The Fort Barton Site is the site of an historic

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 ...

fort, now located in a public park at Lawton and Highland Avenues in

Tiverton, Rhode Island Tiverton is a New England town, town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 16,359 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. Geography Tiverton is located on the eastern shore of Narragansett Bay, across the Sa ...

. All that remains of the fort are its earthworks, a roughly oblong structure about long and deep. The site was a defensive post overlooking the main ferry crossing between Tiverton and

Aquidneck Island Aquidneck Island, also known as Rhode Island, is an island in Narragansett Bay in the state of Rhode Island. The total land area is , which makes it the largest island in the bay. The 2020 United States Census reported its population as 60,109. T ...

, which was under British control at the time of its construction in 1777. The ferry was used as a launching position for American forces during the

Battle of Rhode Island The Battle of Rhode Island (also known as the Battle of Quaker Hill) took place on August 29, 1778. Continental Army and Militia forces under the command of Major General John Sullivan had been besieging the British forces in Newport, Rhode Isl ...

in August 1778. The site was named after Lt. Col. William Barton who successfully captured the British

General Prescott Lieutenant General Richard Prescott (1725–1788) was a British officer, born in England. Military career He was appointed a major of the 33rd Regiment of Foot, on 20 December 1756, transferred to the 72nd Regiment of Foot on 9 May 1758, and ...

during a midnight raid on the British headquarters at

Prescott Farm Prescott Farm is a historic preservation of a colonial farm in Middletown ( Newport County), Rhode Island. It spans 40 acres, and was in danger of demolition before Doris Duke, through the Newport Restoration Foundation bought it in 1973 and beg ...

in what is now

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

. Fort Barton 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.

References

External links

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Fort History information
{{Forts in Rhode Island Barton Buildings and structures in Tiverton, Rhode Island Barton National Register of Historic Places in Newport County, Rhode Island American Revolution on the National Register of Historic Places

See also

References

External links