Adamsville, Rhode Island is a historic village in Little Compton, Rhode Island

Little Compton, Rhode Island

Little Compton is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. Its population was 3,492 at the time of the 2010 census. Little Compton is located in southeastern Rhode Island, between the Sakonnet River and the Massachusetts state border...

. It was first settled in 1675 around the time of King Phillip's War.

Historic Sites

Gray's Store in Adamsville, built in 1788, claims to be the oldest operating general store

General store

A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and is home to the town's first post office, founded in 1804. The store remains operated by Grayton Waite, a sixth-generation shop keeper, along with his son Jonah Waite. The nearby Rhode Island Red Monument

Rhode Island Red Monument

The Rhode Island Red Monument is an historic commemorative sculpture in Little Compton, Rhode Island in the village of Adamsville, Rhode Island commemorating Rhode Island's state bird, the Rhode Island Red....

, built in 1925, at the intersection of Adamsville Road, Westport Harbor Road and Main Street is a granite monument to the Rhode Island Red

Rhode Island Red

The Rhode Island Red is a breed of chicken . They are a utility bird, raised for meat and eggs, and also as show birds. They are a popular choice for backyard flocks because of their egg laying abilities and hardiness. Non-industrial strains of the Rhode Island Red are listed as recovering by the...

 Chicken, the official state bird. This landmark was placed in Adamsville because of convenience - land had been donated on this corner, for the purpose of erecting the monument. The Rhode Island Red was actually originally bred closer to West Main Road, outside of the Village of Adamsville.

Another distinctive feature of the town is the "Spite Tower

Spite house

A spite house is a building constructed or modified to irritate neighbors or other parties with land stakes. Spite houses often serve as obstructions, blocking out light or access to neighboring buildings, or as flamboyant symbols of defiance...

" found in the village. Local lore claims that the tower was constructed to obscure the line of sight of a town local. While most stories involve members of the local Manchester family, there is no consensus as to the true history of the structure. According to the present day owner of the building, the "Spite Tower" was built above an artesian well. There was a pump that brought the water to a holding tank on the third floor that sent water, via gravity feed, to main house's water tank to provide running water. The building was constructed circa 1905. The chauffeur's residence was on the second floor of the tower.