The Conanicut Battery is a colonial and 20th century military battery in Jamestown, Rhode Island, west of Beaver Tail Road. The site offers a commanding view of the West Passage 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 ...

. During the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, local militia constructed an earthen battery on the site. The British occupied Jamestown later that year and took over the site, occupying the space until August 1778 when the French fleet arrived. Its principal surviving feature is an earthworks measuring about long and wide. The site is marked by a plaque placed by the

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

in 1931. During the early 20th century, the U.S. military built large partially underground defensive batteries in the area, notably Fort Getty and Fort Burnside. The 22-acre site was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1973. It is now owned by the town. The Friends of Conanicut Battery and the Jamestown Historical Society are active in preserving the fort.

References and external links

Conanicut Battery information Spring 2012 (PDF)Conanicut Battery information Spring 2017 (PDF)Conanicut Battery at Jamestown Historical SocietyConanicut Battery at FortWiki.com
Military facilities on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island Buildings and structures in Jamestown, Rhode Island Parks in Rhode Island Conanicut Conanicut Conanicut Protected areas of Newport County, Rhode Island National Register of Historic Places in Newport County, Rhode Island American Revolution on the National Register of Historic Places {{NewportCountyRI-NRHP-stub

See also

References and external links