Adamsville is a historic village in

Little Compton, Rhode Island Little Compton is a coastal town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, bounded on the south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by the Sakonnet River, on the north by the town of Tiverton, Rhode Island, Tiverton, and on the east by the t ...

, United States. It was first settled in 1675 around the time of

King Philip's War King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1678 between a group of indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodland ...

and was named after the second

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...

Historic sites

Grays General Store in Adamsville was built in 1788. It was allegedly the oldest operating

general store A general merchant store (also known as general merchandise store, general dealer, village shop, or country store) is a rural or small-town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, someti ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

until it temporarily closed in 2012, and was home to the town's first post office, founded in 1804. The store was most recently operated by Grayton Waite, a sixth-generation shop keeper, along with his son Jonah Waite.Adamsville landmarks
/ref> The store was reopened in 2013. The nearby Rhode Island Red Monument, built in 1925, at the intersection of Adamsville Road, Westport Harbor Road and Main Street is a granite monument to the Rhode Island Red Chicken, the official state bird. This landmark was placed in Adamsville because of convenience – land had been donated on this corner, for the purpose of erecting the monument. The Rhode Island Red was actually originally bred closer to West Main Road, outside of the Village of Adamsville. Across from the monument is the popular breakfast restaurant called The Barn, which opened in 1987. Another distinctive feature of the town is the " Spite Tower" found in the village. Local lore claims that the tower was constructed to obscure the line of sight of a town local. While most stories involve members of the local Manchester family, there is no consensus as to the true history of the structure. According to the previous owner of the building, the "Spite Tower" was built above an artesian well. There was a pump that brought the water to a holding tank on the third floor that sent water, via gravity feed, to main house's water tank to provide running water. The building was constructed circa 1905. The chauffeur's residence was on the second floor of the tower.

References

External links

* Villages in Newport County, Rhode Island Villages in Rhode Island {{RhodeIsland-geo-stub