Glocester is a

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 ...

in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 9,974 as of the 2020 census. The villages of

Chepachet Chepachet is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Glocester in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It is centered at the intersection of U.S. Route 44 ( Putnam Pike) and Rhode Island Route 102 (also kn ...

and

Harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...

are in Glocester. Putnam Pike (

U.S. Route 44 U.S. Route 44 (US 44) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that runs for through four states in the Northeastern United States. The western terminus is at US 209 and New York State Route 55 (NY 55) in Kerhonkson, ...

) runs west through the town center of Glocester into Putnam,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

History

Glocester was originally named Gloucester for

Henry Stuart, Duke of Gloucester Henry Stuart, Duke of Gloucester (8 July 164013 September 1660) was the youngest son of Charles I, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and his wife, Henrietta Maria of France. He is also known as Henry of Oatlands. From the age of two, Henry, ...

. The Town of Gloucester was part of

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

until 1731 when it became an independent town. North Glocester was incorporated as the separate town of Burrillville in 1806. At the same time the residents of Gloucester voted to change the spelling of the town to Glocester to differentiate it from

Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a ...

. Glocester is an ancient variant spelling of Gloucester. During the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

, Loyalists from

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...

were exiled in Glocester to Stephen Keach's farm, including Thomas Vernon, a Tory from Newport, who described Glocester residents in 1776 as:

inclined much to talk of liberty...It is amazing what false and erroneous opinions and ideas these people have entertained...The religion of the people of this town consists entirely of
New Light Baptists The terms Old Lights and New Lights (among others) are used in Protestant Christian circles to distinguish between two groups who were initially the same, but have come to a disagreement. These terms originated in the early 18th century from a spl ...
. The custom of Dipping is much in vogue in this and the neighboring towns.''Diary of Thomas Vernon''
pgs. 9, 26

Samuel Willard (physician) Samuel Willard (April 13, 1748 – March 7, 1801) was an American physician who established the first hospital for mental illness in the United States. Early life and career Samuel Willard, the son of Dr. Nahum Willard of Lancaster, Massachusetts ...

made rounds on

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) cer ...

victims in North Glocester during the late 18th century. The Dorr Rebellion began in Glocester in 1841. Since 1927 the Ancient and Horribles Parade has been an annual Fourth of July tradition in Chepachet, where residents create traditional and satirical political floats. See also "Foster, Rhode Island: History" for further information.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (3.55%) is water. Some bodies of water in Glocester include,

Waterman Reservoir Waterman Reservoir (also known as Waterman's Reservoir) is a large lake along Putnam Pike in Glocester and Greenville in Providence County, Rhode Island. The Waterman Reservoir was created in 1838 on the site of a swamp and is when full with a ...

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 9,948 people, 3,559 households, and 2,818 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 3,786 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.48%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.34%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.15% Native American, 0.24%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.10% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.65% of the population. There were 3,559 households, out of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.8% were non-families. 15.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.14. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.8% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $57,537, and the median income for a family was $62,679. Males had a median income of $39,112 versus $29,071 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $22,914. About 3.4% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Glocester is the home to both

West Glocester Elementary School West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...

in West Glocester and the Fogarty Memorial School in Harmony. Students of both would attend both Ponaganset Middle School and

Ponaganset High School Ponaganset High School is a school of the Foster-Glocester School District, located in Glocester, Rhode Island in Providence County. (It has a North Scituate, Rhode Island address for postal purposes.) The majority of high school students live in ...

for secondary education.

Notable people

Charles J. Fogarty Charles Joseph Fogarty, Jr., also known as Charlie Fogarty (born September 15, 1955) is an American politician who served as the 67th lieutenant governor of Rhode Island. He is a Democrat. Fogarty served two full terms as lieutenant governor, fi ...

, Rhode Island Rhode Island state senator and 67th Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island; lived in Glocester * Ray Fogarty, Rhode Island state representative, lived in Glocester *

Charles H. Page Charles Harrison Page (July 19, 1843 – July 21, 1912) was a U.S. Representative from Rhode Island. Born in Glocester, Rhode Island, Page attended public schools. During the Civil War Page enlisted in the Union Army as a private at the age of ...

, Rhode Island politician; born in Glocester * Arthur Steere, businessman and Rhode Island state senator, born in Glocester

National Historic Sites in Glocester

* Chepachet Village Historic District * Cherry Valley Archeological Site, RI-279 * Glocester Town Pound (1748) * Harmony Chapel and Cemetery (1816) * Manton-Hunt-Farnum Farm (1793)

References

External links

Town of Glocester website

Chepachet Fire Department

Glocester Heritage Society

Glocester Libraries, Chepachet

Harmony Library, Harmony
{{authority control Towns in Providence County, Rhode Island Providence metropolitan area Towns in Rhode Island