USA > Rhode Island > Picturesque Rhode Island : pen and pencil sketches of the scenery and history its cities, towns, and hamlets, and of men who have made them famous > Part 18
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The approach of these troops caused the greatest alarm among the people of the new settlement. The women and children fled for refuge to the neighboring woods ; the men hastily fortified one of their strongest dwellings and there, "as men prepared for slaughter," awaited the attack of the assailing party. Negotiations looking toward a peaceful settlement of difficulties having failed, the cattle of the besieged were seized and an assault upon the improvised fortress was begun. Thereupon a strange spectacle was presented to view. As English citizens, the men of Warwick hung an English flag from one of their upper windows. Immediately it was riddled with bullets from English muskets. The assaulting troops, knowing well that no aid would come to the relief of the beleaguered garrison, entrenched themselves, and opened a regular system of approaches. For several days the siege lasted, and all the time the Gortonoges, acting solely upon the defensive, did not fire a shot. On the 8th of October, the
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works approached so near the house that an attempt was made to set it on fire. It failed, but the determined assailants were not to be baffled, and immediately sent back to Massachusetts for more troops. The Gortonists saw that unless they surrendered a bloody conflict must ensne, and that death would surely come to them, either among the ruins of their house, or else upon the scaffold under cover of the law. Wisely, they surrendered, and were at once carried to Boston as prisoners and placed on trial for their lives.
The courage of most men would have given way under such a combination of circumstances, but the untamable spirit of Gorton was not daunted even by the desperate strait in which he found himself. In his Simplicities' Defence he taunts his captors with the extent of their triumph - " a whole county to carry away eleven men." Not in the slightest degree did he moderate the harsh epithets he was accustomed to apply to his adversaries, and the result was that all but three of the magistrates who sat in judgment upon him united in condemning him to death. To the credit of the Bay Colony it is re- corded that the majority of the House of Deputies refused to sanction the barbarous decree. (It should be borne steadily in mind all the while that the crime of which Gorton was accused was " heresy.") The sentence was therefore modified, and Gorton and six others were ordered to be confined in chains during the pleasure of the court. " Should they break jail, or in any way proclaim heresy, or reproach the Church or State, then upon conviction they should suffer death." In the course of a year after the sentence was carried into effect public opinion had changed to such an extent that the prisoners were given their liberty, but sent away into banishment. The island of Aquidneck having received most of them, found that the bitter expe- rience they had passed through had left its trace upon them, and had made them much better and less quarrelsome citizens. Gorton him- self soon afterwards went to England, and through his efforts he and his partisans were at last placed in quiet possession of the lands they had purchased. The name Warwick was given to the town in honor of the great earl through whose influence Gorton's mission was at last successful. When at last, by the Royal Charter, the jurisdiction of Rhode Island was extended over Shawomet, a wonderful change came over the cavilling Gortonoges. "Their rigid adherence to all the forms of law, as well as to its spirit, was no less remarkable than had been their previous neglect. The charter supplied their theo- retical wants, and devotion to its letter and spirit marked all their
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subsequent conduct." Gorton himself settled down into a peaceful, quiet and law-abid- ing citizen, and his great abilities soon secured for him the leading position in the colony. He lived for thirty years after the events that have just been narrated, and died in 1677. Says his bi- ographer : " The exact spot where his ashes repose, is marked by no pious stone or The Restaurant. monumental marble. Yet, if without other honors, may it at least ever be their privilege to sleep beneath the green sward of a free state."
The history of the town that was founded more than two hundred years ago, amid such turmoil and strife, is peculiarly rich in roman- tic incident. Many a noble son it has sent forth from its borders to win distinction and honor for himself and it. Of one such man the fame is national - that one who was second only to Washington in the ability displayed upon many a bloody field during the gloomy days of the American Revolution. While the Union he did so much to perfect shall last, the name of Nathaniel Greene shall not cease to be cherished and held in veneration.
Many a stirring deed also, has the old town witnessed. Upon Gaspee (then called Namquit) Point it was that the British armed schooner "Gaspee" ran aground on the ninth day of June, 1772. What Rhode Islander is not familiar with the story of the vessel's destruction ! The "Gaspee" had been stationed in the bay to prevent smug- gling. Her commander had discharged his duty with needless severity and with an entire disregard of the rights of the colonists. One day, while chasing a sloop The Flying Horses. up the bay, the man-of-war
30
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ran aground. The " chase" escaped and announced in Providence the condition of its would-be captor. Immediately a drummer went through the streets of the town proclaiming the situation of the hated vessel, and calling for volunteers to destroy her. It was not difficult to find men ready to engage in such an expedition. At nightfall eight long boats, with muffled oars to enable them to reach the enemy unperceived, started down the bay. As they approached the "Gas- pee " they were joined by another boat from Bristol, under the com- mand of Capt. Simeon Potter. The approach of the boats was after a while perceived by the people upon the schooner, who dis- charged at them a volley of musketry. The assailants promptly returned the fire and dashed forward to board the vessel. The com- bat which followed was short but decisive. The English commander was wounded, his vessel was captured, set on fire, and entirely destroyed. Without any attempt at concealment the victorious party rowed joyfully homeward. For information which might lead to the conviction of those who had participated in the affair the British gov- ernment offered a reward of £1,000. Almost every one in Provi- dence and Bristol was familiar with some of the attacking party, yet no one of any character in Rhode Island could be found to testify against them. The blood of Lieutenant Duddingston was the first British blood shed in the contest which resulted in the independence of America. The effect of the destruction of the "Gaspee " was felt throughout the length and breadth of the American Colonies, and the wave which closed over the charred timbers of the burning vessel swept onward, gathering might, across the ocean, until at last it broke with irresistible fury against the rocky coasts of the British Isles.
On the shores of Warwick are many of the most noted summer resorts upon Narragansett Bay. Of these, Rocky Point is the best known and the most picturesque. It is situated about twelve miles from the city of Providence, and was first opened to the public by Captain Winslow in 1847, who in that year purchased the property and began to carry excursionists to it in a steamboat. During his ownership, Captain Winslow spent nearly the whole income of the place in improvements. He sold it, at last, to Byron Sprague for $60,000. Mr. Sprague still further improved it, spending about $300,000, and in 1869 sold it to the American Steamboat Company. The Continental Steamboat Company, the present owners, are their successors. The hotel has accommodations for three hundred boarders, and the dining-hall for shore-dinners will seat 1,500 per-
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sons. The grounds are ample and the means of enjoyment many, comprising a bathing-beach, a large dance-hall, a summer theatre, an observatory, swings, flying horses, etc. Shore-dinners are served every day during the summer.
Oakland Beach, about two miles southwest from Rocky Point, at the extremity of the peninsula of Horse Neck, is on Cowesett, or
Oakland Beach.
Greenwich Bay. Compared to Rocky Point this resort is new, having been first opened in 1873. It has a fine hotel, and the grounds are well laid out. On these grounds it is proposed to hold the annual encampment of the Rhode Island State Militia. The Warwick Railroad, a branch of the Providence and Stonington, which forms a junction with the main line in the southeastern part of the town of Cranston, has its terminus at Oakland Beach. It was opened in 1874, discontinued in 1876, and remained idle for a number of years. It is at present running under the management of the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad.
Buttonwood Beach is a large stretch of shore on the north side of Greenwich Bay which has always been a noted resort for clam-bakes. In 1871 the Buttonwood Beach Association purchased a tract of land at the eastern end of this beach, erected a large hotel, and laid out their land in cottage-lots, many of which are now occupied by taste- ful structures of the style of the Martha's Vineyard cottages. Directly across Greenwich Bay, to the southward from the Buttonwoods, lies Pottowomut Neck, a part of Warwick which is occupied by farms and summer residences.
Apponaug, at the head of the river of that name (which is an inlet
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from Greenwich Bay), is a small manufacturing and fishing village, on the line of the Providence and Stonington Railroad. As early as 1690, a fulling mill was erected here. This mill was kept in opera- tion until within sixty or seventy years, but whether uninterruptedly from its first establishment in the place, is unknown. Permission was given by the General Assembly, in 1796, for the erection of a tide-mill ; the power thus obtained, with that derived from the stream that flowed into the inlet, was used at first for running grist and saw mills, and eventually some small cotton and woolen factories. The principal industrial establishment in the place at present is the Orien- tal Print Works, one of the largest concerns of the kind in the State. Ship-building was at one time carried on in Apponaug, and also a brisk trade with neighboring parts. Fond dreams were indulged in by its. inhabitants of the future importance of the place, and one individual declared that "Apponaug will yet be bigger than London."
The Pawtuxet River flows through a portion of Warwick. On both of its branches are many reservoirs for the storage of the superabundant spring waters. The water thus stored up is not suffi- cient to last through a very dry season, but in ordinary cases it ren- ders effectual aid to the thirsty mills. For the town is no longer devoted to agriculture, as in olden days. It has become one of the great manufacturing centres of the State, and very many factory vil- lages have grown up within its borders. In some of these villages the owners of the mills are also the owners of the tenement-houses which cluster about them. The great store, with its miscellaneous assortment of groceries, dry goods, hardware and crockery, in many cases likewise belongs to " the corporation." The earliest attempt to manufacture cotton goods in this part of the State was made in Centreville in the year 1794. The second cotton-mill in the country is said to have been erected in that village during that year.
During the early part of the present century most of the estab- lishments here located were started. Since the war of the Rebellion few new cotton-mills have been erected, but many of the old factories have been very greatly enlarged. One of the most noted of the early manufacturers was Dr. Stephen Harris. He was one of the original members of the Greene Manufacturing Company, which . began the manufacture of cotton at what is now the village of River Point, in 1813. In 1818 the business came under Dr. Harris' exclusive control, and from that time has been steadily prosperous. Two more
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ALBedwell Des
The Falls at Washington Village, Coventry.
mills were built, and many changes and improvements made by Dr. Harris, as his pecuniary means increased. "The tract of land which in 1798 was taxed for $800, and for which he subsequently paid about $2,500, he saw taxed, with its improvements, before he died for $190,000." Dr. Harris died Oct. 10, 1858, aged 72. His heirs still carry on his business under the name of the Greene Manufacturing Company. The Hon. Simon Henry Greene, a grandson of Col. Chris- topher Greene, of revolutionary fame, was the successful conductor of a business, which, from small beginnings, has attained to consider- able proportions. In 1828, in company with Edward Pike, he began the bleaching business, on the lowest water privilege on the north branch of the river. The firm subsequently engaged in calico print- ing. After Mr. Pike's death the interest of his heirs in the business was purchased by Mr. Greene, by whom and his sons the business has been continued until the present time, under the name of the Clyde Print Works and Bleachery.
In the year 1741 the town of Warwick had become sufficiently
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populous to render its division advisable. On the 21st of August, in that year, the western part was set off and incorporated into a new town, under the name of Coventry. The area of the portion thus incorporated was fifty-eight square miles. In the original town only forty-four square miles were left. The new town, however, was much more sparsely settled than the old, and has always continued to be so. In 1748 the population was 792, while at the same date that of Warwick was 1,782. The population of Coventry in 1880 was 4,520 ; of Warwick, 12,167.
The greater portion of this township is rugged and hilly, though some parts are quite level and fertile. Flat River, the name which the south branch of the Pawtuxet receives in the first part of its course, for more than six miles beyond Washington does not fall more than sixteen inches to the mile. From this fact it derives its name. West of Washington Village, and south of the river, the land is low and marshy ; here are located some of the largest reservoirs for the storage of water. Further west, along the line of the New York and New England Railroad, are extensive granite ledges. One is known as Nipmuc, and is situated a short distance from the rail- road station of that name. Another is located between Coventry Centre and Summit stations. Summit obtains its name from the fact that it is on the ridge between the water-sheds of the Flat River and the Moosup, a tributary of the Thames. A small stream, which here issues from a ledge, divides into two streamlets, and one reaches the sea through Narragansett Bay, and the other through the Thames River in Connecticut.
Carbuncle Hill, in the northwestern part of Coventry, near the Connecticut border, is a natural curiosity, with which are connected some Indian legends. Tradition says that the Indians in its neigh- borhood had once in their possession a valuable carbuncle. The settlers desiring to obtain this gem, resorted to many expedients, but without success. Fearing that the white men might accomplish their purpose, the Indians buried the jewel in the pond near by, which is known by the name of Carbuncle Pond.
Before the Revolutionary War an anchor forge stood on the south branch of the Pawtuxet, between the present villages of Anthony and Quidnick. At what time the working of iron was begun here is unknown. Arnold, in his History of Rhode Island, states that "James Greene and others petitioned for the right to place a dam across the south branch of Pawtuxet River in the town of War-
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wick, and to erect works thereupon for the refining of iron." This was in April, 1741, before the incorporation of Coventry. No doubt the anchor forge was afterwards built near the locality mentioned. Gen. Nathaniel Greene, in company with his brother, here engaged in business just before the Revolution.
The town of EAST GREENWICH was founded, not like Provi- dence, Newport and Warwick, by fugitives from persecution for opinion's sake, but by a deliberate act of legislation. At the session of the General Assembly held in Newport, May, 1677, it was
" Ordered that a certain tract of land in some convenient place in the Narragansett country, shall be laid forth into one hundred acre shares, with the house lots, for the accommodation of so many of the inhabitants of this colony as stand in need of land, and the Gen- eral Assembly shall judge fit to be supplied.
" In pursuance of said act of the General Assembly, this present court do enact and declare, that the said tract of land be forthwith laid forth to contain five thousand acres, which shall be divided as follows ; five hundred acres to be laid in some place near the sea, as commodious as may be for a town, which said five hundred acres shall be divided into fifty house lots, and the remainder of said five thousand acres, being four thousand five hundred acres, shall be divided into fifty equal shares, or great divisions, and that each person hereafter named and admitted by this Assembly, to land in the said tract, shall have and enjoy to him and his heirs and assigns forever, in manner and form and under the conditions hereafter expressed, one of the said house lots and one great division, containing in the whole one hundred acres."
Then follows a list of forty-eight names of persons to whom this tract was granted in consideration of services rendered during King Philip's War, who thus became the proprietors of the town and founders of the new settlement of East Greenwich, this being the name which by act of legislature it was to be known. Farther legis- lation in regard to its settlement extended to very minute details.
The early settlers expected great things of the town. They antici- pated, in view of its excellent harbor, that it would become a place of great commercial importance, and that its healthful location would attract thither many in search of homes. The liberality with which they laid out the streets shows that they meant that it should be worthy of its future greatness. The names which they bestowed upon them,
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King, Queen, Marlboro, Duke, London, etc., are proofs of their loyalty to the mother country. Main Street is sixty feet wide, as are also some of the cross streets. The town is situated on an arm of a bay of the same name, which is itself an arm of Narragansett Bay. Its harbor is almost land-locked, and affords safe anchorage from storms which may visit the outer bay. The entrance to it is clear of sand-bars and rocks, so that it is easy of access, and its shores rise abruptly, giving sufficient depth of water to float large vessels. According to its local historian, the climate is healthful, and so mild that a number of delicate plants live out-doors during the entire win- ter, which in other places in the same latitude can only be preserved under cover.
In the year 1709 the town purchased a tract of land adjoining its western border, containing 35,000 acres. Until 1740 the township extended from the bay on the east to Connecticut on the west. In that year it was divided into two parts which have ever since been called East and West Greenwich. On the 15th of June, 1750, the General Assembly formed a new county of the southern part of Providence County, comprising the towns of Warwick, Coventry, East and West Greenwich. It received the name Kent, and East Greenwich was selected to be the county-town, much to the disgust of Warwick, which craved the honor. It was also made a port of entry.
The first collector was Thomas Arnold, formerly an officer in the Revolutionary army. At the battle of Monmouth he lost a leg, and its place was supplied by a wooden one. At that time the town carried on quite an extensive trade with the Dutch colony of Surinam. The officers of the vessels belonging to the trade seem to have been possessed with the common delusion that it is no sin to cheat the government, and generally managed to enter the harbor during the night and smuggle taxable articles ashore before morning, the col- lector never venturing out in the night on account of his infirmity. At one time a vessel was obliged to stay outside until morning on account of the fog. Its officers, at a loss how to outwit the collector in broad daylight, invoked the aid of his son, by whose connivance his wooden leg disappeared and could not be found until all articles on board the vessel, subject to duties, were safe beyond the reach of custom-house officers. A part of the collector's duty was to issue licenses for the sale of spirituous liquors, the revenue from which helped to fill the treasury of the general government.
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EAST GREENWICH.
At the beginning of the Revolution, a Mr. Upton came from Nantucket and set up the first man- ufacturing establish- ment of the town. It was a pottery, and stood on the corner of King and Marl- boro streets. The articles made in it were of coarse ma- terial and very rude in form. The clay used was obtained from Gould's Mount, in Quidnesett, where it is still found in great quantities. At the close of the war Mr. Upton returned to Nantucket, and his short-lived un- dertaking came to an end.
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The record of first undertakings is always interesting. East Greenwich has the honor to have printed the first cal- ico in America. Some time previous to 1794, a man nam- ed Dawson erected print-works, and carried on the busi- ness. The material used was linen, spun
A View of East Greenwich from the Water.
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and woven in the families of the town. " A calico, or as it was then called, a chintz dress, was at that time a rare and costly article, and ranked as high in the scale of fashion as the silks and velvets do now. . Every family made their own cloth, and then carried it to the printing establishment to be printed, each person selecting their own pattern and colors. The patterns were very neat and pretty, and the colors remarkably brilliant."
The first establishment in the country for the manufacture of woolen cards was located at East Greenwich, in the dwelling-house opposite the Updike house. During the Revolution, saltpetre and wire were manufactured in the town. Previous to the year 1800 there were several tanneries in existence.
The first cotton-mill within the limits of the township was Til- linghast's Factory, situated on a small stream at the head of Hunt's River. It is now owned by Mr. Moon. It was built about the year 1812. Green's Dale Bleachery was built by the East Greenwich Manufacturing Company in company with some private individuals. It was situated on the Maskerchugg, but operated by steam. It was used at first as a bleachery, but after it came into the possession of Mr. George J. Adams it was converted into an establishment for printing mouseline de laine. These were so elegant in material, design, and color, that they were readily imposed upon the public, which saw no reason for doubting the genuineness of the labels, as of French make. Mr. Adams afterwards removed his business to Taunton, but for some reason he could not produce clear colors, and the undertaking proved a failure. He therefore returned to Maskerchugg, and de- voted himself to calico-printing, which was attracting much atten- tion among printers upon cloth. The buildings have been twice destroyed by fire, and each time rebuilt on a larger scale. The works have been operated by Adams & Butterworth since 1862.
Sixty years ago the town could boast a brass foundry. It was not extensive, but the articles manufactured in it were very elegant. It was owned by Mr. Cromwell Salisbury. He was a very ingenious mechanic, made his own metal, designed his own patterns, and him- self did all the iron-work necessary at his own forge. He made tongs, shovels, andirons and supporters. In the year 1845 a machine-shop was erected on the corner of Division and Marlboro streets by Mr. Asa Arnold. Mr. Arnold is known as the inventor of compound motion, or differential wheels, as applied to cotton speeders, an inven- tion which has never been superseded during the fifty years in which
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it has been in general use throughout the world. The shop was at first used for the manufacture of various kinds of machinery, but is now confined to that for making seine and fish nets ..
In 1873 Mr. Earnshaw commenced the manufacture of mats and scrubbing-brushes out of coir. This is a product of the fibrous part
JA-R.A.REID_ PROV.R.I. SC.
The Academy, East Greenwich.
of the husk of the cocoanut. This manufactory is the only one of its kind in the United States.
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