Jamestown is the town located in the new port county which is situated in the Rhode Island in the United States. The Conanicut Island is the second largest island in the Narragansett Bay. The James town is situated entirely on the Conanicut Island.

I must say that the human arrived in the area about 10000 to 20000 years ago which marks the end of the last ice age. They set up the camps near streams and rivers. The sea level started rising Ongoing melting of glaciers caused the sea level to rise, and this covered the low lying areas and at last filling the Narragansett Bay. The rising sea level really forced the human being to move to the higher elevation and this really submerged the traces of all the early inhabitants which were found on this island. The oldest human remains found on this Iceland are as old as the 3000 B.C.

The Italian navigator Giovanni Giovanni da Verrazzano visited the island in the year 1524. He was also followed by his crew. In 1637, this island of the Dutch was used for the fur trading. And it was not early until in 1638 the English men made the arrangement to use this island for grazing the sheep.

The ferries were in command and organized the trade between the Conanicut Island and Newport by 1675. In 1678, this island of Conanicut was integrated as the town of Jamestown. At that time there were only about 150 residents. The town was named after the name of James, Duke of York, who was going to become the King James II in 1685.

Around 1710, most of the Conanicut Island’s current roads were in place. And in 1728, the first windmill for grinding corn was built which used the sea breeze for power. This was because there was no source of running the water to turn the waterwheel.

In the year1775 and on December 10, 200 British and Hessian troops landed at East Ferry on Conanicut Island and they started marching towards West Ferry, and on way they burnt the most of the ferry houses. And when they returned to East Ferry, then also they destroyed many buildings, which included fourteen homes; and this caused more than 200 of the conanicut Islands to flew to the mainland and they were 556 in total number.

In the very next year a British fleet arrived in Narragansett Bay and was able to occupy the city of new port. The British took over the charge of the colonial militia batteries at Fort Dumpling which is now part of Fort Wetherill and the Conanicut Battery at Beavertail which is situated just south of Fort Getty. It was not earlier than the year 1779 when the British left Narragansett Bay. As they departed, they shattered the fortifications they had occupied, and burned Beavertail lighthouse.

I must again repeat that this just a little bit detail about the area. You will definitely come up with a lot more if you go in deep.

Tags: conanicut island, jamestown, rhode island