Little Compton, Rhode Island | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Town Common and the United Congregational Church | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Little Compton in Newport County, Rhode Island | |
| Coordinates:41°30′N71°10′W / 41.500°N 71.167°W /41.500; -71.167 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Rhode Island |
| County | Newport |
| Settled | 1675 |
| Incorporated | June 6, 1682 |
| Annexed by Rhode Island | January 27, 1747 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Town Council-Town Administrator |
| • Town Council President | Patrick A. McHugh (D) Gary S. Mataronas (R) Victoria G. Talbot (D) Robert L. Mushen (R) Andrew W. Iriarte-Moore (D) |
| • Town Clerk | Heather J. Cook (R) |
| • Town Administrator | Anya Rader Wallack |
| • Town Moderator | Lawrence G. Anderson |
| Area | |
• Total | 28.9 sq mi (74.9 km2) |
| • Land | 20.9 sq mi (54.1 km2) |
| • Water | 8.0 sq mi (20.8 km2) |
| Elevation | 85 ft (26 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 3,616 |
| • Density | 173/sq mi (66.8/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP Code | 02837 |
| Area code | 401 |
| FIPS code | 44-42400[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1220062[1] |
| Website | Town website |
Little Compton is a coastal town inNewport County, Rhode Island, United States, bounded on the south by theAtlantic Ocean, on the west by theSakonnet River, on the north by the town ofTiverton, and on the east by the town ofWestport, Massachusetts. The population was 3,589 as of 2022 Town Records.
Little Compton was originally inhabited by theSakonnet Indians and their settlement was called Sakonnet or Saughonet.[3] The name has been interpreted in a variety of ways including "where the water pours forth".
The first European settlers were fromDuxbury, Massachusetts in thePlymouth Colony, which granted them their charter. The ruler of the Native Americans was a femalesachem namedAwashonks who resisted English colonization until forced by English forces to compromise, allowing some of her soldiers to join the English in exchange for a promise that the women and children not be sold into slavery duringKing Phillip's War.[4] After the war, new settlers divided the land into standard-sized lots for farms, taking back land that had been promised to the Awashonks and her people. Among the 29 original proprietors was ColonelBenjamin Church, who would become well known for his role in the late 17th-century conflicts with surrounding Indian tribes, initially theWampanoags and later, theNarragansetts. In 1675, Church built a house in Little Compton, just prior to King Philip's War. Today, a plaque marks the location on West Main Road.
In 1682, Sakonnet was incorporated by the Plymouth Colony and was renamed Little Compton, presumably in reference toLittle Compton inWarwickshire, England.[5] After the "Old Colony" was merged into the Massachusetts Bay Colony to the north, a local colonial representative to the General Court in Boston boasted that all the stone walls in Little Compton would stretch to the State House and back, if laid end to end. A Royal commission changed the state border in 1747, and Little Compton along withTiverton andBristol became part of Rhode Island, setting them off from the area ofOld Dartmouth.[6] All probate and land records prior to 1746 are kept inTaunton andNew Bedford, Massachusetts. Beginning in the late Victorian era, the town became a destination for summer visitors drawn to its beaches and farms seemingly untouched by modernity, and for its relatively cool, maritime climate.
Sites of historic interest in Little Compton include theWilbor House, built in 1692 by Samuel Wilbore (1664–1740) (grandson ofSamuel Wilbore), and now the home of the Little Compton Historical Society,[7] theFriends Meeting House and Cemetery, and theWilliam Whalley Homestead. There are about 57 historic cemeteries in the town.
Little Compton is home to one of only three town commons surviving in Rhode Island; the others are inBristol andWarren. Land for the common was designated in August 1677 and has been used ever since as both a religious and civic center, the location of churches, a school, the town hall, town library, and other government buildings and civic institutions. The Common contains a large cemetery.[8] Benjamin Church and his family are buried in the cemetery, as isElizabeth Pabodie, the eldest daughter ofJohn Alden andPriscilla Mullins ofMayflower fame. The stones in the cemetery reflect a style of carving similar to that found both inNewport andBoston during the same time period. The entire common is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as anhistoric district.[9]
Another distinctive feature of the town is the c.1905 "Spite Tower" found in the hamlet ofAdamsville. Built as a water tower, local lore claims that it was constructed to obscure the sight-lines of a rival abutting neighbor.
TheSakonnet Point Lighthouse is situated off the coast of Sakonnet Point in the southwest corner of Little Compton; the lighthouse was constructed in 1884 and was extensively restored in 2012.[10]
TheWest Island Club was a prestigioussport fishing club that formerly occupied West Island, which is located roughly half a mile (0.8 km) south off the coast of Sakonnet Point. The exclusive club operated between 1864 and 1906, with notable members including the likes ofGrover Cleveland,J.P. Morgan andCornelius Vanderbilt. The remaining structures on the island were destroyed by theHurricane of 1938, save for three stone support columns that are still extant.[11][12][13]
Fort Church was built near Sakonnet Point duringWorld War II and was named for Benjamin Church. The largest of the four batteries was Battery Gray with two16-inch guns, an area that became the Sakonnet Golf Club.[14]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 1,542 | — | |
| 1800 | 1,577 | 2.3% | |
| 1810 | 1,553 | −1.5% | |
| 1820 | 1,580 | 1.7% | |
| 1830 | 1,378 | −12.8% | |
| 1840 | 1,327 | −3.7% | |
| 1850 | 1,462 | 10.2% | |
| 1860 | 1,304 | −10.8% | |
| 1870 | 1,166 | −10.6% | |
| 1880 | 1,202 | 3.1% | |
| 1890 | 1,128 | −6.2% | |
| 1900 | 1,132 | 0.4% | |
| 1910 | 1,273 | 12.5% | |
| 1920 | 1,389 | 9.1% | |
| 1930 | 1,382 | −0.5% | |
| 1940 | 1,492 | 8.0% | |
| 1950 | 1,556 | 4.3% | |
| 1960 | 1,702 | 9.4% | |
| 1970 | 2,385 | 40.1% | |
| 1980 | 3,085 | 29.4% | |
| 1990 | 3,339 | 8.2% | |
| 2000 | 3,593 | 7.6% | |
| 2010 | 3,492 | −2.8% | |
| 2020 | 3,616 | 3.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[15][16] | |||
In 2022, there were 3,622 people in 1,578 households. Of the 2,444 housing units in Little Compton in 2021, only 62% were reported as occupied, leaving 928 units (38%) vacant for seasonal use only.[17]
The population density of Little Compton was 175 people per square mile, which classifies as rural. In 2021, 98% of residents wereWhite, 2% wereHispanic orLatino. More than half (59%) had earned a bachelor's degree or higher, which was 1.5 times greater than the rate of Rhode Island (34%). The median age in town was 58 years, considerably older than Rhode Island as a whole (40 years). The largest plurality of people (21% of the town) was between the ages of 60–69. And the largest plurality of residents moved to town in 2015 or later (28%). Only 2% of the town's population was under 10 years of age, far below the statewide average of 10%, and zero percent of women of childbearing age (ages 15–50) gave birth in 2021.
In 2022, the median value of owner occupied units was $797,000, more than double the value in Rhode Island as a whole ($319,000). A household needed an annual income of $174,000 to afford a median priced home in Little Compton, placing the town among the three most expensive zip codes in Rhode Island, ranking third most expensive behind only Block Island (New Shoreham) and Providence (East Side).[18]
As of 2022, the median household income in Little Compton was $129,750, which was 1.5 times higher than Rhode Island ($86,372).[17] Theper capita income in Little Compton was $94,064, double that of Rhode Island ($45,919). Of Little Compton's households, 405 (or 25%) were classified as cost-burdened for having to spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs. About 3% of the population lived below thepoverty line, which was one-fourth the rate of Rhode Island (12%).[17]
Rhode Island State Law 45-5356 establishes a goal that 10 percent of every city or town's housing stock qualify as Low- and Moderate-Income Housing. In 2022, only 0.56% of Little Compton's housing stock qualified as meeting that goal, the lowest of any municipality in Rhode Island, leaving Little Compton as the most unaffordable town in Rhode Island and 235 units shy of the state target of 10 percent.[19]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 28.9 square miles (75 km2), of which, 20.9 square miles (54 km2) is land and 8.0 square miles (21 km2) (27.79%) is water. One of the largest bodies of fresh water in Little Compton isQuicksand Pond. Sakonnet Point is the town's southernmost point, offering views of theSakonnet Point Lighthouse and several small rocky islands, including East Island andWest Island. On a clear day, it is possible to view the inhabited islands ofMartha's Vineyard,Cuttyhunk andNashawena inBuzzards Bay, as well asNewport, Rhode Island to the west.[20]
Along with its scenic coastline, another defining feature of Little Compton's landscape is its abundant stonewalls. According to Bruce Irving, author of the bookNew England Icons, "There were once some 250,000 miles of stone walls in the Northeast, enough to stretch to the moon, their epicenter generally sited in a fifty-mile radius around the meeting point of Rhode Island and Massachusetts, with the Rhode Island town of Little Compton especially rich in stone walls."[21]
At times, Little Compton has been considered a part of theSouth Coast region of Massachusetts despite the town residing entirely within Rhode Island. By its most literal definition, the South Coast encompasses the geographic area of Massachusetts that bordersBuzzards Bay (excluding theElizabeth Islands,Bourne andFalmouth),Mount Hope Bay and theSakonnet River. It has been argued that Little Compton and Tiverton share more in common with the regional identities of the South Coast communities ofWestport andDartmouth (and to an extentFall River) than the rest ofNewport County.[22][23]
In recent years, Little Compton has also been included within a sub-region of the South Coast known as theFarm Coast which consists of several surrounding rural towns that are considered the last coastal farming communities left inSouthern New England.[24][25]
There are several localities located in Little Compton, however, none are consideredcensus-designated places:Adamsville, Pottersville, the Commons, Sakonnet, Warren Point and Chase Point. Adamsville is a village situated in the northeast corner of Little Compton and overlaps with the towns of Tiverton and Westport in Rhode Island and Massachusetts respectively. Adamsville is the only locality in Little Compton that has its own regional post office. Pottersville is a sparsely settledhamlet located south of Adamsville and is concentrated at the junction of Pottersville Road, John Dyer Road and Mullin Hill Road.
The Little Compton Commons encompasses the area that includes and surrounds the historic town common. The majority of Little Compton's civic buildings are located in the Commons, and the town hosts many events in this area. The Sakonnet neighborhood consists of the area located within and surrounding Sakonnet Point, which is situated at the mouth of theSakonnet River. Several exclusive leisure clubs are located at Sakonnet Point - this includes the Sakonnet Golf Club, the Sakonnet Yacht Club and the Sakonnet Point Club.
Warren Point is located east of Sakonnet Point and is composed of residential waterfront properties; the exclusive Warren's Point Beach Club is located at Tappens Beach on Warren Point. Chase Point is located at the southeastern point of Little Compton and is composed of private roadways and residential properties which occupy former sheep pastures.
There are five beaches in Little Compton; however, only two are permitted for public use. South Shore Beach and Goosewing Beach, which are located adjacent to each other, are considered the only public beaches in Little Compton. South Shore Beach requires either a season pass, day pass, or proof of residency for parking access.[26]
Briggs Beach and Tappens Beach are private beach clubs and are only permitted for members and their guests. Briggs Beach is located adjacent to Briggs Marsh and offers amenities such as changing rooms and parking. Tappens Beach is the shoreline property for the Warren's Point Beach Club which offers concessions, parking and changing rooms for members.
Lloyd's Beach, a gravel beach located near Sakonnet Point, is only accessible to residents of the surrounding Sakonnet neighborhood and requires proof of residency for entry.[27]
Little Compton is unique for its real estate transfer tax, which was enabled by state statute in 1985 to preserve farmland in town and protect limited drinking water resources from overdevelopment.[28] Effective July 1, 2016, real estate property transfers are taxed at a 4% rate, with the first $300,000 is exempted, paid by the buyer in the transaction to the town's Agricultural Conservancy Trust. As of 2021, the Ag Trust has preserved 2,162 acres of land, more than 671 acres of that owned outright by the Ag Trust, with 133 acres of that leased to local farmers.[29]
Easements are emplaced on Agricultural Conservancy Trust property which allows public access on preserved land in the form of maintainedpublic rights-of-way; this is a unique practice that is not often seen in the United States and is more commonly associated withEnglish Law.[30]
There is one school in Little Compton, the Wilbur and McMahon School on School House Lane near the Common, originally known as the Josephine Wilbur (or Central) School; residents simply refer to it as "Wilbur School." It had 12 classrooms and housed the town's K–12 facilities. It was renamed after additions were built in the mid 1900s. Approximately 208 students attend classes in Kindergarten through 8th grade.[31] High school students usually attend Portsmouth High School inPortsmouth, Rhode Island, about a 25 minute drive away, as well as other options likeBishop Stang High School inDartmouth, Massachusetts. The school has 2 floors; one for Elementary and the second floor for 4-8. The biggest room in the Wilbur McMahon School is the Gymnasium or historically, "Mr Mac's Gym." Followed by the Art Room until further renovations were made in Late 2023 to construct a conjoined Spanish and Design room. The school also implements theInternational Baccalaureate or, (IB) Program. Wilbur School is the only Middle School inRhode Island to host this program.[32]
The Little Compton Public Library was first founded 1879 and was formerly located within the Little Compton Town Hall. The Brownell Library was a separate library constructed in 1929 and was designed by Charles Loring in theGeorgian Revival style. The Little Compton Public Library moved out of the Town Hall and consolidated with the Brownell library in 1963.[33][34] The Brownell Library currently serves as Little Compton's only public library. In addition to book borrowing, the library offers programs, events, information resources, and other materials for library members.
TheRhode Island Red is a native breed of poultry first bred by William Tripp inAdamsville. According to The Livestock Conservancy, "The Rhode Island Red is not only America's best known breed, but is perhaps the world's best known fowl. It is the most successful dual purpose bird [raised for both eggs and meat], and remains an excellent farm chicken [or non-industrial breed]."[35] In 1925, the Rhode Island Red Club of America donated funds for amonument to the Rhode Island Red in Adamsville, at the intersection of Main Street and Westport River Road. Another plaque honoring the Rhode Island Red was erected by the state on the breed's 100th anniversary in 1954, 1-mile (1.6 km) south of Adamsville on the wall of what was William Tripp's farm. The two memorials reflect a dispute between poultry fanciers and farmers over who should have received credit for the breed's success.
Little Compton is one of four towns in Rhode Island that is not served byRIPTA bus service.Route 77 runs 14 miles (23 km) from Rhode Island Road in southern Little Compton toRoute 24 inTiverton.Route 81 runs fromRoute 179 in southern Little Compton and continues asMassachusetts Route 81 nearFall River.
Historically, railroads and streetcar lines were never constructed in Little Compton. Overland transportation in Little Compton has always been limited to roads.[36] The closest passenger rail station isFall River Depot, located on theMBTA's Fall River/New Bedford Line.
John Cunningham Whitehead (1922-2015), former chairman of Goldman Sachs; Deputy Secretary of State, 1985–89; former chairman of the New York Federal Reserve Bank; chairman of post-9/11 Lower Manhattan Development Corporation; summer resident of Little Compton.
![The Stone House Inn was built in 1854 as a home for industrialist David Sisson. At the time of completion, it was the biggest residence in the area.[44]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.m.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aStone_House_Inn_from_SW%2c_Little_Compton.jpg)
![The Sakonnet Light Station was built in 1885 and renovated in 2012. It sits on a rock in the Sakonnet River off of Sakonnet Point[10]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.m.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aRenovated_Sakonnet_Lighthouse_2016_crop.jpg)
![The Sakonnet Lodge was built in 1840 as a Methodist church. It is part of the Little Compton Common Historic District[34]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.m.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aSakonnet_Lodge%2c_Common_HD%2c_Little_Compton.jpg)
![The United Congregational Church dates to 1704. The current meeting house was built in 1832. Its 100' steeple is the tallest structure in town.[34]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.m.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aUCCLC.jpg)
![The First (or Old) Methodist Meeting House was originally built in another location in 1825, and moved to its current location in 1839 and a new front section was added.[34]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.m.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aFirst_Methodist_Meeting_House%2c_Common_HD%2c_Little_Compton.jpg)
![The "Spite Tower" in Adamsville, a hamlet of Little Compton, is a water tower which is purported to have been built out of spite.[45]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.m.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aSpite_Tower%2c_Adamsville%2c_Little_Compton_2.jpg)
![The William Whalley Homestead is a 19th-century farmstead which includes a house, barn and outbuilding.[46]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.m.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWilliam_Whalley_Homestead%2c_Little_Compton.jpg)
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