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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 the land was foreclosed on by the Washington Trust Company in 1931.
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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
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In 1926, the government put the land up for sale. A New York developer proposed that Sandy Point be subdivided into 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
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Napatree Point is now a wildlife preserve and a popular public beach protected by the Watch Hill
Conservancy and Fire District, which have hired rangers to protect the area's wildlife and habitat. These rangers work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the
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In 1898, the federal government purchased 60 acres (24 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
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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
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Photo taken from the south side of the
Napatree Point peninsula facing southeast. In the far distance is the historic Watch Hill Lighthouse (sole white building located on right half of photograph).
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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.
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The name "Napatree" is derived from Nap or Nape (Neck) of Trees. Napatree Point was once heavily wooded. However, most of the trees were destroyed when the
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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.
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Aerial view of
Napatree Point (bottom) and Sandy Point (top left), as they now exist after the 1938 hurricane split the peninsula in two
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191:, a federally endangered species. Napatree is also home to deer, foxes, and ospreys, and it is a resting area for migratory birds.
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https://www.rhodeislandredfoodtours.com/2023/06/14/lets-set-jet-places-in-ri-where-your-favorite-films-and-shows-were-made/
222:"Watch Hill In The Hurricane of September 21st, 1938" a special pictorial issue of Seaside Topics published November 1938.
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forming a protected harbor. It is the southernmost and westernmost point of mainland Rhode Island.
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Looking across the field on the north side of the peninsula, from the center, facing northwest
234:"Fort Mansfield" by Clement A. Griscom, 1984. Sponsored by the Westerly Historical Society
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The peninsula is partially made from longshore drift. It is also made from
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Watch Hill and Watch Hill Cove from the eastern end of
Napatree Point
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empties. The small bay is an inlet of the
Atlantic Ocean.
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Napatree Point is a slender, 1.5 mile long peninsula in
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Beach on the south side of the peninsula, facing west.
331:Protected areas of Washington County, Rhode Island
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316:Landforms of Washington County, Rhode Island
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47:created by a geologic process called
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199:In 2006, a scene from the movie
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39:, often referred to simply as
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77:Great September Gale of 1815
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326:Spits of the United States
259:The Watch Hill Conservancy
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182:Present-day conservation
287:41.316884°N 71.873932°W
173:Little Narragansett Bay
120:Wisconsonian glaciation
101:Little Narragansett Bay
321:Westerly, Rhode Island
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65:Westerly, Rhode Island
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292:41.316884; -71.873932
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83:Geography and geology
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195:Use as Film Location
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97:Block Island Sound
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168:Hurricane of 1938
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71:Name origin
57:Sandy Point
305:Categories
278:71°52′26″W
275:41°19′01″N
207:References
103:, a small
61:Watch Hill
41:Napatree
130:History
105:estuary
166:The
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