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Form O-3OO UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 1ST ATE: July 1969 I

COUNTY, NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES Newport

INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER DATE

Type all entries - complete applicable sections

.. ..

COMMON! Conanicut Battery

AND/OR HISTORIC;

LOCATION STREET AND NUMBER; To the west of the northern çertion of Beaver Tail Road CITY OR TOWN: Jan-iestown STATE CODE IC0U1’T CO OE Rhode Island, 02835 bh Newport UU5

C3OR’ ACCESSIBLE I’, OWNERSHIP STATUS Chock One TO THE PUBLIC [] Distiir.t flJ B!jilding [J Public Public Acquisition: El Occupied Yes: C Restricted Site [_J Structure 0 Private El In Process Unoccupied El Unrestricted ii Ob.t El Both El Beipg Considered o Preservation work I in progress 0 No 1 PRESENT USE Check Ono or More as Appropriate

=, Agricultural Government Pork Transportation Comments El - El El El Commercial El Industrial El Privote Residence El Other Specify I El Educational fl Military fl Religious j El Entertainment Ii Museum El Scientific r Eioit!!aurF3Rvv -- DWNER5 Fl AME; a -l Town of Jamestown -I LU STREET AND NUMBER; In LU 71 Narragansett Avenue In CITY OR TOWN; STATE: CODE Rhode Island, 02835 -- ±me6tln roos LOcATIONOE LEGAL DESCRIPTION cOu RTMOUSE. REGISTRY OF OEED5. ETC: n 0 Town Clerk C z STREET AND NUMBER: -l 71 Narragansett Avenue CITY OR TOWN; STATE CODE Jamestown Rhode Island, 02835

FIThEPRESENTATIONIN EXISTING SURVEYS TITLE OF SURVEY Not sO represented DATE OF SURVEY: El Federal El State El County El Local -- DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS; C Z t o In

STREET ANO NUMBER; 0

CITY OR TOWN: - STATE; CODE ______

S.’ 5.

- ‘4- -

.MAJOR:BIBLIOGRAPHICAL : .>.. . I!: REFERENCES-: ,.c :. : :. .

Field, Edward: Revolutionary Defences of Rhode Island Providence, Rhode Island, 1896, pp. lii, lh3-1h6. Diary of Captain Frederick MacKenzie of the Royal FusiLiers, in the collections of the Rhode Island Historical Society, Providence, Rhode Island, pp. 122-129, 315-322. -

GEOGRAPHICAL DATA - LATITUDE AND LONCiITUDE COORDINATES I LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES DEFINING A RECTANGLE LOCATING THE PROPERTY 0 DEFINING THE CENTER POINT OF A PROPERTY OF LESS THAN TEN ACRES R CORNER LATITUDE LONGITUDE LATITUDE LONGITUDE Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Mtnutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds NW 0 . - 0 Li]. o 28 38.73-N 71 23 b9.32-W NE 0 SE 0 SW 0 0 APPROXIMATE ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY;C. 1 acre In LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE DR COUNTY BOUNDARIES -

STATE: CODE COUNTY rn l1

STATE: COUNTY:

STATE; COUNTY; z I"

STATE; CoUNTY; -I

Wi FORM PR C NAME AND TI TLE: B. Christopher Bene, Surveyor-Researcher 0 DROANI ZA nON DATE -I Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission Nay 17, 1972 STREET AND NUMBER: - 0 John Brown House, 52 Power Street . - z CITY OR TOWN; STATE CODE Providence In - ?! Island, 02906 I lib TAT ELIAiSONOFFICERCE TiItAI PM >:Y*..NATIONALREGlSTER VERIFICATION.:

As the designated State Liaison Officer for the Na tiontil Historic Preservation Act of 1966 Public Law I hereby certify that this property is included in the 89-665, 1 hereby nominate this property for inclusion National Register.

in the National Register and certify that it has been . ovaluated according to the criteria and procedures set

forth by the National Park Service. The recommended . ,.. Chief, Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation level of significance-.. of this- Ilonlinatlon 55:

National El State El Local El ‘

Date Nasoc ATTEST:

Title

. Keeper of The National Register

Dale . Dote

UP 0 9 0 I ,O5 ______

EJIGNIFICANCE PERIOD Check One or More as Appropriate El Pre-Colurnbion El 16th Century f’j 18th Century El 20th Century 15th Century 17th Century 19th Century - El El El

SPECIFIC DATEISI fit ApplIcable and Known t776 - - AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE Check One or More as Appropriate Aboriginal Education Urban Plonning - El El Political El PrehistorIc El Engineering Religion/Phi. ‘ El Other Speclty - El ‘ El Historic El El Industry losophy El Agriculture El Invention El Science O Architecture El Landscape El Sculpture El Art Architecture El Sociol/Humon CoRmerCe El El Literature itarian Comrnunicotions El Military El Theater El Conservation El Music - El Transportation -

STAT EI,IENT OF SIGNIFICANCE -

The land on which the Conanicut Battery was built originally be longed to Benedict Arnold, a former governor of Rhode Island, but at the time of the Revolution it was in the possession of Jerathmael Bowers. The fortification was huiirt by Americans, probably in May of 1776, and was to he used in concert with a battery at Bonnet Point to 0 defend the West Passage of Narragansett Bay.with its six or eight heavy cannon, but it o was occupied by the British’ from the time they landed in Newport in December, 1776 until August, 1778, when ..., anticipating the arrival and occupancy of the island by the French, they the British spiked the guns, destroyed the magazines, abandoned the place and returned to Newport. [Field] - z - When the French arrived in the summer of 1778, Captain Frederick Mackenzie, who had been with the British Royal Fusiliers in Newport, U-I recorded in his diary: U-i The General, judging it would answer little purpose to risque the loss of the Detachments unon Cononicut, sent orders, as soon as the French ship had passed the Battery - on Fox Hill, to withdraw ... The French took possession of Connonicut this day and hoisted a White Colour there.

Though the cannon of Conanicut Battery were never fired in active - fighting, the battery had, nevertheless, a certain effect by its very existence and placement. It was strategic, first, in the intended de fence of. Narragansett Bay by the Americans and, second--when under British control--in the blockade of the hay which kept the colonial navy bottled up in Providence and also restricted the movements of privateers. -5.

...... *. ... Check One Excellent Good Deteriorated Ruin, Unexpo.ed El XI El Fair El El - El CONDITION check One Chock One Altered JUnaltered Site - El El Moved J Original DESCRIDE TNE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL it known PNYSICAL APPEARANCE

Conanicut Battery is a Revolutionary War fortification located on the west side of Conanicut Island Jamestown, on what is known as Prospect Hill, which has also sorntiemes been called Fox Hill. It pri ginalplan was supposed to have been thus: t Today one cannot easily surmise this shape, hut it is still / clearly a: rectanguJ.ar landform with sides that are "pulled in" / towards the center. This artillery emplacement could be de- Nc- scrihed as a continu ous trench dug about six feet below ground level, with sides which are built up about two feet above ground level, giving an impression of long mounds. The erathwork. is about 150 feet in length and 75 feet in width at its maxima, and 100 feet by 50 feet at minima--and thus it has a large central area. Particularly remarkable is the fact that the forms are still so very well defined; perhaps part of the reason for this sur- vival is that the earth here is hard and stony. The land slopes down towards the West Passage in Narragansett Bay; one can see Point Judith rn and Block Island to the southwest and Dutch Island, 4th its lighthouse, to the north.

A site of about an acre has been cleared on and around the battery. z In 1931, the Daughters of the American Revolution placed a bronze marker which seems no longer in evidence at the site and planted three large spruce trees which remain symmetrically down the center of the hattery C Ca -‘1

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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STATE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Rhode Is land COUNTY NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES Newport PROPERTY PHOTOGRAPH FORM FORNPS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER DATE Type all entries - attach to or enclose with photograph

z [NAME.’.. ..**** *... 0 COMMON: Conanicut flattery AND/OR HISTORIC: ...... I- ...:.. .. U STREET AND NUMBER: To the west of the northern portion of Beaver Tail Road CITY OR TOWN: Jamestown I STATE: CODE COUNTY: CODE Rhode Islarrl Iewport 005 z PHoTÔREfzERENcE PHOTO CREDIT:B. Christopher Bene DATE OF PHOTO: 1971 LU EGATIVE FILED ATrRhOde Island Historical Preservation Commission, Iii John Frown House, 52 Power Street, Providence, Rhode Island. 0290

DESCRIBE VIEW. DIRECTION. ETC. View towards west. Jo

62

1/ Narragansett larine Lab o’Ootphins

Dolh,ns 0’ 72 33

I ‘ ‘I /6

24

‘2 *

301 30

39 GEOGRAPHICAL COORDINATES Latitude: 41° 28’ 373" Southwest P Longitude: 71° 23’ 49.32"

175

60 ,/ / 7/! , /55 ‘,/1 / /,/ / 46 ove S..t Pt

/ ‘! I,, 49 / / S /23 , Head Bass Rock

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82 90 54 68 / e ver E / ‘Form 10401 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STATE JvIy 1969 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Ithode Island NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES COUNTY Newport PROPERTY MAP FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER DATE Type all entries - attach to or enclose with map z 0 COMMON: Conanicut Battery - AND/OR HISTORIC:

I- LOCATIOK s .. - STREET AND NUN BER: U To the west of the northern portion of Beavertail Road CITY 09 TOWN. Jamestown

STATE: CODE COUNTY, CODE Rhode Island Newport O0

MAP REfERENCE . SOURCE, - U * S. Geological Survey 1: 2t,00O DATE: 1957

QURM Er. ./:///0/// r.rfrr.... ‘/ TO BE INCLUDED ON ALL MAPS 1. Prop.rty broundarles wh.r. roquired.

2. North arrow. ‘‘

3. Latltud. and ongItud. ref.r.nc.. ‘‘ .‘. . .