Prudence Island is the third-largest island in

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. Sm ...

in the state of

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

and part of the town of

Portsmouth, Rhode Island Portsmouth is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,871 at the 2020 U.S. census. Portsmouth is the second-oldest municipality in Rhode Island, after Providence; it was one of the four colonies which merged ...

, United States. It is located near the geographic center of the bay. It is defined by the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

as Block Group 3, Census Tract 401.03 of

Newport County, Rhode Island Newport County is one of five counties located in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. As of the 2020 census, the population was 85,643. It is also one of the seven regions of Rhode Island. The county was created in 1703. Like all of the counties ...

. As of the 2010 census, the population was 278 people living on a land area of 14.43 km² (5.57 sq mi).

History

The Narragansett name for the island was ''Chibachuweset'' (or ''Chibachuwese''), and the Narragansetts originally offered it for sale to

John Oldham John Oldham may refer to: *John Oldham (colonist) (1592–1636), early Puritan settler in Massachusetts *John Oldham (poet) (1653–1684), English poet *John Oldham (psychiatrist), American psychiatrist *John Oldham (engineer) (1779–1840), Irish ...

if he would settle there and set up a trading post. Oldham failed to meet the condition, so they sold the island to

Roger Williams Roger Williams (21 September 1603between 27 January and 15 March 1683) was an English-born New England Puritan minister, theologian, and author who founded Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantatio ...

and

John Winthrop John Winthrop (January 12, 1587/88 – March 26, 1649) was an English Puritan lawyer and one of the leading figures in founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the second major settlement in New England following Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led t ...

in 1637, with each man retaining a one-half interest. Williams took the northern side of the island, and Winthrop took the southern side. Williams and Winthrop hoped to farm pigs on the island. Williams named it "Prudence" and shortly afterwards purchased and named nearby Patience Island and Hope Island. He sold his half interest in Prudence Island while in England on behalf of the colony, and Winthrop willed his land to his son Stephen. In colonial times, the island was used mainly for farming. During 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 Revoluti ...

, the British forces under Captain James Wallace raided Prudence Island for livestock and engaged in a skirmish with American forces, losing approximately a dozen soldiers. In the 20th century, farming began to decline and the island began to attract summer residents. In

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the Navy established an ammunition depot on the southernmost of the island. In 1972, the Navy turned the base over to the State of

, leaving bunkers, roads, and a large deep-water pier. Several buildings and businesses that once stood on the island were destroyed by the

1938 New England hurricane The 1938 New England Hurricane (also referred to as the Great New England Hurricane and the Long Island Express Hurricane) was one of the deadliest and most destructive tropical cyclones to strike Long Island, New York, and New England. The storm ...

and Hurricane Carol. As of 2018, the only business in operation on the island is a general store that doubles as the post office. The former naval base is now home to the

Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve The Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is a Marine Protected Area of the United States located on Prudence, Patience, and Hope islands in Narragansett Bay in the state of Rhode Island. It was established in August 1980 under t ...

, while

Farnham Farm The Farnham Farm is historic farm at 113 Mount Pleasant Avenue on Prudence Island in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. The farm was started by the Dennis family after the original farms on Prudence Island were burned and destroyed by the British during ...

is a national historic site. The island is served by ferry service to

Bristol, Rhode Island Bristol is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, US as well as the historic county seat. The town is built on the traditional territories of the Pokanoket Wampanoag. It is a deep water seaport named after Bristol, England. The population of B ...

. Parts of the 2012 film ''

Moonrise Kingdom ''Moonrise Kingdom'' is a 2012 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson, written by Anderson and Roman Coppola, and starring Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzma ...

'' were filmed on the island and nearby Jamestown. Prudence Island is the location of Rhode Island's last one-room schoolhouse. It is operated by the Prudence Island School Foundation in cooperation with the Portsmouth school district and educates island children from kindergarten through fourth grade. The school has served the community on the island since 1896, with a six-year hiatus from 1982 to 1989. In 2019, three students were enrolled.

Summer colonies on Prudence Island

There are several different summer colonies on the island. These are in order from the south: * Prudence Park: on the west side of the island at the western end of Broadway. Development began in 1872 with the building of the Stone Wharf on the west side of the island which became a stop on the

Fall River Line The Fall River Line was a combination steamboat and railroad connection between New York City and Boston that operated between 1847 and 1937. It consisted of a railroad journey between Boston and Fall River, Massachusetts, where passengers would ...

steamers running from Providence and

Fall River Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 United States Census, making it the List of municipaliti ...

to New York City. Most of the summer homes in this area of the island are fine examples of Victorian and

Beaux-Arts architecture Beaux-Arts architecture ( , ) was the academic architectural style taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, particularly from the 1830s to the end of the 19th century. It drew upon the principles of French neoclassicism, but also incorpo ...

, in a similar style to those at

Oak Bluffs Oak Bluffs is a town located on the island of Martha's Vineyard in Dukes County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,341 at the 2020 United States Census. It is one of the island's principal points of arrival for summer tourists ...

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes the ...

. The Stone Wharf was severely damaged and many houses were lost in the

hurricane of 1938 The 1938 New England Hurricane (also referred to as the Great New England Hurricane and the Long Island Express Hurricane) was one of the deadliest and most destructive tropical cyclones to strike Long Island, New York, and New England. The st ...

. * Bristol Colony: on the east side of the island at the eastern end of Broadway. * Sandy Point: on the eastern side of the island, along Narragansett Avenue. Site of Prudence Island Light and the Town Dock, and a former landing point for the ferry. * Homestead: plat of summer homes along the east coast of the island, north of Pier Road, to the north of the former Homestead Casino, which was lost in the hurricane of 1938, now the site of the island's post office, general store, and ferry landing. * Warnerville: directly north of the Homestead Plat, on Warner Avenue off Narragansett Avenue. * Boystown Fly-in-Ranch: a small private airport on the northern part of the island.

In popular culture

The ''Snow Island'' Trilogy
tells the story of a fictionalized version of Prudence Island across two generations.

References

{{authority control Islands of Newport County, Rhode Island Portsmouth, Rhode Island Islands of Narragansett Bay Islands of Rhode Island