Block Island
Block Island, an island thirteen miles off the southern shore of Rhode Island is seven miles long by three miles wide. Discovered by Dutch navigator Adrian Block, it was settled by sixteen families in 1661. The town of New Shoreham was once called Manisses or Island of the Little God. Block Island is known for its rugged coastline, nature trails, pristine beaches, historical sites, and Victorian architecture. With a year-round population of about 1000, numbers swell significantly during the height of the summer season. Like most vacation destinations, Block Island boasts icons that are associated with it: the Mohegan Bluffs, The Southeast Light, The North Light, and Settler’s Rock to name a few. Perhaps one of the most recognizable icons is Block Island’s Rebecca. She is in Old Harbor in the center of a busy traffic circle. Rebecca was erected by the Women’s Christian Temperance Movement in 1896 to serve as a reminder to the community that there are dangers related to overindulging in alcohol. The message: Everything In Moderation
Prudence Island
Prudence Island, part of Portsmouth, RI is seven miles long and about one and a half miles at its widest, making it the third largest island in the Narragansett. Some say that it is shaped like a “a whale swimming south.” Prudence has about 130 year-round residents give or take, and the island gets lots of boaters visiting in the summer. Most visitors are day trippers as Prudence doesn’t have any restaurants or even a hotel for tourists to stay at overnight. Churches are used for community gatherings and events. If guests are staying for an extended period of time, they either rent a house or visit someone they know who lives there. According to the Prudence Island Conservancy, over half of its residents are over sixty and retired. For the younger year-round residence, while there is a one-room schoolhouse, today it’s only used for home schoolers, tutoring, or a place to do homework. If you live on the island, you have to take the ferry over to Bristol for school. For the most part, Prudence is a relatively remote quiet island, but in the summer, you will see Potter’s Cove fill up with boats where people anchor and relax for the day or stay a few nights enjoying the long sandy beach that faces the East passage of Narragansett Bay. Once a year, on the last Saturday of July, Potter’s Cove gets pretty wild when it hosts a flotilla party where hundreds of boats from all over the region gather. Some say that this party, called Aquapalooza, has gotten a bit out of hand in recent years. The message: Exercise Prudence (pun intended) Aquapalooza participants while you enjoy the day!
Patience Island
Patience Island is in the town of Portsmouth Rhode Island off the northwest coast of Prudence Island. The fourth largest island in the Narragansett Bay is about two hundred acres. Today, there are no inhabitants, but legend has it that Rhode Island’s founder, Roger Williams lived there for a short time. Aside from Roger Williams, the Steere Family and their descendants lived on the island when there was a working farm in the mid-17th century. Unfortunately, British forces burned its buildings during the Revolutionary War. After the war, the buildings were rebuilt and the farm operated again until the early twentieth century. You might wonder why this charming island hasn’t been settled. Apparently, in the 1960s, there was an idea to create a summer resort on the island and construction even began, but it was never completed. Sadly, the construction damaged some of the early farm buildings and all that is left is a single 600 square foot house that’s off of the state’s electrical grid. Maybe someday, someone will live on this mysterious little island. Patience is waiting
Hope Island
Hope Island is ninety one acres, and is managed by the Department of Environmental Management. Chief Miantonomi gave Hope Island to Roger Williams as a gift. Today, the island is overgrown and inaccessibl. While no people inhabit the island, it is home to nesting birds such as egrets and double-crested cormorants. During World War II, the navy used the island for ammunition storage. Today, remnants of an eighteenth-century farm are still there. Hope is Rhode Island’s motto and an anchor appears on the Rhode Island State Seal. Historians say that Roger Williams was inspired by the biblical passage, "Hope is the Anchor of the Soul" Hebrews 6:19.
Hog Island
Hog Island is part of the town of Portsmouth, Rhode Island. In the Narraganset Bay, near Bristol Harbor. The island was once owned by a single family. When the patriarch could no longer afford to pay taxes, the family sold lots to non-family members. By modern day standards, Hog Island is primitive with no paved roads, no electricity, no public transportation, police, or fire. A private island, Hog has about 250 summer residents, but unless you know one of them, if you go there, you would be trespassing. The southeast side of the island has beautiful views of the Mount Hope Bridge and on the south end of the island is the Hog Island Shoal Lighthouse. Built in 1901, the sixty-feet tall lighthouse warns boater about the dangerous shoals that surround the island. Hog Island is only eight minutes away by boat from Bristol’s Independence Park, but with the dangerous shoals and no non-islanders allowed.
The message: Keep Away From Our Pen
Despair Island
Despair Island is a small island in located between Hope Island and Prudence Island. The island is made up of many outcroppings of rocks where nesting birds spend time. Be careful. This tiny island covered with moss is marked with a buoy because it can be hard to see during daylight hours. It’s not a place for people do visit, but Don’t Despair. There Are Little Islands Everywhere