Misquamicut State Beach is a seaside public recreation area in the town of

Westerly, Rhode Island Westerly is a town on the southwestern shoreline of Washington County, Rhode Island, first settled by English colonists in 1661 and incorporated as a municipality in 1669. It is a beachfront community on the south shore of the state with a popula ...

. It occupies a portion of Misquamicut Beach, a

barrier island Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of Dune, dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything fro ...

that extends westward from Weekapaug to Watch Hill and separates

Winnapaug Pond Winnapaug Pond (also known as Brightman Pond) is a breached saltwater lagoon in Westerly, Rhode Island, United States, connected to Block Island Sound by the Weekapaug Breachway, which was constructed during the mid-1950s. The lake is separated fr ...

from the Atlantic Ocean. The state beach covers and features a large beach pavilion with multiple public facilities.

History

A series of hurricanes in

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...

, and

1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...

laid waste to the

Misquamicut Misquamicut State Beach is a seaside public recreation area in the town of Westerly, Rhode Island. It occupies a portion of Misquamicut Beach, a barrier island that extends westward from Weekapaug to Watch Hill and separates Winnapaug Pond fro ...

beach community, so Governor Dennis J. Roberts instigated condemnation proceedings that culminated in the creation of Misquamicut State Beach in 1959. The beach's 40-year-old septic system failed in 1992, at which time waterless

composting toilets A composting toilet is a type of dry toilet that treats human waste by a biological process called composting. This process leads to the decomposition of organic matter and turns human waste into compost-like material. Composting is carried out b ...

were introduced which allowed the park to stay in operation. A beach pavilion was added to the site in 1999 at a cost of $1.5 million, named for Westerly native State Senator James J. Federico, Jr. (1946-1997). The project was completed with the addition of a 2,700-space paved parking area in 2000.

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...

blew much of the beach into the parking area in 2012; the state moved some 30,000 cubic yards of sand back onto the shoreline, and the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

completed the

beach replenishment Beach nourishment (also referred to as beach renourishment, beach replenishment, or sand replenishment) describes a process by which sediment, usually sand, lost through longshore drift or erosion is replaced from other sources. A wider beach can ...

project in 2015, using an upland sand source. During the 2020 summer season, all RI state beaches were open 9AM to 6PM

Activities and amenities

The James J. Federico, Jr. State Beach Pavilion includes a bathhouse building with

, a concession building with gift shop and offices, a lifeguard tower, and shade gazebos. The Misquamicut Business Association sponsors various events throughout the year at the state beach and other locations.

References

External links

Misquamicut State Beach
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Division of Parks & Recreation {{authority control State parks of Rhode Island Westerly, Rhode Island Beaches of Rhode Island Beaches of Washington County, Rhode Island Protected areas established in 1959 Protected areas of Washington County, Rhode Island 1959 establishments in Rhode Island