Providence County Rhode Island incorporated and unincorporated areas Chepachet highlighted

Chepachet is a village and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, su ...

(CDP) in the town of

Glocester Glocester is a New England town, town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 9,974 as of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. The villages of Chepachet, Rhode Island, Chepachet and Harmony, Rhode Island, Har ...

in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but i ...

. It is centered at the intersection of U.S. Route 44 ( Putnam Pike) and Rhode Island Route 102 (also known as Victory Highway and Chopmist Hill Road). Chepachet's ZIP code is 02814. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a population of 1,675.

History

"Chepachet" was originally inhabited by the

Pequot The Pequot () are a Native American people of Connecticut. The modern Pequot are members of the federally recognized Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, four other state-recognized groups in Connecticut including the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation, or t ...

and

Nipmuc The Nipmuc or Nipmuck people are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who historically spoke an Eastern Algonquian language. Their historic territory Nippenet, "the freshwater pond place," is in central Massachusetts and nearby pa ...

natives; the name means "where rivers meet". Leading up to 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 Revolu ...

, the area was a hotbed for supporters of independence, and the

Gloucester Light Infantry Gloucester Light Infantry is an active independent military organization of the Rhode Island militia that was founded in 1774 and currently serves primarily as a ceremonial honor guard and educational group. The Gloucester Light Infantry operates ...

was founded in the Chepachet in 1774. During the Revolutionary War 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 near Chepachet, including Thomas Vernon, who recorded election celebrations in Chepachet in 1776:

This being the day for the choice of Deputies (members of the General Assembly). We are told that there is a very great resort of people of all kinds at Chepasseh, and that it is a day of great frolicking. Our landlord and his three sons are gone, having rigged themselves out in the best manner. man on horseback passed by (together with many others) with a very large bag full of cakes made by Granne West (mother to the General William West) which are to be sold to the people.

In 1842, Chepachet was the setting of the endgame of the

Dorr Rebellion The Dorr Rebellion (1841–1842) (also referred to as Dorr's Rebellion, Dorr's War or Dorr War) was an attempt by disenfranchised residents to force broader democracy in the U.S. state of Rhode Island, where a small rural elite was in control of ...

, which helped to win voting rights for non-landowners in a new state Constitution. On 4 November 1923, horror writer H. P. Lovecraft and his fellow writer

C. M. Eddy, Jr. Clifford Martin Eddy Jr. (C. M. Eddy Jr.; January 18, 1896 – November 21, 1967)Fenham Publishing/ref> was an American writer known for his horror, mystery and supernatural short stories. He is best remembered for his work in ''Weird Tales'' m ...

ventured to Chepachet in search of a place known as "Dark Swamp" of which they had heard rumors. They never located it, but the region inspired at least the opening of Lovecraft's story (

novelette Novelette may also refer to: * ''Novelette'' (ballet), a solo modern dance work choreographed by Martha Graham * Novelette (music), a short piece of lyrical music * Novelette (literature), a work of narrative prose fiction that is longer than a ...

) " The Colour Out of Space", and the setting contributed to Eddy's unfinished story "Black Noon". Chepachet is also mentioned several times in Lovecraft's story (novelette) " The Horror at Red Hook". Since 1926, the town has hosted the

Ancients and Horribles parade Ancient and Horribles Parade, founded in 1926, is a nationally known Fourth of July parade on U.S. Route 44 (Putnam Pike) in the village of Chepachet, Rhode Island, in the town of Glocester. Parades of horribles were a New England tradition dat ...

, an annual

Fourth of July Independence Day ( colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United State ...

event, notable for its political statements and ribald humor. In the 1940s, a

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

auxiliary ship An auxiliary ship is a naval ship designed to support combatant ships and other naval operations. Auxiliary ships are not primary combatant vessels, though they may have some limited combat capacity, usually for purposes of self-defense. Auxil ...

, the fleet fuel oil tanker, USS ''Chepachet'', was named after the Chepachet River which runs through the village. The ship's bell is displayed at the seat of town government, and the ship's surviving crew had a 50th anniversary reunion in the town in 1998. Beginning with a proclamation in 1976, May 25 is recognized as "Elephant Day". On that date in 1826, a popular elephant known as

Betty the Learned Elephant Betty or Bettie is a name, a common diminutive for the names Bethany and Elizabeth. In Latin America, it is also a common diminutive for the given name Beatriz, the Spanish and Portuguese form of the Latin name Beatrix and the English name Beatric ...

from a traveling show was shot and killed while she was crossing the bridge spanning the Chepachet River. A group of six "hooligans" led by Canton Smith of nearby North Scituate faced charges for the crime. A commemorative plaque marks the historic location on the bridge.

Schools

The area, part of the town of Glocester, is part of the Foster-Glocester Regional School District, meaning Ponaganset High School is the only secondary school for residents of Chepachet. West Glocester Elementary, an

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

in Chepachet, is part of the Glocester Elementary School District. The regional district is currently reviewing the Ponaganset High School & Middle School mascot, the Chieftain, as the local Native American tribe, the Nipmuc, have been asking for decades that it be changed.

Shops

The village has many local shops and businesses including: *Brown & Hopkins General Store *Dino's Park & Shop *Tavern on Main *Trish Hampton Dog Boutique *Village Bean Cafe *White Rock Motel

Notable people

Asa Aldis Asa Aldis (April 14, 1770 – October 16, 1847) was a Vermont attorney, politician, and judge. He served as chief justice of the Vermont Supreme Court in 1815. Biography Asa Aldis was born in Franklin, Massachusetts on April 14, 1770. His mothe ...

, Chief Justice of the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The Cou ...

* Phil Paine,

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

player

Images

Image:chepachet general store.jpg, Chepachet antique store File:Thomas Wilson Dorr Rhode Island.jpg, Thomas W. Dorr, leader of the 1842 rebellion, as pictured in an 1844 book frontispiece File:Chepachet Free Baptist Church in Rhode Island.jpg, Chepachet Free Baptist Church, c. 1905. The meeting house was built in 1821.

References

External links

Death of Betty the Elephant
{{authority control Historic districts in Providence County, Rhode Island Villages in Providence County, Rhode Island Glocester, Rhode Island Census-designated places in Providence County, Rhode Island Providence metropolitan area Villages in Rhode Island Census-designated places in Rhode Island Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island National Register of Historic Places in Providence County, Rhode Island