Aquidneck Island

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About Aquidneck Island

This group is for sharing and discussing photos taken on or of Aquidneck Island.

This Island has been known by other names. The Founders of Portsmouth (Which was actually known as Pocasset in it's early days) called Aquidneck 'Aquiday'. Roger Williams, called it 'Rhode Island' not being sure which Island Giovanni da Verrazzano had described as being shaped like the Greek Island of Rhodes during his explorations of the bay (He in fact thought Block Island was shaped like the island of Rhodes). The result of this mistake was the creation of the state officially named 'Providence Plantations and Rhode Island'. This name came about from the sharing of colonial administration by both Providence and the city of Newport on Aquidneck Island.

Aquidneck and other variations of this name comes from the Narragansett natives the island was bought from.

Aquidneck Island is home to the city of Newport, and the towns of Portsmouth and Middletown. Population of the Island is approximately 60,000, with roughly half living in Newport, the rest more or less evenly divided between Middletown and Portsmouth.

Aquidneck Island is where the first colonial armed resistance to British authorities occurred, with the residents of Newport attacking 3 British vessels starting in the 1760's. Newport's intransigence combined with it's strategic location in the colonies led to it's occupation by the British Army. For 3 years British forces abused the island and it's citizens, devastating the island's economy and environment. Many majestic trees in Newport neck along Ocean drive were felled for firewood as imports ceased during the occupation. These trees were never replaced.

Site's involved in fighting the British navy, from the 1760's up until the British Occupation, are Castle Hill, Rose Island, Fort Wolcott on Goat Island (the fort was demolished in the mid 19th century to make way for the Newport Torpedo Station), Battery Park off Washington Street (Formerly known as Fort Greene. Mostly intact, though the passageway into the fort's munitions hold has been removed. A pity.) There was also a fort at the corner of Thames and Pelham street, the very first fort on the island actually constructed in the mid 17th century. It of course didn't last long with the fast growing commercial center of Colonial Newport.

The Battle of Rhode Island occurred on Aquidneck island, with cannon fire being traded most heavily between American forces on Honeyman hill (this hill is bordered by Wyatt road in the north, Paradise avenue on the east and Valley road to the west) against British forces dug in across Green End pond on Bliss hill. A fierce storm out at sea took a heavy toll on the French fleet in Rhode Island sound meant to assist the American's in liberating Newport. The liberation had to be aborted, and American forces made a fighting retreat to the north of the island before escaping into Tiverton.

Notable battle sites have mostly faded into oblivion. Battles took place at the corner of Union street and west main road, Portsmouth Town center at Bloody brook and the Hessian massacre at Barkers Brook which borders the southern edge of the Carnegie Abbey golf course. Only one fort remains of those involved in the Honeyman hill bombardment. It's located at the end of Vernon Avenue in Newport. This is an earthworks fort, simply a raised berm which was the common cannon emplacement during colonial times. The fort's view is now obstructed of course by trees growing in front of it. The rest of the forts, also earth work types, did not survive the 20th century. with the exception of the redoubt on Butt's Hill, but it is in poor shape and not very recognizable. This fort was directly involved in the Bloody Brook battle.

Two forts in Tonomy hill were lost, one site is now the WW I memorial tower. The Navy took out the fort on Coddington Point. The rest of the small forts were demolished to make way for housing developments.