Watch Hill is an affluent coastal neighborhood and census-designated place in the town of Westerly, Rhode Island. As of the 2020 census, Watch Hill had a population of 212. It sits at the most-southwestern point in Rhode Island. It came to prominence in the late 19th and early 20th century as an exclusive summer resort, with wealthy families building sprawling Victorian-style "cottages" along the peninsula. Watch Hill is characterized by The New York Times as a community "with a strong sense of privacy and of discreetly used wealth," in contrast with "the overpowering castles of the very rich" in nearby Newport.

History

left|Watch Hill Lighthouse |thumbnail

The Watch Hill area was occupied by Niantic Indians in the 17th century, led by Harman Garrett. Colonists used the hill as an important lookout point during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War, hence the community's name. Some landmarks in the village include the Watch Hill Lighthouse, the first of which was built in 1745; The Flying Horse Carousel, the oldest operating suspended-horse carousel in the United States and a National Historic Landmark; the Ocean House hotel; and the 1916 Olympia Tea Room.

The remains of Fort Mansfield on Napatree Point|thumbnail

One point of interest in Watch Hill is the ruins of Fort Mansfield, an old coastal artillery post situated at the end of Napatree Point. It was one of a series of such forts constructed to guard the eastern entrance to Long Island Sound as part of the coastal defense network for New York City during the Spanish–American War. It was in operation between 1901 and 1909, then was closed down over the course of several years. The land was sold in 1926, and all the government buildings were demolished during the winter of 1928–29. The three concrete gun emplacements were left behind and remain there today.

Fort Road connected Watch Hill to Fort Mansfield, but the hurricane of 1938 wiped it out and destroyed 39 houses, the Yacht and Beach Clubs, and a bathing pavilion. Fifteen people were killed and others survived by clinging to wreckage, as they were swept across the bay to Connecticut. Several breachways were created in Napatree Point after the hurricane passed. Sandy Point remains an island, rather than the northern extension of Napatree. The shortened Napatree Point is now a barrier beach without any roads or houses. It is open to the public, and offers bird watching and surf casting.

Geography

Watch Hill sits at the most southwestern point of Rhode Island on a stubby peninsula jutting into Block Island Sound. It includes a smaller peninsula known as Napatree Point, a -long sandy spit that extends west from the Watch Hill business district, and Sandy Point, which was once attached to Napatree Point. Both Napatree and Sandy Point shelter Little Narragansett Bay and have made Watch Hill a popular harbor around which the business district has grown.

Watch Hill is a two-hour drive from Boston and a three-hour drive from New York City. The racial makeup was 97.17% (206) white or European American (96.23% non-Hispanic white), 0.0% (0) black or African-American, 0.0% (0) Native American or Alaska Native, 0.0% (0) Asian, 0.0% (0) Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian, 0.0% (0) from other races, and 2.83% (6) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 1.42% (3) of the population.

Of the 94 households, 10.6% had children under the age of 18; 56.4% were married couples living together; 23.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. Of households, 31.9% consisted of individuals and 21.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 25.5% of the population.

Of the population, 10.4% was under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 13.2% from 25 to 44, 29.2% from 45 to 64, and 36.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 118.6 males. The village was known as "a somewhat staid and family-oriented community compared to glittering Newport, Rhode Island's other, more famous summer colony." Stephen Birmingham described Watch Hill as "an Andorra of Victoriana on the New England shore." As a state-charted Fire District (1901), the Watch Hill area is authorized to tax residents to fund their volunteer fire department, but the bulk of property taxes go to the town to fund municipal services and schools. The most expensive private home in Rhode Island, the High Watch, is located in Watch Hill.

<span class="anchor" id="Watch Hill Historic District"></span> Watch Hill Historic District

The Watch Hill Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Selected contributing buildings are:

  • Inglecote (c. 1733), on Westerly Road, originally the Foster family farmhouse, remodelled c. 1880 and c.1890 from a Colonial house to become a "Swiss Chalet";

Notable people

Notable current and former residents of Watch Hill include:

  • Henry Ford (1863–1947), business magnate and founder of Ford Motor Company
  • Andrew Mellon (1855–1937), banker, industrialist and Secretary of the Treasury
  • Taylor Swift, singer-songwriter

See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County, Rhode Island

References

  • Einstein: The Life and Times, by Ronald W. Clark
  • Watch Hill Fire District
  • Watch Hill Fire Department
  • Visit Watch Hill (Tourism site)
  • The Greater-Westerly Pawcatuck Chamber of Commerce
  • Town of Westerly