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. S ...

in the state of

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 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 United States census, 2020 U.S. census. Portsmouth is the second-oldest municipality in Rhode Island, after Providence Plantations, Provide ...

, 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, 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 ...

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 i ...

. As of the 2010 census, the population was 278 people living on a land area of .

History

The Narragansett name for the island was ''Chibachuweset'' (or ''Chibachuwese''), and the Narragansetts originally offered to gift it to John Oldham if he would settle there and set up a trading post. Oldham failed to meet the condition, so they gave the island to

Roger Williams Roger Williams (March 1683) was an English-born New England minister, theologian, author, and founder of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Pl ...

and John Winthrop 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 (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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 Long Island - New England Hurricane and the Long Island Express) was one of the deadliest and most destructive tropical cyclones to strike the United States. The storm formed near th ...

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, while Farnham Farm 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, United States, as well as the county seat. The population of Bristol was 22,493 at the 2020 census. It is a deep water seaport named after Bristol, England. Major industries include boat buil ...

. Parts of the 2012 film '' Moonrise Kingdom'' 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 steamers running from Providence and Fall River 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 in Paris, particularly from the 1830s to the end of the 19th century. It drew upon the principles of French neoclassicism, but also incorporated Renaissance and ...

, in a similar style to those at Oak Bluffs on

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, lying just south of Cape Cod. It is known for being a popular, affluent summer colony, and includes the smaller peninsula Chappaquiddick Isla ...

. The Stone Wharf was severely damaged and many houses were lost in the hurricane of 1938. * 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. The 2012 film Moonrise Kingdom was filmed in part on Prudence.

References

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