Whaley's Hollow (also known as Pottersville and Maple Valley) is a village in

Coventry, Rhode Island Coventry is a town in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 35,688 at the 2020 census and is part of the . Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of . of it is land and of it ...

. Thomas Whaley was an early settler in the area who operated a

saw mill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ( dimens ...

and whose home still stands today on Maple Valley Road. John Waterman built Waterman’s Tavern around 1747 which was used for town meetings until the new Town House was constructed in 1835 at Maple Valley Road and Matteson. The tavern also had

stocks Stocks are feet restraining devices that were used as a form of corporal punishment and public humiliation. The use of stocks is seen as early as Ancient Greece, where they are described as being in use in Solon's law code. The law describing ...

and a

whipping post The pillory is a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse. The pillory is related to the stock ...

for punishment of crimes. During the American Revolution, the French Army under Rochambeau camped near the Tavern while marching to Virginia in 1781 and on their return in 1782. In 1851 Robert Potter, John Potter II and Albert Potter created water-powered bobbin mill near Whaley's Hollow from Thomas Whaley’s old saw mill, and the village then became known as Pottersville. In 1872 the Union Bobbin Manufacturing Company was formed and operated from 1895 until the land was sold to Lewis E. Williams. Waterman’s Tavern still exists as a family home on Maple Valley Road and near the Whaley homesteads are three family cemeteries. Today, Whaley’s Hollow is often known as Maple Valley. Andrew D. Boisvert, "Coventry Roots: Whaley's Hollow, Coventry Patch, September 22, 2011 http://coventry.patch.com/articles/coventry-roots-whaleys-hollow

References

Villages in Kent County, Rhode Island Coventry, Rhode Island Census-designated places in Kent County, Rhode Island Providence metropolitan area Villages in Rhode Island Census-designated places in Rhode Island {{RhodeIsland-geo-stub