Westcott is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in the town of West Warwick in

Kent County, Rhode Island Kent County is a county located in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. As of the 2020 census, the population was 170,363, making it the second-most populous county in Rhode Island. The county was formed in 1750 from the southern third of Provide ...

, United States. It is located between the two Pawtuxet River bridges on Providence Street,https://preservation.ri.gov/sites/g/files/xkgbur406/files/pdfs_zips_downloads/survey_pdfs/west_warwick.pdf at the juncture of New London Avenue, Tollgate Road, and Providence Street in northeastern West Warwick.https://www.sswda.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/2022_03_27-Three-Samplers-from-Westcott-RI.pdf The community derives its name from the Westcott family who lived on 341 Providence Street.

History

Instead of growing up around a mill like the other villages of West Warwick, Westcott formed around the Westcott homestead and toll house located there to collect the tolls from the New London Turnpike. However, the village remained undeveloped for many years, only being identified as one on an 1895 map. At that point, it was a small

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

consisting of a store and some houses. Westcott was home to much of the housing for the workers in the nearby

Riverpoint Riverpoint is a two-tower mixed-use building complex located in Limerick, Ireland. Standing at it is currently the eighth-tallest storeyed building in the nation, the sixteenth-tallest on the island of Ireland and the third-tallest in Munster ...

village, such as the twenty duplexes built on Providence Street by the Greene Company. It also was the location of the local schools attended by Riverpoint students, like the elementary school (built in 1925) and the high school (built in 1904). The New London Turnpike that passed through Westcott was built by the Providence and Pawcatuck Turnpike Company in 1821 to connect the out-of-the-way mills in western

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...

(now West Warwick) to the ports and markets on the Eastern Seaboard like Providence. On top of improving transport between Providence and the Pawtuxet Valley mills, the turnpike also improved long-distance travel between

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

and New London by providing a more direct connection between the two. However, the road was a financial failure because the tolls made hauling freight too expensive, and the steep hills in the area made travel difficult. By the time the

Stonington Railroad The New York, Providence and Boston Railroad, normally called the Stonington Line (for its western terminus), was a railroad company that connected Providence, Rhode Island, and Stonington, Connecticut. Originally intended to connect Providence ...

was completed in the 1830s, the turnpike had become obsolete.

Notable Buildings

Former High School, 319 Providence St.

One of the most significant buildings in Westcott is the former Warwick High School. Built from 1904 to 1905, this Neo-Classical structure served as Warwick's high school until West Warwick split off from Warwick in 1913, where it then became West Warwick's high school. Robert Bryon Treat, a member of the Warwick High School Commission, as well as the owner of the Centerville Mill, played an instrumental part in getting the original Warwick school built. The iconic "Jerry" statue, a monument to the Union Soldiers of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

from the Pawtuxet Valley and symbol of West Warwick High School was originally dedicated in June 1914 at this high school. The building remained the West Warwick High School until 1965 when the new high school was built on land donated by the Knight family. In 1983 the façade was altered, a new addition was added, and the whole building was converted into Westcott Terrace, an elderly housing project.

Westcott-Rice House, 341 Providence St.

Built by Anthony Rice, a Revolutionary War soldier, this center-chimney Cape-style house had five rooms on the first floor and two on the second. Anthony's daughter, Sarah Rice, married John Westcott, and the house then remained in the Westcott family until 1922. In about 1819, when the New London Turnpike was built, a small two-room house was moved from Centerville to serve as a toll house, which was manned by members of the Westcott family. The original Westcott-Rice House on 341 Providence Street and surrounding 14.62 lot was bought on 08/20/2020 for $600,000. The house no longer stands.

References

{{Kent County, Rhode Island Villages in Kent County, Rhode Island