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Tiverton is a
town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 16,359 at the 2020 census.


Geography

Tiverton is located on the eastern shore of
Narragansett Bay Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound covering , of which is in Rhode Island. The bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor and includes a small archipelago. S ...
, across the Sakonnet River from Aquidneck Island (also known as the Island of Rhode Island). Together with the adjacent town of Little Compton, the area is disconnected from the rest of the state of Rhode Island. The northern portion of the town is located on Mount Hope Bay. Much of the town is located along a granite ridge which runs in a north–south direction, rising approximately 170 feet in elevation from the bay. A large section of exposed granite can be observed at the highway cut for Route 24, near the Main Road interchange. According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, Tiverton has a total area of , of which is land and ; 19.16%) is water. The northern portion of greater Tiverton is also known as North Tiverton. At times, Tiverton has been considered a part of the South Coast region of Massachusetts despite the town residing entirely within Rhode Island. By its most literal definition, the South Coast encompasses the geographic area of Massachusetts that borders Buzzards Bay (excluding the
Elizabeth Islands The Elizabeth Islands are a chain of over 20 small islands extending southwest from the southern coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts in the United States. They are located at the outer edge of Buzzards Bay, north of Martha's Vineyard, from whic ...
, Bourne and Falmouth), Mount Hope Bay and the Sakonnet River. It has been argued that Little Compton and Tiverton share more in common with the regional identities of the South Coast communities of Westport, Dartmouth and Fall River than the rest of Newport County.


History


Early

Tiverton was incorporated by English colonists in 1694 within Bristol County in the
Province of Massachusetts Bay The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in New England which became one of the thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III and Mary II, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of Eng ...
. As well as being part of Old Dartmouth. In 1746, in the final settlement of a long colonial boundary dispute between
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 ...
and Massachusetts, Tiverton—together with its fellow towns along the eastern shore of Narragansett Bay, Barrington,
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
and Little Compton, and the town of
Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...
, to the north of Providence—were annexed to Rhode Island by Royal Decree. Tiverton was incorporated as a town in 1747. Until that year, Tiverton also controlled the area of East Freetown, Massachusetts, as an outpost. The boundary settlement of 1746 had put East Freetown in Massachusetts, and in 1747 it was purchased by
Freetown Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...
. Men from the Tiverton outpost took part in the Battle of Freetown, on May 25, 1778, during the Revolutionary War. On the 31st of that month, a party of about 150 British regulars of the 22nd Regiment under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell attacked the town. ''Rivington's Gazette ''reported that the British were making a preemptive attack based on intelligence that the American militia at Tiverton was preparing an attack against them. However, another report in the ''New Hampshire Gazette'' stated the militia was waiting in prepared defensive positions. The result of this skirmish was two British killed, several more wounded, and some fire damage to the lower mill in Tiverton. None of the militiamen were wounded or killed. For about three years during the war, December 1776 – October 1779, the island of Rhode Island, now known as Aquidneck Island, was occupied by the British. During this time, Tiverton was a refuge for Americans fleeing this occupation, and a mustering place for colonial forces gathering to drive out the British. The British occupying forces were eventually withdrawn strategically, as General Clinton marshaled his forces for the 1780 British invasion of
South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
.McEvedy, p.62) In its early days, Tiverton was chiefly a farming community with some fishing and boat construction. Until 1900 the manufacture of
menhaden Menhaden, also known as mossbunker, bunker, and "the most important fish in the sea", are forage fish of the genera ''Brevoortia'' and ''Ethmidium'', two genera of marine fish in the order Clupeiformes. ''Menhaden'' is a blend of ''poghaden'' ...
oil, a fish derivative, was one of the primary industrial pursuits. Cotton and woolen mills were established as early as 1811, when Colonel Joseph Durfee established a spinning mill at Cook Pond, in what it now the city of
Fall River, Massachusetts Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States census, making it the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, tenth-largest city in the state, and the second- ...
. In 1856, the northern part of the town was set apart from Tiverton, and renamed Fall River, Rhode Island, by the Rhode Island General Assembly. On March 1, 1862, in a case between the states that reached the
United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
, both Fall Rivers were made part of Massachusetts and the state boundary was placed in its current location near State Avenue. Mark's Stadium is a former soccer stadium located in North Tiverton, Rhode Island. During the 1920s and early 1930s, it was the home of Fall River F.C., one of the era's most successful soccer teams. It is one of the earliest examples of a
soccer-specific stadium A soccer-specific stadium, mainly in the United States and Canada, is a sports stadium either purpose-built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multi-purpose stadium whic ...
in the United States. After the demise of the 'Marksmen', the stadium was used as a home ground by other local teams, most notably Fall River F.C. (1932) and Ponta Delgada S.C.


Recent events

In July 1997 the
National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...
(NWS) based in
Taunton, Massachusetts Taunton is a city in and the county seat of Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. Taunton is situated on the Taunton River, which winds its way through the city on its way to Mount Hope Bay, to the south. As of the 2020 United States ...
established a cooperative weather station in the Stone Bridge Village section of town. Named Tiverton-2SW, this station serves as an official
meteorological Meteorology is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere and short-term atmospheric phenomena (i.e. weather), with a focus on weather forecasting. It has applications in the military, aviation, energy production, transport, agriculture ...
recording station for the town of Tiverton. Data from Tiverton-2SW is collected by the NWS in
Taunton, Massachusetts Taunton is a city in and the county seat of Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. Taunton is situated on the Taunton River, which winds its way through the city on its way to Mount Hope Bay, to the south. As of the 2020 United States ...
as well as the National Climatic Data Center in
Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad River, French Broad and Swannanoa River, Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populou ...
. As of 2006, retail shops are the major employers in the town. Since the mid-20th century, Tiverton has grown as a summer resort and residential area, and as a suburb of
Fall River, Massachusetts Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States census, making it the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, tenth-largest city in the state, and the second- ...
. During the 1960s, Route 24 was constructed through the northern part of the town, connecting Tiverton with
Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...
via the Sakonnet River Bridge. In 2002, contaminated soil, including some soil that was blue, was discovered in the Bay Street neighborhood of Tiverton. In 2003, private property testing began. Contaminants including arsenic, lead, cyanide, and more were found at levels above residential exposure guidelines. Residents have been prohibited from digging in the soil. ENACT (Environmental Neighborhood Awareness Committee of Tiverton) advocates on behalf of the community. Property values in the neighborhood have plummeted due to the contamination and the moratorium on digging soil, which meant that residents of this neighborhood have lost their home equity. One of ENACT's successes has been the passage of legislation to create the Environmentally Contaminated Home Ownership (ECHO) loan program, which provides loans for people whose home equity has been sharply reduced due to contamination. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) has been involved in developing work plans to treat the contamination. On September 1, 2018, the Tiverton Casino Hotel (now Bally's Tiverton) was opened to the public, after Twin River Worldwide Holdings closed the Newport Grand Casino and moved its gaming license to the new facility.


Beaches

The two beaches in Tiverton are Fogland Beach and Grinnell's Beach. Both beaches are located on the Sakonnet River. Strong cool breezes blow throughout the year. Fogland Beach has lifeguards, and also can be used for fishing, walking, and wildlife/nature observation. It is popular destination for windsurfing and kite-surfing with rentals being available. The town also offers kayaking and paddleboarding programs through a local company. Grinnell's Beach provides an excellent windsurfing area, and a view of the Sakonnet River and Portsmouth shoreline. Amenities include changing rooms, showers and shaded seating.


Climate


Demographics

As of the census of 2020, there were 16,359 people and 6,853 households in the town. The population density was . There were 7,781 housing units in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 91.88%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.97%
Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
, 0.13% Native American, 1.08% Asian, 0.04%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.97% from other races, and 4.91% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 2.60% of the population. There were 6,853 households, out of which 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 24.7% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 11.8% had a male householder with no spouse present. Of all households, 9.2% were made up of individuals, and 3.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.85. The age distribution of the population of Tiverton was 14.7% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 30.7% from 45 to 64, and 25.1% 65 years and older. The median age was 49.5 years. The median income for a household in the town was $99,542, and the median income for a family was $122,469. The per capita income for the town was $50,619. About 2.9% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.3% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.


Historic places

* Bourne Mill * Cook-Bateman Farm * First Baptist Church of Tiverton * Fort Barton Site * Osborn-Bennett Historic District * Tiverton Four Corners Historic District File:Cook-Bateman Farm main house, Tiverton.jpg, The main house of the Cook-Bateman Farm File:Old Stone Church from south, Tiverton.jpg, The First Baptist Church, known as the "Old Stone Church" File:Thomas Osborne Homestead from south, 1168 Main Road, Osborn-Bennett HD, Tiverton.jpg, The Thomas Bennett Homestead in the Osborn-Bennett Historic District File:Soule-Seabury Mansion, 3852 Main Road, Four Corners, Tiverton.jpg, The Soule-Seabury Mansion in the Tiverton Four Corners Historic District


Notable people

* Robert Gray, merchant sea-captain and explorer * Russell Warren (1783–1860), architect


Education

Tiverton has five public schools: Pocasset Elementary School, Fort Barton Elementary School, Ranger Elementary School (recently demolished and rebuilt), Tiverton Middle School, and Tiverton High School. The town is its own district and a part of the Newport County district.


Library

The Tiverton Public Library was chartered by the state in 1927. The library was housed in several locations around town over the years. In June 2015 a new 24,000 square foot building was opened, incorporating a meeting hall, teen room, cafe, children's library, and public courtyard spaces. The new building, designed by Union Studio architects, features a clock tower and gabled ends. The new library received an AIA Rhode Island Design Award for Merit in 2018. A branch, the Union Public Library located at 3832 Main Road and part of the Tiverton Four Corners Historic District, has operated on that site almost continuously since 1820, although the current Early Victorian building dates from 1868. A paid staff member is assisted by volunteers from the Union Public Library Association to provide a reading room and library services."Union Public Library Association"
Tiverton Public Library website


See also

*


References


Further reading

* McEvedy, Colin (1988). ''The Penguin Atlas of North American History to 1870''. London:
Penguin Books Penguin Books Limited is a Germany, German-owned English publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers the Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the ...
. .


External links


Official website of Tiverton

Tiverton History, Old Newspaper Articles, Genealogy
{{authority control Islands of Narragansett Bay Populated coastal places in Rhode Island Populated places established in 1659 Providence metropolitan area Towns in Newport County, Rhode Island Towns in Rhode Island