Hanton City (known locally as Lost City) is a colonial-era

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

Smithfield, Rhode Island Smithfield is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,118 at the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1731, it includes the historic villages of Esmond, Georgiaville, Mountaindale, Spragueville, Stillwater, an ...

near Hanton City Trail. The remains of Hanton City consist of several stone foundations, a burial site, a defunct dam apparently used for irrigation, and a dilapidated scattering of stone walls, typifying it as a standard small

New England New England is a region consisting of 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 (state), New York to the west and by the ...

farming community. The entire site is completely overgrown, making it nearly impossible to locate when any vegetation is present.

Theories of its existence

At the time of its habitation, the small settlement was extremely isolated from the main town of Smithfield, and several theories have been posited in regards to its existence. One theory is that those who founded Hanton City were

Loyalists Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

, colonists who remained loyal to the king of England during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. The theory leaves it unclear whether they were forced to live in exile by the Rhode Island

Patriots A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot(s) or The Patriot(s) may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American R ...

or whether they chose to form an enclave of like-minded people. Several Tories from Newport were exiled to Smithfield and Glocester in 1776, including Thomas Vernon whose diary was published. The most likely theory according to local historian Jim Ignasher is "that Hanton City was first settled by three English families — the Paines, Hantons and Shippees — who possibly were given the land as payment for service in

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 Woodlands ...

, which lasted from 1675 to 1676," and the last of the Hanton family members to reside there died around 1900. The small Alfred Smith Cemetery is located in the area.

References

Ghost towns in Rhode Island Populated places in Providence County, Rhode Island Smithfield, Rhode Island {{RhodeIsland-geo-stub