The Conanicut Battery is a colonial and 20th century military battery in

Jamestown, Rhode Island Jamestown is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island in the United States. The population was 5,559 at the 2020 census. Jamestown is situated almost entirely on Conanicut Island, the second largest island in Narragansett Bay. It also includes the u ...

, west of Beaver Tail Road. The site offers a commanding view of the West Passage of

Narragansett Bay Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound covering , of which is in Rhode Island. The bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor and includes a small archipelago. Sma ...

. During the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, local militia constructed an earthen battery on the site. The British occupied Jamestown later that year and took over the site, occupying the space until August 1778 when the French fleet arrived. Its principal surviving feature is an earthworks measuring about long and wide. The site is marked by a plaque placed by the

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promote ...

in 1931. During the early 20th century, the U.S. military built large partially underground defensive batteries in the area, notably

Fort Getty Fort Getty is a town park in Jamestown, Rhode Island, on Conanicut Island in Narragansett Bay. From 1900 through World War II it was a military fort. The Town of Jamestown later received the property and opened it as a park, primarily a campgro ...

and

Fort Burnside Beavertail State Park is a public recreation area encompassing 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 ...

. The 22-acre site was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1973. It is now owned by the town and operated as Conanicut Battery National Historic Park. The Friends of Conanicut Battery and the Jamestown Historical Society are active in preserving the fort.

References and external links

Conanicut Battery information Spring 2012 (PDF)Conanicut Battery information Spring 2017 (PDF)Conanicut Battery at Jamestown Historical SocietyConanicut Battery at FortWiki.com
Military facilities on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island Buildings and structures in Jamestown, Rhode Island Parks in Rhode Island

Conanicut Conanicut Island is the second-largest island in Narragansett Bay in the American state of Rhode Island. It is connected on the east to Newport on Aquidneck Island via the Claiborne Pell Bridge, commonly known as the Newport Bridge, and on th ...

Protected areas of Newport County, Rhode Island National Register of Historic Places in Newport County, Rhode Island American Revolution on the National Register of Historic Places {{NewportCountyRI-NRHP-stub

See also

References and external links