| Kickemuit River Kickamuit River | |
|---|---|
 An informational display tells the history of the Kickemuit River. | |
 | |
| Etymology | Narragansett |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Cities | Warren, Rhode Island Rehoboth, Massachusetts |
| Towns | Bristol, Rhode Island |
TheKickemuit River (sometimes writtenKickamuit;kick-eh-MEW-it[1]) is a river in the states ofMassachusetts andRhode Island flowing approximately 7.9 miles (12.7 km).[2]
The nameKickemuit is aNarragansett word that has other spellings, an example of which (Kickamuit) is in the map provided below. The river was a major traffic artery during theAmerican Revolutionary War, and supplies traveled upriver daily.[3] By the 1800s, oyster beds were a major revenue source, but effluent from the nearby Parker Mills and general sewage pollution killed most of the oysters by 1910.[3] The Kickemuit River oyster industry ended with the1938 New England hurricane.[3]
The Kickemuit River is classified as a Class A, Type II Waterway and open to both recreational activities and shell-fishing.[citation needed]
The river's source is inRehoboth, Massachusetts in the swamps north of Locust Street inSwansea. Since 1883, the river flowed due south to Swansea and into the Warren Reservoir, which drained approximately 2,300 acres (9.3 km2). From then until early 2024, the reservoir's dam formed the boundary between fresh and salt water. In January 2024, with the reservoir out-of-service since 1998, the 250-foot dam was demolished. The Kickemuit River returned to historic tidal flow.[4]
From the dam’s former site, the river flows generally southwest, then southeast toMount Hope Bay, passing to the east of the center of the town ofWarren, Rhode Island and ending withBristol, Rhode Island to the west with part of Warren, Rhode Island to the east. The river exits in a passage through the Bristol Narrows into Mount Hope Bay.
Below is a list of crossings over the Kickemuit River. The list starts at the headwaters and goes downstream.
Heath Brook is the Kickemuit River's only named tributary, though it has many unnamed streams that also feed it.
