Fishermen's Memorial State Park is a public recreation area and campground encompassing on

Point Judith Point Judith is a village and a small Cape (geography), cape, on the coast of Narragansett, Rhode Island, on the western side of Narragansett Bay where it opens out onto Rhode Island Sound. It is the location for the year-round ferry service that ...

in the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

of Narragansett,

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

. The state park occupies a portion of the former Fort Nathaniel Greene, named after Rhode Island native and Revolutionary War general Nathaniel Greene.

History

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Fort Greene Fort Greene is a neighborhood in the northwestern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Flushing Avenue and the Brooklyn Navy Yard to the north, Flatbush Avenue Extension and Downtown Brooklyn to the wes ...

, a defensive facility, was constructed as part of a series of coastal defenses around

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. Sm ...

. The Battery Hamilton area was heavily fortified with 16-inch guns capable of reaching 26 miles out to sea. After the fort was decommissioned following World War II, the state of Rhode Island began purchasing the land for use as a state park in 1953. The name Fishermen's Memorial was chosen to honor all Narragansett-area fishermen, both commercial and sport. In 1970, the former fort opened as a campground. A former military

fire control tower A fire control tower is a structure located near the coastline, used to detect and locate enemy vessels offshore, direct fire upon them from coastal batteries, or adjust the aim of guns by spotting shell splashes. Fire control towers came into g ...

serves as park headquarters. An Army Reserve facility still occupies part of the site.

Park areas

The park is divided into two parcels, formerly the west and south reservations of Fort Greene. The former west reservation is the campground, and includes Battery 109, a massive concrete and earth emplacement intended for two 16-inch guns that was never armed. The former south reservation is near

Point Judith Light The Point Judith Light is located on the west side of the entrance to Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island as well as the north side of the eastern entrance to Block Island Sound. The confluence of two waterways make this area busy with water traffic an ...

on the ocean, and includes Battery 211, a bunker that supported two 6-inch guns. The Point Judith Fishermen's Memorial is located next to this bunker. One of the 6-inch gun positions is on the (much eroded) beach in front of Battery 211. Paths are maintained to the tops of the bunkers for Battery 109 and Battery 211, which have excellent views. However, no interpretation of the military facilities in the park is provided.

Activities and amenities

The park offers 182 campsites with 40 designated for RVs, 107 standard, and 35 tent-only sites.

Gallery

File:PointJudithRI6inBunker01.jpg, Ammunition and fire control bunker for Battery 211, former Fort Greene south reservation File:PointJudithRIFCTower01.jpg, Former

resembling a barn silo, former Fort Greene west reservation File:PointJudithRIPanMt01.jpg, 6-inch gun position at Battery 211, former Fort Greene south reservation

References

External links

Fishermen's Memorial State Park and Campground
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Division of Parks & Recreation {{authority control State parks of Rhode Island Narragansett, Rhode Island Beaches of Rhode Island Beaches of Washington County, Rhode Island Forts in Rhode Island Protected areas of Washington County, Rhode Island Protected areas established in 1953 1953 establishments in Rhode Island