Fort Wetherill State Park is a public recreation area occupying at the southeastern tip of

Conanicut Island Conanicut Island is the second-largest island in Narragansett Bay in the American state of Rhode Island. It is connected on the east to Newport on Aquidneck Island via the Claiborne Pell Bridge, commonly known as the Newport Bridge, and on t ...

in the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than city, cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares ...

of Jamestown,

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but i ...

. The state park sits on the East 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. ...

opposite

Fort Adams State Park Fort Adams State Park is a public recreation and historic area preserving Fort Adams, a large coastal fortification located at the harbor mouth in Newport, Rhode Island, that was active from 1841 through the first half of the 20th century. The s ...

. From 1901 through World War II,

Fort Wetherill Fort Wetherill is a former coast artillery fort that occupies the southern portion of the eastern tip of Conanicut Island in Jamestown, Rhode Island. It sits atop high granite cliffs, overlooking the entrance to Narragansett Bay. Fort Dumpling f ...

and

Fort Adams Fort Adams is a former United States Army post in Newport, Rhode Island that was established on July 4, 1799 as a First System coastal fortification, named for President John Adams who was in office at the time. Its first commander was Captai ...

were part of a string of coastal defenses designed to protect the bay's entrance points. The Fort Wetherill battery and training camp were acquired by the State of Rhode Island from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

in 1972. The park is used for sightseeing, scuba diving, picnicking, boating, fishing, and hiking. As of 2020, the fort itself is almost completely covered in graffiti.

In popular culture

The beach scene in 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 Schwartzman, ...

'', directed by

Wes Anderson Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. His films are known for their eccentricity and unique visual and narrative styles. They often contain themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families. Cited by s ...

, was shot at Fort Wetherill State Park.

References

External links

Fort Wetherill State Park
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Division of Parks & Recreation {{authority control State parks of Rhode Island Jamestown, Rhode Island

Wetherill Wetherill is an English language surname, and may refer to: * Anna Wetherill Olmsted (1888–1961), American curator and museum director * Charles M. Wetherill, American chemist * Christine Wetherill (1878-1922), heiress to the Pittsburgh Paint Co ...

Protected areas of Newport County, Rhode Island 1972 establishments in Rhode Island Protected areas established in 1972