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History of Watch Hill


History of Watch Hill

Located at the southwestern point of Washington County, Watch Hill is a village in the town of Westerly. Situated on a peninsula that stretches out into Block Island sound, Watch Hill forms with Napatree Point to create ‘little Narragansett Bay’. This small bay offers excellent protection from strong currents, and provides a harbor where many sailboats and yachts moor and dock. On clear days, both Fishers Island and Long Island NY, can be seen to the South of Napatree Point. Watch Hill was occupied in the seventeenth century by the Nianticks, a part of the Narragansett Native American tribe. The area we now call Watch Hill was used as a watch point in the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War by Europeans. This is how Watch Hill got its name! In fact, Napatree Point was once used as a military installation by the U.S. Military, and an abandoned cement fort can be found at the end of Napatree. In 1882 the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations purchased Watch Hill from the remaining Nianticks for $5,000. In 1901, Watch Hill was authorized as a fire-district, therefore, residents of Watch Hill fund their own volunteer department. However, non-fire related taxes are paid to the town of Westerly, because Watch Hill is a Westerly village. Primarily, a summer vacation area, due to the pristine beaches, Watch Hill is known for its mansions. At one time, the most expensive residential home was located off of Yosemite Valley Road in Watch Hill. Aside from the breathtaking scenery, Watch Hill was once a hideout for Albert Einstein and Isadora Duncan.

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Watch Hill Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.

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