The Palmer River is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

in the

U.S. 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 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

states of

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

and

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

. It flows approximately 17 km (11 mi).

Course

The river has two separate branches which converge near the intersection of Danforth Street and Winthrop Street ( U.S. 44) in

Rehoboth, Massachusetts Rehoboth is a historic town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1643, Rehoboth is one of the oldest towns in Massachusetts. The population was 12,502 at the 2020 census. Rehoboth is a mostly rural community with many ...

to form the main branch of the river.

West branch

The west branch (officially West Branch Palmer River) rises in a small unnamed pond near the eastern intersection of Tremont Street and Agricultural Avenue in Rehoboth. It continues roughly south from here until converging with the east branch. It flows approximately 9 km (5 mi).

East branch

The east branch (officially East Branch Palmer River) rises in Little Cedar Swamp in North Rehoboth and flows roughly southwest to converge with the west branch. It flows approximately 8 km (5 mi).

Main branch

After the two branches converge, the river flows roughly south-southwest through Rehoboth and

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

before crossing into Rhode Island and flowing between Barrington and

Warren Warren most commonly refers to: * Warren (burrow), a network dug by rabbits * Warren (name), a given name and a surname, including lists of persons so named Warren may also refer to: Places Australia * Warren (biogeographic region) * War ...

for its last few miles. At its mouth, it converges with the

Barrington River Barrington River may refer to: *Barrington River (New South Wales), Australia *Barrington River (Nova Scotia) The Barrington River is a small river in the South Shore region of Nova Scotia, Canada Canada is a country in North Americ ...

to form the

Warren River The Warren River, historically called the Sowams River,Baker 1904 is a tidal extension of the Palmer River in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately 6.5 km (4 mi). There are no dams along the river's length. Course Th ...

Crossings

Below is a list of all crossings over the Palmer River and its branches. The list begins at the headwaters and goes downstream.

West branch

*Rehoboth **Fairfield Street **Ash Street **Homestead Avenue **Perryville Road **Danforth Street **Carpenter Street

East branch

*Rehoboth **Fairview Avenue **Williams Street **Winthrop Street (U.S. 44) **Moulton Street ( MA 118) **County Street (Twice) **Winthrop Street (U.S. 44)

Main branch

*Rehoboth **Danforth Street **Winthrop Street (U.S. 44) **Wilmarth Bridge Road **Summer Street **Wheeler Street **Reed Street **Providence Street ** Interstate 195 **Fall River Avenue (

U.S. 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6) or U.S. Highway 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the United States Numbered Highway System. While it ...

) *Swansea **Old Providence Road *Barrington **County Road ( RI 103/

114 114 may refer to: *114 (number) *AD 114 *114 BC *114 (1st London) Army Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers, an English military unit *114 (Antrim Artillery) Field Squadron, Royal Engineers, a Northern Irish military unit *114 (MBTA bus) *114 (New Je ...

)

Tributaries

In addition to many unnamed tributaries, the following brooks feed the Palmer and its branches: *Mine Brook (West Branch) *Bliss Brook (West Branch) *Wolf Plain Brook (West Branch) *Carpenter Brook (West Branch) *Roaring Brook (East Branch) *Bad Luck Brook (East Branch) *Rumney Marsh Brook *Fullers Brook *Rocky Run *Torrey Creek

Eponym

The river was probably named for Walter Palmer, one of the founders of Rehoboth.

Depiction in art

The Palmer River is a subject of an 1885 painting by local artist

Edward Mitchell Bannister Edward Mitchell Bannister (November 2, 1828January 9, 1901) was a Canadian–American oil painter of the American Barbizon school. Born in colonial New Brunswick, he spent his adult life in New England in the United States. There, along with h ...

References

*Maps from the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer River (Massachusetts - Rhode Island) Rivers of Bristol County, Massachusetts Rivers of Bristol County, Rhode Island Narragansett Bay Rivers of Massachusetts Rivers of Rhode Island

Course

West branch

East branch

Main branch

Crossings

West branch

East branch

Main branch

Tributaries

Eponym

Depiction in art

See also

References