Napatree Point
Encyclopedia
Napatree Point, often referred to simply as "Napatree", is a long sandy spit
created by a geologic process called longshore drift
. Up until the Hurricane of 1938, Napatree was sickle-shaped and included a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) long northern extension called Sandy Point
. Napatree now extends 1.5 miles (2.4 km) westward from the business district of Watch Hill
, a village in Westerly, Rhode Island forming a protected harbor. It is the southernmost and westernmost point of mainland Rhode Island.
struck the area, the trees were destroyed.
. To the north of the peninsula is Little Narragansett Bay
, a small estuary
into which the Pawcatuck River
empties. The small bay is an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean.
.
. Fort Mansfield
began operations in 1901. However, war games in 1907 demonstrated a fatal design flaw, and by 1909 it was removed from the list of active posts .
In 1926, the government put the land up for sale. A New York developer proposed Sandy Point be subdivided in 674 lots. A private syndicate of Watch Hill residents mobilized to prevent the construction of "cheap little houses" and protect the exclusive character of their town. The purchase was finalized in 1928, and all government buildings at Fort Mansfield were demolished that winter. Today, all that remains are the three concrete gun emplacements, which were left behind. The syndicate was unable to meet mortgage payments and in 1931 the land was foreclosed upon by the Washington Trust Company.
The Hurricane of 1938 caught New England by surprise. Forty-two people were in their Fort Road homes on Napatree when the hurricane struck, and 15 died. The storm demolished all the homes built on Napatree as well as one of the Fort Mansfield gun emplacements. It created several breachways in the spit. The first of these breachways was near the current beach club bathhouses. At least three more broke the connection between Sandy Point and Napatree Point, severing it from the mainland. Sandy Point is now an island in Little Narragansett Bay
. Combined with the 1938 hurricane, erosion by the sea has caused the Napatree beach line to retreat some 200 feet since the mid-1930s. This link provides an aerial view of Napatree Point on the bottom and Sandy Point on the top left, as they now exist after the hurricane split the peninsula in two.
In 1940, the Sandy Point portion was deeded to Alfred Guildersleeve of Stonington, Connecticut. In 1945, the remainder of the land was sold to the Watch Hill Fire District for $10,000.
Spit (landform)
A spit or sandspit is a deposition landform found off coasts. At one end, spits connect to land, and extend into the sea. A spit is a type of bar or beach that develops where a re-entrant occurs, such as at cove's headlands, by the process of longshore drift...
created by a geologic process called longshore drift
Longshore drift
Longshore drift consists of the transportation of sediments along a coast at an angle to the shoreline, which is dependent on prevailing wind direction, swash and backwash. This process occurs in the littoral zone, and in or within close proximity to the surf zone...
. Up until the Hurricane of 1938, Napatree was sickle-shaped and included a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) long northern extension called Sandy Point
Sandy Point Island
Sandy Point Island is a 35-acre island in Little Narragansett Bay. Once an extension of Napatree Point, Sandy Point is now its own entity...
. Napatree now extends 1.5 miles (2.4 km) westward from the business district of Watch Hill
Watch Hill
Watch Hill is an affluent coastal village in the southwestern section of the town of Westerly, the southwestern-most town in Washington County and the entire U.S. state of Rhode Island. The village is listed as a census-designated place. Watch Hill Historic District is a historic district in the...
, a village in Westerly, Rhode Island forming a protected harbor. It is the southernmost and westernmost point of mainland Rhode Island.
Name Origin
Reportedly, the name "Napatree" derives from Nap or Nape (Neck) of Trees. Napatree Point was once heavily wooded. However, when the Great September Gale of 1815Great September Gale of 1815
The Great September Gale of 1815 is one of five "major hurricanes" to strike New England since 1635...
struck the area, the trees were destroyed.
Geography
Napatree Point is a slender, 1.5 mile long peninsula in Block Island SoundBlock Island Sound
Block Island Sound is a strait in the open Atlantic Ocean, approximately wide, separating Block Island from the coast of Rhode Island in the United States...
. To the north of the peninsula is Little Narragansett Bay
Little Narragansett Bay
Little Narragansett Bay is an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean and an estuary of the Pawcatuck River on the Rhode Island-Connecticut state line. It is sheltered by a curving peninsula, known as Napatree Point. At the base of Napatree Point is the site of the resort village of Watch Hill, Rhode Island....
, a small estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
into which the Pawcatuck River
Pawcatuck River
The Pawcatuck River is a river in the U.S. states of Rhode Island and Connecticut flowing approximately . There are eight dams along the river's length. The former USS Pawcatuck was named after the river.-History:...
empties. The small bay is an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean.
Geology
The peninsula is partially made from longshore drift. It is also made from glacial moraine, and is similar in makeup to nearby Fishers Island. The same moraine that Fishers Island is made out of resurfaces in Watch Hill, the village which contains Napatree Point. This region of the Northeastern United States made by glacial moraines from the Wisconsonian glaciation is known as the Outer LandsOuter Lands
The Outer Lands is a term denoting the prominent terminal moraine archipelagic region off the southern coast of New England in the United States...
.
History
In 1898, the federal government purchased 60 acres (24.3 ha) at the elbow of Napatree Point for the construction of a coastal artillery installation, one of many such forts designed to protect the eastern entrance to Long Island Sound as part of a defense network for New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Fort Mansfield
Fort Mansfield
Fort Mansfield was a coastal artillery installation located at the end of Napatree Point, a long barrier beach in the village of Watch Hill in Westerly, Rhode Island.- History :...
began operations in 1901. However, war games in 1907 demonstrated a fatal design flaw, and by 1909 it was removed from the list of active posts .
In 1926, the government put the land up for sale. A New York developer proposed Sandy Point be subdivided in 674 lots. A private syndicate of Watch Hill residents mobilized to prevent the construction of "cheap little houses" and protect the exclusive character of their town. The purchase was finalized in 1928, and all government buildings at Fort Mansfield were demolished that winter. Today, all that remains are the three concrete gun emplacements, which were left behind. The syndicate was unable to meet mortgage payments and in 1931 the land was foreclosed upon by the Washington Trust Company.
The Hurricane of 1938 caught New England by surprise. Forty-two people were in their Fort Road homes on Napatree when the hurricane struck, and 15 died. The storm demolished all the homes built on Napatree as well as one of the Fort Mansfield gun emplacements. It created several breachways in the spit. The first of these breachways was near the current beach club bathhouses. At least three more broke the connection between Sandy Point and Napatree Point, severing it from the mainland. Sandy Point is now an island in Little Narragansett Bay
Little Narragansett Bay
Little Narragansett Bay is an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean and an estuary of the Pawcatuck River on the Rhode Island-Connecticut state line. It is sheltered by a curving peninsula, known as Napatree Point. At the base of Napatree Point is the site of the resort village of Watch Hill, Rhode Island....
. Combined with the 1938 hurricane, erosion by the sea has caused the Napatree beach line to retreat some 200 feet since the mid-1930s. This link provides an aerial view of Napatree Point on the bottom and Sandy Point on the top left, as they now exist after the hurricane split the peninsula in two.
In 1940, the Sandy Point portion was deeded to Alfred Guildersleeve of Stonington, Connecticut. In 1945, the remainder of the land was sold to the Watch Hill Fire District for $10,000.