Jerimoth Hill () is the highest point in the U.S. state of
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
. It is the
lowest state highpoint in
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
. Located in the town of
Foster in the northwest of the state, the site is used as an
observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...
. It is also a popular destination for
highpointers, and prior to 2005 was known for being difficult to access due to a local landowner who prohibited entry.
Location
The hill is located on Route 101 in
Foster, a half mile from the Connecticut line. To ascend the summit, for which there is a sign, there is a long trail that has a mere elevation gain. The hill is high and is located west of
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
, and east of
Willimantic, Connecticut
Willimantic is a city located in the town of Windham, Connecticut, Windham in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. It is a former Census-designated place and Borough (Connecticut), borough, and is currently organized as one of two Local gov ...
.
History
The hill was named after Jerimoth Brown (17831830), an early settler.
The high point was donated to
Brown University
Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
by Walter Raymond Turner, a Brown alumnus of the class of 1911. In 1938 he purchased the
saltbox house
A saltbox house is a gable-roofed residential structure that is typically two stories in the front and one in the rear. It is a traditional New England style of home, originally timber framed, which takes its name from its resemblance to a wooden ...
to the west and the surrounding . Turner provided a right of way, straight north from the high point to
Route 101, though eventually, it became overgrown.
Brown University has used Jerimoth Hill as an astronomy observatory location for decades, because the university has easy access to this land-locked parcel where they have a view of the skies without
light pollution
Light pollution is the presence of unwanted, inappropriate, or excessive use of artificial Visible spectrum, lighting. In a descriptive sense, the term ''light pollution'' refers to the effects of any poorly implemented lighting, during the day ...
from Providence. The high ground has been cleared of pine trees over an area of about . The high point is a rocky outcrop in the woods on the northwest edge of the clearing. A
summit register
A summit book or summit register is a record of visitors to the summit of a mountain. It is usually enclosed in a weatherproof, animalproof metal canister. Some books are maintained in an informal manner by an individual or small group, while ot ...
is located in a mailbox for visitors to sign.
As the highest point in Rhode Island, Jerimoth Hill is a destination for
highpointer
Highpointing is the activity of ascending to the point with the highest elevation within a given area (the "highpoint"). Examples include: climbing the highest point of each U.S. state; reaching the highest point of each county within a specific ...
s—hikers who try to reach the highest peak in various areas. For many years, hikers could not access the hill, because the only path to the summit crossed the driveway of a private property owner, Henry Richardson (aka "the madman of Jerimoth Hill"), who prohibited entry.
Richardson posted "no trespassing" signs and installed a security system that alerted him whenever people entered his property. Richardson's belligerence toward hikers made him something of a legend in the community. Eventually, Richardson's son worked out a plan to allow access to the path four times a year.
After Richardson's death, his property was purchased in 2005 by the Mosley family, who permitted daily access and eventually ceded the land to the state. In 2014, Brown sold the summit itself to the state, though the university reserves the right to build an observatory there in the future.
See also
*
List of U.S. states by elevation
References
*
{{U.S. State Highest Points
Brown University
Highest points of U.S. states
Hills of Rhode Island
Landforms of Providence County, Rhode Island
Foster, Rhode Island
,