Charlestown, Rhode Island. Located on the east side of the manmade channel that connects Ninigret Pond with the Atlantic Ocean, the area offers 75 camping sites for self-contained RVs, ocean swimming, beach activities, salt-water fishing, and a boat launch.

East Beach State Beach

East Beach or East State Beach is a seaside public recreation area on Quonochontaug Neck, the narrow barrier island that separates Block Island Sound and Ninigret Pond, in the town of Charlestown, Rhode Island. The state beach encompasses three miles (4.8 km) of oceanfront and abuts Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge. The area offers a 20-unit seasonal campground, salt-water fishing, ocean swimming, and beach activities.

East Matunuck State Beach

East Matunuck State Beach is a public recreation area encompassing 144 acres (58 ha) on the shore of Block Island Sound in the town of South Kingstown, Rhode Island. The state beach offers picnicking, ocean swimming, and beach activities.

Roger Wheeler State Beach

Roger W. Wheeler State Beach is a public recreation area covering 27 acres (11 ha) on Block Island Sound in the town of Narragansett, Rhode Island. The area offers picnicking, ocean swimming, and a playground.

Salty Brine State Beach

Salty Brine State Beach is a public recreation area occupying slightly more than one acre (0.40 ha) of ocean shore in the village of Galilee, town of Narragansett, Rhode Island. Established in 1954 as Galilee State Beach, it was renamed in 1990 to honor broadcaster Salty Brine. The area offers ocean swimming and saltwater fishing. A 2,800-square-foot (260 m2) beach pavilion and boardwalk were added to the facility in 2010.

Harbor Defenses of Narragansett Bay

The Harbor Defenses of Narragansett Bay was a United States Army Coast Artillery Corps harbor defense command. It coordinated the coast defenses of Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island from 1895 to 1950, beginning with the Endicott program. These included both coast artillery forts and underwater minefields. The command originated circa 1895 as an Artillery District, was renamed Coast Defenses of Narragansett Bay in 1913, and again renamed Harbor Defenses of Narragansett Bay in 1925.

References

  1. 1 2 "Fort Wetherill State Park". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey.
  2. "Fort Wetherill State Park History". State of Rhode Island Division of Parks & Recreation. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  3. "Fort Wetherill State Park". State of Rhode Island Division of Parks & Recreation. Retrieved August 26, 2014.