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Block Island

Block Island is an island of the Outer Lands coastal archipelago, located approximately 9 miles (14 km) south of mainland Rhode Island and 14 miles (23 km) east of Long Island's Montauk Point. The island is coterminous with the town of New Shoreham, Rhode Island and is part of Washington County. The island is named after Dutch explorer Adriaen Block, and the town was named for Shoreham, Kent, in England.

New Shoreham, Rhode Island
Block Island
Town
Block Island looking north over Block Island Sound. The coast of Rhode Island is seen in the distance.
Nickname: 
Manisses meaning Manitou's Little Island (used by Narragansett people)
Location of New Shoreham in Washington County, Rhode Island
Coordinates: 41°10′11″N 71°34′48″W / 41.16972°N 71.58000°W / 41.16972; -71.58000
CountryUnited States
StateRhode Island
CountyWashington
Government
 • TypeCouncil-manager
Area
 • Land9.73 sq mi (25.2 km2)
Elevation
13 ft (4 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total1,410
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Code
02807
Area code401
Websitenew-shoreham.com
Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1970489
198062026.8%
199083634.8%
20001,01020.8%
20101,0514.1%
20201,41034.2%

Block Island is a popular summer tourist destination known for its bicycling, hiking, sailing, fishing, and beaches. It is home to the historic lighthouses Block Island North Light, on the northern tip of the island, and Block Island Southeast Light, on the southeastern coast. About 40 percent of the island is set aside for conservation, and much of the northwestern tip of the island is an undeveloped natural area and resting stop for birds along the Atlantic flyway.[1] The Nature Conservancy includes Block Island on its list of "The Last Great Places", which consists of 12 sites in the western hemisphere.[2]

Popular events include the annual Fourth of July Parade, celebration, and fireworks. The island's population can triple over the normal summer vacation crowd. As of the 2020 Census, the island's population is 1,410 living on a land area of 9.734 square miles (25.211 km2).[3]

History edit

Before 1637 edit

Block Island was formed by the same receding glaciers that formed the Outer Lands of Cape Cod, the Hamptons, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket during the end of the last ice age thousands of years ago.[4]

 
On this 1614 map, Block Island is named "Adrianbloxeyland".

The Niantic people[5] called the island "Manisses" (meaning "Manitou's Little Island"),[6] or just "Little Island".[7][8] Archaeological sites indicate that these people lived largely by hunting deer, catching fish and shellfish, and growing corn, beans, and squash, presumably with the Three Sisters technique. They migrated from forest to coastal areas to take advantage of seasonal resources.[9] One modern researcher has theorized that indigenous groups may have established a settlement as early as 500 BC,[10] although there is no consensus on that idea.

Giovanni da Verrazzano sighted the island in 1524 and named it "Claudia" in honor of Claude, Duchess of Brittany, queen consort of France and the wife of Francis I. However, several contemporaneous maps identified the same island as "Luisa", after Louise of Savoy, the Queen Mother of France and the mother of Francis I. Verrazano's ship log stated that the island was "full of hilles, covered with trees, well-peopled for we saw fires all along the coaste." Almost 100 years later, Dutch explorer Adriaen Block charted the island in 1614; he simply named it for himself,[11] and this was the name that stuck.

Pequot War edit

 
Former Massachusetts Governor John Endicott attacking the Niantics on Block Island in the summer of 1637

The growing tensions among the tribes of the region in this time caused the Niantics to split into two divisions: the Western Niantics, who allied with the Pequots and Mohegans, and the Eastern Niantics, who allied with the Narragansetts.

In 1632, indigenous people (likely Western Niantics associated with the Pequots)[12] killed colonial traders John Stone and Walter Norton, and the Pequots of eastern Connecticut were blamed. A Pequot delegation presented magistrates in Boston with two bushels of wampum and a bundle of sticks representing the number of beavers and otters with which they would compensate the colonists for the deaths. They sought peace with the colonies and also requested help establishing concord with the Narragansetts, who bordered them to the east. The colonial authorities, in turn, demanded the people responsible for killing Stone and Norton, a promise not to interfere with colonial settlement in Connecticut, and 400 fathoms of wampum and the pelts of 40 beavers and 30 otters.[13][14]

 
The Niantics defending themselves on Block Island in the summer of 1637

In 1636, John Gallup came across the boat of trader John Oldham, a noted troublemaker. Oldham had flirted with impropriety since the day that he landed on American soil. Not long after arriving in Plymouth in 1623, he "grew very perverse and showed a spirit of great malignancy," according to Plymouth Colony Governor William Bradford. He was later accused of religious subversion and responded with impertinence, hurling invective at his accusers and even drawing a knife on Captain Myles Standish. He was banished from Plymouth and fled to Massachusetts Bay, settling first in Nantasket, then Cape Ann, and finally Watertown, where he continued to indulge his penchant for mayhem. Despite his unsavory reputation, Massachusetts Bay sought his extensive knowledge of the New England coast when they asked him to retrieve a hefty ransom on the colony's behalf. It was on this mission that Oldham was murdered and dismembered.[13][14]

In August, the Massachusetts authorities dispatched a punitive expedition of ninety men to Block Island under the command of John Endicott to avenge Oldham's murder. The expedition was ordered by governor of Massachusetts Sir Henry Vane to "massacre all of the Native men on the island" and capture the women and children, who would then be sold into slavery. Upon arriving on Block Island, the expedition burned sixty Niantic wigwams and all the cornfields on the island. The expedition also shot every dog they could find, though the Niantic fled into the woods and the colonists killed fourteen people. Deciding that this murder spree and razing was insufficient, Endicott and his men sailed over to Fort Saybrook before going after the Pequot village at the mouth of the Thames River to demand one thousand fathoms of wampum to pay for the murder. They took some Pequot children as hostages to ensure payment, with these incidents being seen as the initial events that led to the Pequot War.[15][16]

Settlement edit

Massachusetts Bay Colony claimed the island by conquest. In 1658, the colony sold the island to a group of men headed up by Endicott. In 1661, the Endicott group sold the island to a party of twelve settlers that later grew to sixteen (of whom only seven actually settled there[17]) led by John Alcock, who are today memorialized at Settler's Rock, near Cow's Cove. In 1663, island settler Thomas Terry gave six acres of land at the island's largest fresh pond and its surrounding area to four "chief sachems". Their names were recorded as Ninnecunshus, Jaguante, Tunkawatten, and Senatick, but they were known by the colonists as Mr. Willeam, Repleave (Reprive), and Soconosh. This land was given to "them being the Cheife Sachems upon the Island there Heires & Assignes Forever to plant and Improve".[18] This land was then known as the Indian Lands. The Sachems called the Fresh Pond Tonnotounknug.[19] In 1664, Indians on the island numbered somewhere from 1,200 to 1,500. By 1774, that number had been reduced to fifty-one.[20] A Dutch map of 1685 clearly shows Block Island, indicated as Adriaen Blocks Eylant ("Adrian Block's Island").

In the late seventeenth century, an Englishwoman called New England's first woman doctor lived on Block Island. Her name was Sarah Sands née Walker and she has also been suggested as a very early abolitionist.[21] She married sea captain James Sands (one of the original sixteen, as recorded by Settler's Rock[17]) in 1645 and had possibly six children, including a daughter named Mercy, born 1663. In 1699, Scottish sailor William Kidd visited Block Island, shortly before he was hanged for piracy. At Block Island, he was supplied by Mercy Sands (then Mrs. Raymond). The story has it that, for her hospitality, Kidd bade Mrs. Raymond to hold out her apron, into which he threw gold and jewels until it was full. After her husband Joshua Raymond died, Mercy moved with her family to what would become the Raymond-Bradford Homestead in northern New London, Connecticut (later Montville) where she bought much land. The Raymond family was thus said to have been "enriched by the apron".[22]

Block Island was incorporated by the Rhode Island general assembly in 1672, and the island government adopted the name "New Shoreham".

Since Colonial times edit

 
Southeast Light is a Block Island landmark.

During the War of 1812, the island was briefly occupied by the British Navy under the command of Sir Thomas Hardy. British vessels included HMS Dispatch, HMS Terror, HMS Nimrod, HMS Pactolus, and HMS Ramillies. Hardy took the fleet to Block Island in search of food and to establish a strategic position at the mouth of Long Island Sound. The British were enraged to discover that nearly all Block Island livestock and food stores had been transferred to Stonington, Connecticut, in advance of their arrival. On August 9, 1814, Hardy and his fleet departed Block Island for Stonington Harbor in part to lay claim to the Block Island food stores and livestock. Hardy's pre-dawn raid on August 10 was repulsed with damage to his fleet in a battle that has since become known as the Battle of Stonington.[23]

 
View of southside Block Island from New London ferry

The original North Lighthouse was built in 1829, but it was replaced in 1837 after the original was washed out to sea. The ocean claimed the replacement lighthouse also, and the lighthouse that can be seen today was constructed in 1867.[24] Construction began on Block Island's Southeast Lighthouse a few years later in 1873.

Block Island has no natural harbors; breakwaters were constructed in 1870 to form Old Harbor.

 
New Shoreham, Rhode Island with Old Harbor in the foreground
 
New Harbor - The Great Salt Pond

New Harbor was created in 1895 when a channel was dug to connect the Great Salt Pond to the ocean through the northwestern side of the island.

The Island Free Library was established in 1875 and is Block Island's only public library.

Isaac Church was the Island's last recorded full-blooded Manisses Indian; he died in 1886 at age 100. He was survived by one son and one daughter whose descendants still reside in Rhode Island today. The landmark Isaac's Corner is named in honor of him, located at the intersection of Center Road, Lakeside Drive, and Cooneymus Road. Isaac is buried to the east of the four corners in the Historical Indian Burial Ground. In 2011, the Block Island Historical Society dedicated the Block Island Manissean Ancestral Stone. In attendance at the unveiling ceremony were descendants of the Manisses Indians, with Tiondra White Rapids Martinez, a direct descendant of Isaac Church, opening the ceremony in their native tongue.[25]

 
American Baptist-affiliated Harbor Church is perched high on a hill on the western side of New Shoreham. The building was reconstructed from the former Adrian Hotel and was included in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 as part of Old Harbor Historic District in New Shoreham.

During World War II, several artillery spotters were located on the island to direct fire from the heavy gun batteries at Fort Greene in Point Judith which protected the entrance to Narragansett Bay. Lookout positions for the spotters were built to look like houses. The US government offered to evacuate the island, as it could not be effectively defended from enemy invasion, but the islanders chose to stay. Days before the war ended against Germany, the Battle of Point Judith took place seven miles to the northeast of the island.

The island's airport (KBID) was opened in 1950 and remains open today as a general aviation airport.

 
KBID, Block Island State Airport

In 1972, the Block Island Conservancy was founded. The Conservancy and other environmental organizations are responsible for protecting over 40% of the island from development.[26] In 1974, Old Harbor Historic District was declared a National Register historic district. More information can be found in the following books concerning Block Island's old buildings, islanders, history, and ongoing efforts to conserve the land, together with a collection of 800 period photographs of the island spanning the 1870s to the 1980s and all by historian Robert M. Downie:

  • Block Island—The Sea
  • Block Island—The Land
  • The Block Island History of Photography, 2 volumes

The students of New Shoreham in grades kindergarten through 12th grade attend Block Island School. Harbor Church was founded on October 23, 1765 and is located at 21 Water Street.[27]

Climate edit

Block Island
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
 
 
4.1
 
 
39
24
 
 
3.6
 
 
40
26
 
 
5.1
 
 
46
31
 
 
3.9
 
 
55
39
 
 
3.5
 
 
64
48
 
 
3.8
 
 
73
58
 
 
3
 
 
79
63
 
 
4.2
 
 
78
63
 
 
4.1
 
 
72
57
 
 
4.8
 
 
63
47
 
 
3.7
 
 
53
39
 
 
4.6
 
 
44
30
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Metric conversion
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
 
 
104
 
 
4
−4
 
 
91
 
 
4
−3
 
 
130
 
 
8
−1
 
 
99
 
 
13
4
 
 
89
 
 
18
9
 
 
97
 
 
23
14
 
 
76
 
 
26
17
 
 
107
 
 
26
17
 
 
104
 
 
22
14
 
 
122
 
 
17
8
 
 
94
 
 
12
4
 
 
117
 
 
7
−1
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm

Block Island's weather is greatly influenced by the surrounding ocean. The climate is oceanic (Köppen Cfb), bordering a humid continental (Dfa/Dfb) and humid subtropical climate (Cfa). The ocean stays cool during the winter and spring months, but still warm enough that average temperatures are several degrees warmer than inland areas of Rhode Island. In summer, while the ocean warms to near 70 F, it still keeps Block Island cooler than locations inland. As such, Block Island has a frost free season longer than locations inland. Block Island averages 2300 hrs of sunshine annually (higher than the USA average).

Block Island's record high temperature is 95 °F (35 °C) on August 26 and 27, 1948 and the record low is −11 °F (−24 °C) on January 16, 1994. The lowest high temperature on record was 8 °F (−13 °C) on December 31, 1962, and January 8, 1968, and the highest low temperature on record was 76 °F (24 °C) on August 2, 1979. The hardiness zone is now 7b. [1]

Climate data for New Shoreham, Rhode Island (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1948–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 62
(17)
62
(17)
74
(23)
92
(33)
85
(29)
90
(32)
92
(33)
95
(35)
89
(32)
80
(27)
72
(22)
64
(18)
95
(35)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 38.5
(3.6)
40.3
(4.6)
45.6
(7.6)
54.7
(12.6)
64.1
(17.8)
73.3
(22.9)
78.8
(26.0)
78.3
(25.7)
72.3
(22.4)
62.5
(16.9)
53.4
(11.9)
43.9
(6.6)
58.8
(14.9)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 24.3
(−4.3)
25.9
(−3.4)
30.6
(−0.8)
39.1
(3.9)
47.6
(8.7)
57.6
(14.2)
63.3
(17.4)
63.1
(17.3)
56.7
(13.7)
47.1
(8.4)
39.2
(4.0)
29.7
(−1.3)
43.7
(6.5)
Record low °F (°C) −11
(−24)
−10
(−23)
7
(−14)
18
(−8)
34
(1)
41
(5)
51
(11)
45
(7)
39
(4)
28
(−2)
16
(−9)
−4
(−20)
−11
(−24)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 4.12
(105)
3.61
(92)
5.12
(130)
3.89
(99)
3.53
(90)
3.78
(96)
2.96
(75)
4.20
(107)
4.06
(103)
4.77
(121)
3.74
(95)
4.62
(117)
48.40
(1,229)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 7.5
(19)
7.9
(20)
3.7
(9.4)
0.8
(2.0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0.8
(2.0)
5.7
(14)
26.4
(67)
Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) 6
(15)
5
(13)
2
(5.1)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
1
(2.5)
6
(15)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 7.9 7.7 9.7 9.9 9.8 7.4 6.2 6.2 6.5 7.9 8.8 9.1 97.1
Source: NOAA[28]

National Weather Service(Snow depth2016-2023)[29]

Demographics edit

At the 2000 census, there were 1,010 people, 472 households, and 250 families in the town. The population of New Shoreham was 1,410 at the 2020 census, making it the least-populous municipality in the state.

The population density was 103.8 inhabitants per square mile (40.08/km2). There were 1,606 housing units at an average density of 165.0 per square mile (63.71/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.82% White, 0.59% African American, 0.79% Asian, 0.30% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.19% of the population.

Of the 472 households 21.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.0% were non-families. 35.0% of households were one person and 12.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.82.

The age distribution was 18.3% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 28.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% 65 or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.5 males.

The median household income was $44,779 and the median family income was $59,844. Males had a median income of $39,432 versus $28,125 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,188. About 8.0% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.2% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture edit

Annual events edit

One of the most popular celebrations on the island is the Fourth of July Parade. Anybody can enter a float into the parade, as long as it coordinates with the theme of that respective year. For example, the theme in 2016 was sports and recreation. In addition to the parade, there is a fireworks display on the beach on the night of July 3. The parade is on the fourth and is judged by officials who give out prizes in three categories: family floats, company floats, and overall floats. They also give out one extra prize for the overall category which is the grand prize, consisting of $500.

Every summer, the island hosts Block Island Race Week, a competitive, week-long sailboat race. On odd years, the event is held by the Storm Trysail Club, and on even years by the Block Island Race Week. Yachts compete in various classes, sailing courses in Block Island Sound and circumnavigating the island.

Every year, the island also hosts the Block Island Film Festival, an international film festival established in 2018 by journalist and filmmaker Cassius Shuman. The festival aims to promote independent works from local and international filmmakers, showcasing motion pictures, documentaries, short films and student short films.[30]

Block Island Pride is an annual pride celebration held every summer, that commemorates and supports the LGBTQ+ community. The event features a variety of activities, including parades, live performances, and educational workshops, promoting inclusivity and diversity on the island.[31]

Tourist attractions edit

 
Harborside Inn was a restaurant and hotel on the south side of Block Island. It burned down in August 2023.

Southeast Lighthouse is located at the southeast corner of the island on the Mohegan Trail. The lighthouse was constructed in 1875[32] and remains to this day an active US Coast Guard navigational aid.[24] The lighthouse was moved in 1993, in danger of falling off the bluffs due to erosion. In addition to offering tours of the tower, the lighthouse has a museum that is open during the summer season.[33]

The Mohegan Bluffs are located a short distance to the west of Southeast Lighthouse. The bluffs are the site of a pre-colonial battle between the invading Mohegan and the native Niantic, in which the Mohegan were driven off the edge of the tall cliffs to their deaths on the beach below. A staircase of 141 steps leads to the bottom of these clay cliffs and looks out over the Atlantic. On clear days, Montauk, New York, can be seen in the distance from the southern and western sides of the island.

 
Boating is popular around Block Island

Rodman's Hollow is a 230-acre (93 ha) glacial outwash basin, near the southern shore of the island. The hollow has several walking trails.[34]

North Lighthouse is located at Sandy Point on the northern tip of Block Island. The North Lighthouse warns boaters of a sandbar extending from this end of the island. The surrounding dunes are part of the Block Island National Wildlife Refuge, home to many species, including the piping plover and American burying beetle.[35] A short walk away from the North Lighthouse lies the tip of the island, with ocean on both sides of a thin strip of land.

The Block Island Historical Society Museum is located near the downtown area and contains a broad array of Block Island artifacts.

U-853 is a U-boat wreck 7 miles (11 km) east of the island, lying in 130 ft (40 m) of water. Recreational divers frequently visit the wreck, though at least three have died there.[36][37]

The Block Island Wind Farm, the first offshore wind farm built in the United States, is located 3 miles (4.8 km) from south-east of the island.

 
Offshore Wind Turbines, Block Island

[38][39][40][41] The five turbines, each 600 ft (180 m) high, commenced commercial operation in December 2016.[42]

The island has at least 40 restaurants, but most are closed outside of tourist season; mainland restaurants use New England Airlines to deliver food to the island.[43]

Parks and recreation edit

 
Beach waves near the National Hotel on Block Island
 
Crescent Beach on Block Island July, 2015

There are 17 miles of beach on Block Island. Crescent Beach can be viewed from the Pt. Judith Ferry and the New London Express Ferry on the way to the island. It contains five smaller beaches: Fred Benson Town Beach (popularly known as State Beach), Surf Beach, Scotch Beach, Rouse's Beach, and Mansion Beach, all of which are located on Corn Neck Road. North of Mansion Beach are Clayhead and Pots & Kettles. Clayhead is a set of cliffs which can be seen from the ferry in from Point Judith or New London. This area is rocky and contains iron-rich clay deposits, and is a popular area for shell and rock hunting.

Cow Cove, Settler's Rock, and Sandy Point make up the northernmost point of Block Island where the North Lighthouse is located. Settler's Rock is located at Cow Cove, where the settlers landed and swam to shore bringing with them the island's first cows, which they pushed off the boats and forced ashore. Attached to the rock is a plaque naming the original settlers of Block Island. Coastguard Beach (or "the channel") is situated between the Great Salt Pond and the ocean on the north west side of the island. Ballard's Beach is on the south side of the Block Island Ferry Dock and jetty. Bluffs Beach (or Vail) is set at the bottom of Mohegan Bluffs.

Block Island also hosts an office of The Nature Conservancy.[44] The Conservancy named Block Island as one of its top 12 sites in the Western Hemisphere, and a large portion of the island is legally protected and set aside for conservation.

Industry edit

The island is known for participating in the commercial aquaculture and kelp farming sectors.[45]

Transportation edit

 
Ferryboat Carol Jean departing Block Island in July 2015
 
New England Airlines Britten-Norman Islander at Block Island

The island is connected year-round by a ferry to Point Judith,[46] and in summer to New London, Connecticut; Orient and Montauk, New York; and Newport, Rhode Island, with the latter service also offering an extended route to Fall River, Massachusetts.[46] The traditional ferry takes about an hour to reach the island from Point Judith and is the only way to bring a car to the island as it is able to carry them. A high-speed ferry on the same route takes 35 minutes but cannot take cars, and another high-speed ferry from New London takes just over an hour.

Bikes are a popular form of transportation on the island, as cars are generally discouraged. Additionally, mopeds are quite popular, especially with tourists, since they are easy to rent and drive. This popularity has led to over 6 moped rental shops on the island,[47] but the same popularity and ease of use has led to many incidents over 40 years with reckless or bad drivers, meaning that moped accidents are a common problem on the island.[48]

New England Airlines offers regularly scheduled 12-minute flights to Block Island State Airport from Westerly, Rhode Island.[43] The island airport is officially called Block Island State (code: BID) and the terminal is about one mile from the town center.

Incidents edit

Air crashes edit

On August 26, 1995, a Cessna 185 seaplane carrying four people crashed while attempting to land in the waters off Old Harbor Beach, an area not normally used for seaplane landings. The plane cleared a dune but hit a power line, causing it to crash into a restaurant and hit a car at the island's only gas station. All four people on the plane perished, as well as a woman who was sitting in her car as it was being fueled. The restaurant was destroyed by the impact of the plane and resulting fire.

On July 5, 2006, a plane carrying three people crashed 12 mile (800 m) west of the airport during bad weather. The aircraft had just taken off and was on its way to White Plains, New York.[49]

Shipwrecks edit

The area around Block Island has been the site of numerous shipwrecks, including the Steamer Larchmont in 1907.[50] The 1738 wreck of the Princess Augusta (also known as the Palatine ship) was later immortalized by John Greenleaf Whittier in his 1867 poem "The Wreck of the Palatine". In 1877, the freighter Achilles struck a submerged rock off the island and ran aground. In 1992, the Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth 2 struck a submerged rock.[51]

Two submarines also sank off Block Island: USS S-51 in 1925,[52] and German submarine U-853 in 1945.[53]

Notable people edit

Gallery edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Block Island National Wildlife Refuge". United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 2014-10-02.
  2. ^ "One of the last great places". Providence Journal. June 9, 2005. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
  3. ^ Census - Geography Profile: New Shoreham town, Washington County, Rhode Island United States Census Bureau
  4. ^ History. "History". Blockislandinfo.com. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  5. ^ The Niantic people eventually merged with the Narragansett people.
  6. ^ "Since Denali got its real name back, should Block Island be next?". 31 August 2015.
  7. ^ "Block Island - island, Rhode Island, United States". 22 August 2023.
  8. ^ Providence, RI : The Islands 2010-04-10 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ . Archived from the original on 2010-09-26. Retrieved 2010-02-27.
  10. ^ "The first winters: what archeologists have found".
  11. ^ Rhode Island Office of the Secretary of State 2008-09-12 at the Wayback Machine; Rhode Island Office of the Secretary of State; retrieved on October 23, 2007.
  12. ^ See Wm. Bradford, Of Plimouth Plantation and Mourt's Relation: A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth
  13. ^ a b "Pastore" (PDF). environmentsandsocieties.ucdavis.edu. 2011. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  14. ^ a b Pastore, Christopher. Between Land and Sea: Narragansett Bay and the Transformation of the New England Coast pp.1-5
  15. ^ "History of the Mohegans". Niantic.
  16. ^ Sawyer, Joseph Dillaway (1 January 1922). History of the Pilgrims and Puritans: Their Ancestry and Descendants; Basis of Americanization. Century History Company. pp. 18–25 – via Internet Archive. manisees.
  17. ^ a b Robert M. Downie (2011-11-16). "This Week in Block Island's history, November 8, 1660: A goat tale". Block Island Times. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  18. ^ [P.30 New Shoreham Town Book, No. 1, G. E. Burgess Transcription 1924.]
  19. ^ [P. 21, New Shoreham Town Book, No. 1, G. E. Burgess Transcriotion 1924, Pp. 30-31]
  20. ^ Zinn, Howard (4 February 2003). A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present. Harper Collins. p. 16. ISBN 9780060528423 – via Internet Archive. peoples history of the united states.
  21. ^ . Archived from the original on 2018-11-04. Retrieved 2018-11-04.
  22. ^ Caulkins, Frances Manwaring (1895). History of New London, Connecticut. p. 293.
  23. ^ De Kay, Tertius (1990). The Battle of Stonington. p. 293.
  24. ^ a b . United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01. Retrieved October 23, 2007.
  25. ^ Coni Dubois (30 June 2011). "Unveiling of Ancestral/Descendant Stone for the Block Island Indian's - Part 1". Archived from the original on 2021-12-12 – via YouTube.
  26. ^ The Nature Conservancy in Rhode Island - Block Island 2007-10-12 at the Wayback Machine; The Nature Conservancy; retrieved on October 30, 2007.
  27. ^ "History of Harbor Church". harborchurchblockisland.org. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  28. ^ "NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 2021-11-21.
  29. ^ "NOWData-NOAA Online Weather Data". weather.gov. NOAA. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  30. ^ "Home". Block Island Film Festival. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  31. ^ "About". Queer Block Island. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  32. ^ Block Island South East Lighthouse National Historic Landmark Nomination; National Park Service Maritime Heritage Program; retrieved on October 23, 2007.
  33. ^ Daytripper's Guide: Block Island October 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine; University of Rhode Island Sea Grant; retrieved on October 22, 2007.
  34. ^ . nature.org. Archived from the original on 2007-10-10. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
  35. ^ "Block Island National Wildlife Refuge". fws.gov. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
  36. ^ Robert M. Downie (1998). Block Island—The Sea., page 194
  37. ^ "Probe into scuba instructor death could take two months". cdnn.info. Retrieved 2007-07-23.
  38. ^ . ThinkProgress. Archived from the original on 8 July 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  39. ^ "Clean energy is just over the horizon". Deepwater Wind. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  40. ^ "Block Island Wind Farm". Deepwater Wind. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  41. ^ Alex Kuffner Journal Staff Writer. "Deepwater Wind completes financing for Block Island wind farm". providencejournal.com. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  42. ^ Frangoul, Anmar (13 December 2016). "America's first offshore wind farm is up and running". CNBC.
  43. ^ a b Passy, Charles (2015-08-26). "Meet the Pilot Who Doubles as Block Island's Chinese-Food Delivery Guy". The Wall Street Journal. pp. A1. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  44. ^ . The Nature Conservancy. Archived from the original on 2015-02-20. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  45. ^ "Why New England is going wild for wet weeds". The Economist. London, UK. 26 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  46. ^ a b "Block Island Ferry Homepage". The Block Island Ferry.
  47. ^ "Rentals Bikes, Cars and Mopeds". Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  48. ^ Milkovits, Amanda (July 19, 2021). "Block Island cracks down on mopeds". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  49. ^ . users.ids.net. Archived from the original on 2007-11-17. Retrieved 2007-12-12.
  50. ^ "PROBABLY 150 LOST IN WRECK; Joy Line Steamer Larchmont Sunk; Only Nineteen Known Survivors. MANY DIED IN BOATS Scores, Lightly Clad, Faced Icy Gale – Two Committed Suicide. SUNK BY A SCHOONER Coal-Laden Craft Rammed Its Bow Deep Into Steamer. CARE FOR WOMEN FIRST All Boats Launched Before Captain Left – He Blames the Schooner's Men". The New York Times. 13 February 1907 – via NYTimes.com.
  51. ^ British Admiralty. The Mariner's Handbook. 1999 edition, page 23.
  52. ^ The Block Island Times[permanent dead link]; The Block Island Times; retrieved on October 30, 2007.
  53. ^ Shipwrecks - Northern Maritime Research - Northern Shipwrecks Database - Famous Shipwrecks of the Last 400 Years; Northern Maritime Research; retrieved on October 30, 2007.
  54. ^ Martin, Douglas (August 15, 2009). "K. H. Bacon, an Advocate For Refugees, Is Dead at 64". The New York Times. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
  55. ^ Freedlander, David (15 February 2016). "Bernie's man behind the scenes: Tad Devine is the Karl Rove to Sanders' 2016 populist uprising". Salon.com. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  56. ^ Whitman, Herbert S. (1982). Elizabeth Dickens: The Bird Lady of Block Island. Still Pond Press.
  57. ^ Bernard, Sarah (3 June 2002). "Travel: Summer 2002 Getaways: Block Island, Rhode Island". New York Magazine. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  58. ^ "Richard Parsons named CEO of Clippers". Block Island Times. 10 May 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2016.

External links edit

  • Block Island.com
  • Block Island Times Newspaper
  • Block Island Chamber of Commerce
  • Block Island Tourism Council
  • Block Island Ferry
  •   Block Island travel guide from Wikivoyage
  • Ratification of the United States Constitution: New Shoreham 2018-10-23 at the Wayback Machine from the Rhode Island State Archives

block, island, meteorite, mars, meteorite, island, outer, lands, coastal, archipelago, located, approximately, miles, south, mainland, rhode, island, miles, east, long, island, montauk, point, island, coterminous, with, town, shoreham, rhode, island, part, was. For the meteorite on Mars see Block Island meteorite Block Island is an island of the Outer Lands coastal archipelago located approximately 9 miles 14 km south of mainland Rhode Island and 14 miles 23 km east of Long Island s Montauk Point The island is coterminous with the town of New Shoreham Rhode Island and is part of Washington County The island is named after Dutch explorer Adriaen Block and the town was named for Shoreham Kent in England New Shoreham Rhode Island Block IslandTownBlock Island looking north over Block Island Sound The coast of Rhode Island is seen in the distance SealNickname Manisses meaning Manitou s Little Island used by Narragansett people Location of New Shoreham in Washington County Rhode IslandCoordinates 41 10 11 N 71 34 48 W 41 16972 N 71 58000 W 41 16972 71 58000CountryUnited StatesStateRhode IslandCountyWashingtonGovernment TypeCouncil managerArea Land9 73 sq mi 25 2 km2 Elevation13 ft 4 m Population 2020 Total1 410Time zoneUTC 5 EST Summer DST UTC 4 EDT ZIP Code02807Area code401Websitenew shoreham wbr comHistorical population CensusPop Note 1970489 198062026 8 199083634 8 20001 01020 8 20101 0514 1 20201 41034 2 Block Island is a popular summer tourist destination known for its bicycling hiking sailing fishing and beaches It is home to the historic lighthouses Block Island North Light on the northern tip of the island and Block Island Southeast Light on the southeastern coast About 40 percent of the island is set aside for conservation and much of the northwestern tip of the island is an undeveloped natural area and resting stop for birds along the Atlantic flyway 1 The Nature Conservancy includes Block Island on its list of The Last Great Places which consists of 12 sites in the western hemisphere 2 Popular events include the annual Fourth of July Parade celebration and fireworks The island s population can triple over the normal summer vacation crowd As of the 2020 Census the island s population is 1 410 living on a land area of 9 734 square miles 25 211 km2 3 Contents 1 History 1 1 Before 1637 1 2 Pequot War 1 3 Settlement 1 4 Since Colonial times 2 Climate 3 Demographics 4 Arts and culture 4 1 Annual events 4 2 Tourist attractions 5 Parks and recreation 6 Industry 7 Transportation 8 Incidents 8 1 Air crashes 8 2 Shipwrecks 9 Notable people 10 Gallery 11 See also 12 References 13 External linksHistory editBefore 1637 edit Block Island was formed by the same receding glaciers that formed the Outer Lands of Cape Cod the Hamptons Martha s Vineyard and Nantucket during the end of the last ice age thousands of years ago 4 nbsp On this 1614 map Block Island is named Adrianbloxeyland The Niantic people 5 called the island Manisses meaning Manitou s Little Island 6 or just Little Island 7 8 Archaeological sites indicate that these people lived largely by hunting deer catching fish and shellfish and growing corn beans and squash presumably with the Three Sisters technique They migrated from forest to coastal areas to take advantage of seasonal resources 9 One modern researcher has theorized that indigenous groups may have established a settlement as early as 500 BC 10 although there is no consensus on that idea Giovanni da Verrazzano sighted the island in 1524 and named it Claudia in honor of Claude Duchess of Brittany queen consort of France and the wife of Francis I However several contemporaneous maps identified the same island as Luisa after Louise of Savoy the Queen Mother of France and the mother of Francis I Verrazano s ship log stated that the island was full of hilles covered with trees well peopled for we saw fires all along the coaste Almost 100 years later Dutch explorer Adriaen Block charted the island in 1614 he simply named it for himself 11 and this was the name that stuck Pequot War edit Further information Pequot War nbsp Former Massachusetts Governor John Endicott attacking the Niantics on Block Island in the summer of 1637The growing tensions among the tribes of the region in this time caused the Niantics to split into two divisions the Western Niantics who allied with the Pequots and Mohegans and the Eastern Niantics who allied with the Narragansetts In 1632 indigenous people likely Western Niantics associated with the Pequots 12 killed colonial traders John Stone and Walter Norton and the Pequots of eastern Connecticut were blamed A Pequot delegation presented magistrates in Boston with two bushels of wampum and a bundle of sticks representing the number of beavers and otters with which they would compensate the colonists for the deaths They sought peace with the colonies and also requested help establishing concord with the Narragansetts who bordered them to the east The colonial authorities in turn demanded the people responsible for killing Stone and Norton a promise not to interfere with colonial settlement in Connecticut and 400 fathoms of wampum and the pelts of 40 beavers and 30 otters 13 14 nbsp The Niantics defending themselves on Block Island in the summer of 1637In 1636 John Gallup came across the boat of trader John Oldham a noted troublemaker Oldham had flirted with impropriety since the day that he landed on American soil Not long after arriving in Plymouth in 1623 he grew very perverse and showed a spirit of great malignancy according to Plymouth Colony Governor William Bradford He was later accused of religious subversion and responded with impertinence hurling invective at his accusers and even drawing a knife on Captain Myles Standish He was banished from Plymouth and fled to Massachusetts Bay settling first in Nantasket then Cape Ann and finally Watertown where he continued to indulge his penchant for mayhem Despite his unsavory reputation Massachusetts Bay sought his extensive knowledge of the New England coast when they asked him to retrieve a hefty ransom on the colony s behalf It was on this mission that Oldham was murdered and dismembered 13 14 In August the Massachusetts authorities dispatched a punitive expedition of ninety men to Block Island under the command of John Endicott to avenge Oldham s murder The expedition was ordered by governor of Massachusetts Sir Henry Vane to massacre all of the Native men on the island and capture the women and children who would then be sold into slavery Upon arriving on Block Island the expedition burned sixty Niantic wigwams and all the cornfields on the island The expedition also shot every dog they could find though the Niantic fled into the woods and the colonists killed fourteen people Deciding that this murder spree and razing was insufficient Endicott and his men sailed over to Fort Saybrook before going after the Pequot village at the mouth of the Thames River to demand one thousand fathoms of wampum to pay for the murder They took some Pequot children as hostages to ensure payment with these incidents being seen as the initial events that led to the Pequot War 15 16 Settlement edit Massachusetts Bay Colony claimed the island by conquest In 1658 the colony sold the island to a group of men headed up by Endicott In 1661 the Endicott group sold the island to a party of twelve settlers that later grew to sixteen of whom only seven actually settled there 17 led by John Alcock who are today memorialized at Settler s Rock near Cow s Cove In 1663 island settler Thomas Terry gave six acres of land at the island s largest fresh pond and its surrounding area to four chief sachems Their names were recorded as Ninnecunshus Jaguante Tunkawatten and Senatick but they were known by the colonists as Mr Willeam Repleave Reprive and Soconosh This land was given to them being the Cheife Sachems upon the Island there Heires amp Assignes Forever to plant and Improve 18 This land was then known as the Indian Lands The Sachems called the Fresh Pond Tonnotounknug 19 In 1664 Indians on the island numbered somewhere from 1 200 to 1 500 By 1774 that number had been reduced to fifty one 20 A Dutch map of 1685 clearly shows Block Island indicated as Adriaen Blocks Eylant Adrian Block s Island In the late seventeenth century an Englishwoman called New England s first woman doctor lived on Block Island Her name was Sarah Sands nee Walker and she has also been suggested as a very early abolitionist 21 She married sea captain James Sands one of the original sixteen as recorded by Settler s Rock 17 in 1645 and had possibly six children including a daughter named Mercy born 1663 In 1699 Scottish sailor William Kidd visited Block Island shortly before he was hanged for piracy At Block Island he was supplied by Mercy Sands then Mrs Raymond The story has it that for her hospitality Kidd bade Mrs Raymond to hold out her apron into which he threw gold and jewels until it was full After her husband Joshua Raymond died Mercy moved with her family to what would become the Raymond Bradford Homestead in northern New London Connecticut later Montville where she bought much land The Raymond family was thus said to have been enriched by the apron 22 Block Island was incorporated by the Rhode Island general assembly in 1672 and the island government adopted the name New Shoreham Since Colonial times edit nbsp Southeast Light is a Block Island landmark During the War of 1812 the island was briefly occupied by the British Navy under the command of Sir Thomas Hardy British vessels included HMS Dispatch HMS Terror HMS Nimrod HMS Pactolus and HMS Ramillies Hardy took the fleet to Block Island in search of food and to establish a strategic position at the mouth of Long Island Sound The British were enraged to discover that nearly all Block Island livestock and food stores had been transferred to Stonington Connecticut in advance of their arrival On August 9 1814 Hardy and his fleet departed Block Island for Stonington Harbor in part to lay claim to the Block Island food stores and livestock Hardy s pre dawn raid on August 10 was repulsed with damage to his fleet in a battle that has since become known as the Battle of Stonington 23 nbsp View of southside Block Island from New London ferryThe original North Lighthouse was built in 1829 but it was replaced in 1837 after the original was washed out to sea The ocean claimed the replacement lighthouse also and the lighthouse that can be seen today was constructed in 1867 24 Construction began on Block Island s Southeast Lighthouse a few years later in 1873 Block Island has no natural harbors breakwaters were constructed in 1870 to form Old Harbor nbsp New Shoreham Rhode Island with Old Harbor in the foreground nbsp New Harbor The Great Salt PondNew Harbor was created in 1895 when a channel was dug to connect the Great Salt Pond to the ocean through the northwestern side of the island The Island Free Library was established in 1875 and is Block Island s only public library Isaac Church was the Island s last recorded full blooded Manisses Indian he died in 1886 at age 100 He was survived by one son and one daughter whose descendants still reside in Rhode Island today The landmark Isaac s Corner is named in honor of him located at the intersection of Center Road Lakeside Drive and Cooneymus Road Isaac is buried to the east of the four corners in the Historical Indian Burial Ground In 2011 the Block Island Historical Society dedicated the Block Island Manissean Ancestral Stone In attendance at the unveiling ceremony were descendants of the Manisses Indians with Tiondra White Rapids Martinez a direct descendant of Isaac Church opening the ceremony in their native tongue 25 nbsp American Baptist affiliated Harbor Church is perched high on a hill on the western side of New Shoreham The building was reconstructed from the former Adrian Hotel and was included in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 as part of Old Harbor Historic District in New Shoreham During World War II several artillery spotters were located on the island to direct fire from the heavy gun batteries at Fort Greene in Point Judith which protected the entrance to Narragansett Bay Lookout positions for the spotters were built to look like houses The US government offered to evacuate the island as it could not be effectively defended from enemy invasion but the islanders chose to stay Days before the war ended against Germany the Battle of Point Judith took place seven miles to the northeast of the island The island s airport KBID was opened in 1950 and remains open today as a general aviation airport nbsp KBID Block Island State AirportIn 1972 the Block Island Conservancy was founded The Conservancy and other environmental organizations are responsible for protecting over 40 of the island from development 26 In 1974 Old Harbor Historic District was declared a National Register historic district More information can be found in the following books concerning Block Island s old buildings islanders history and ongoing efforts to conserve the land together with a collection of 800 period photographs of the island spanning the 1870s to the 1980s and all by historian Robert M Downie Block Island The Sea Block Island The Land The Block Island History of Photography 2 volumesThe students of New Shoreham in grades kindergarten through 12th grade attend Block Island School Harbor Church was founded on October 23 1765 and is located at 21 Water Street 27 Climate editBlock IslandClimate chart explanation J F M A M J J A S O N D 4 1 39 24 3 6 40 26 5 1 46 31 3 9 55 39 3 5 64 48 3 8 73 58 3 79 63 4 2 78 63 4 1 72 57 4 8 63 47 3 7 53 39 4 6 44 30 Average max and min temperatures in F Precipitation totals in inchesMetric conversionJ F M A M J J A S O N D 104 4 4 91 4 3 130 8 1 99 13 4 89 18 9 97 23 14 76 26 17 107 26 17 104 22 14 122 17 8 94 12 4 117 7 1 Average max and min temperatures in C Precipitation totals in mmBlock Island s weather is greatly influenced by the surrounding ocean The climate is oceanic Koppen Cfb bordering a humid continental Dfa Dfb and humid subtropical climate Cfa The ocean stays cool during the winter and spring months but still warm enough that average temperatures are several degrees warmer than inland areas of Rhode Island In summer while the ocean warms to near 70 F it still keeps Block Island cooler than locations inland As such Block Island has a frost free season longer than locations inland Block Island averages 2300 hrs of sunshine annually higher than the USA average Block Island s record high temperature is 95 F 35 C on August 26 and 27 1948 and the record low is 11 F 24 C on January 16 1994 The lowest high temperature on record was 8 F 13 C on December 31 1962 and January 8 1968 and the highest low temperature on record was 76 F 24 C on August 2 1979 The hardiness zone is now 7b 1 Climate data for New Shoreham Rhode Island 1991 2020 normals extremes 1948 present Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearRecord high F C 62 17 62 17 74 23 92 33 85 29 90 32 92 33 95 35 89 32 80 27 72 22 64 18 95 35 Mean daily maximum F C 38 5 3 6 40 3 4 6 45 6 7 6 54 7 12 6 64 1 17 8 73 3 22 9 78 8 26 0 78 3 25 7 72 3 22 4 62 5 16 9 53 4 11 9 43 9 6 6 58 8 14 9 Mean daily minimum F C 24 3 4 3 25 9 3 4 30 6 0 8 39 1 3 9 47 6 8 7 57 6 14 2 63 3 17 4 63 1 17 3 56 7 13 7 47 1 8 4 39 2 4 0 29 7 1 3 43 7 6 5 Record low F C 11 24 10 23 7 14 18 8 34 1 41 5 51 11 45 7 39 4 28 2 16 9 4 20 11 24 Average precipitation inches mm 4 12 105 3 61 92 5 12 130 3 89 99 3 53 90 3 78 96 2 96 75 4 20 107 4 06 103 4 77 121 3 74 95 4 62 117 48 40 1 229 Average snowfall inches cm 7 5 19 7 9 20 3 7 9 4 0 8 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 2 0 5 7 14 26 4 67 Average extreme snow depth inches cm 6 15 5 13 2 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 5 6 15 Average precipitation days 0 01 in 7 9 7 7 9 7 9 9 9 8 7 4 6 2 6 2 6 5 7 9 8 8 9 1 97 1Source NOAA 28 National Weather Service Snow depth2016 2023 29 Demographics editAt the 2000 census there were 1 010 people 472 households and 250 families in the town The population of New Shoreham was 1 410 at the 2020 census making it the least populous municipality in the state The population density was 103 8 inhabitants per square mile 40 08 km2 There were 1 606 housing units at an average density of 165 0 per square mile 63 71 km2 The racial makeup of the town was 97 82 White 0 59 African American 0 79 Asian 0 30 from other races and 0 50 from two or more races Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1 19 of the population Of the 472 households 21 4 had children under the age of 18 living with them 43 4 were married couples living together 7 2 had a female householder with no husband present and 47 0 were non families 35 0 of households were one person and 12 9 were one person aged 65 or older The average household size was 2 13 and the average family size was 2 82 The age distribution was 18 3 under the age of 18 4 7 from 18 to 24 31 1 from 25 to 44 28 6 from 45 to 64 and 17 3 65 or older The median age was 43 years For every 100 females there were 95 0 males For every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95 5 males The median household income was 44 779 and the median family income was 59 844 Males had a median income of 39 432 versus 28 125 for females The per capita income for the town was 29 188 About 8 0 of families and 7 9 of the population were below the poverty line including 10 2 of those under age 18 and 9 7 of those age 65 or over Arts and culture editAnnual events edit One of the most popular celebrations on the island is the Fourth of July Parade Anybody can enter a float into the parade as long as it coordinates with the theme of that respective year For example the theme in 2016 was sports and recreation In addition to the parade there is a fireworks display on the beach on the night of July 3 The parade is on the fourth and is judged by officials who give out prizes in three categories family floats company floats and overall floats They also give out one extra prize for the overall category which is the grand prize consisting of 500 Every summer the island hosts Block Island Race Week a competitive week long sailboat race On odd years the event is held by the Storm Trysail Club and on even years by the Block Island Race Week Yachts compete in various classes sailing courses in Block Island Sound and circumnavigating the island Every year the island also hosts the Block Island Film Festival an international film festival established in 2018 by journalist and filmmaker Cassius Shuman The festival aims to promote independent works from local and international filmmakers showcasing motion pictures documentaries short films and student short films 30 Block Island Pride is an annual pride celebration held every summer that commemorates and supports the LGBTQ community The event features a variety of activities including parades live performances and educational workshops promoting inclusivity and diversity on the island 31 Tourist attractions edit nbsp Harborside Inn was a restaurant and hotel on the south side of Block Island It burned down in August 2023 Southeast Lighthouse is located at the southeast corner of the island on the Mohegan Trail The lighthouse was constructed in 1875 32 and remains to this day an active US Coast Guard navigational aid 24 The lighthouse was moved in 1993 in danger of falling off the bluffs due to erosion In addition to offering tours of the tower the lighthouse has a museum that is open during the summer season 33 The Mohegan Bluffs are located a short distance to the west of Southeast Lighthouse The bluffs are the site of a pre colonial battle between the invading Mohegan and the native Niantic in which the Mohegan were driven off the edge of the tall cliffs to their deaths on the beach below A staircase of 141 steps leads to the bottom of these clay cliffs and looks out over the Atlantic On clear days Montauk New York can be seen in the distance from the southern and western sides of the island nbsp Boating is popular around Block IslandRodman s Hollow is a 230 acre 93 ha glacial outwash basin near the southern shore of the island The hollow has several walking trails 34 North Lighthouse is located at Sandy Point on the northern tip of Block Island The North Lighthouse warns boaters of a sandbar extending from this end of the island The surrounding dunes are part of the Block Island National Wildlife Refuge home to many species including the piping plover and American burying beetle 35 A short walk away from the North Lighthouse lies the tip of the island with ocean on both sides of a thin strip of land The Block Island Historical Society Museum is located near the downtown area and contains a broad array of Block Island artifacts U 853 is a U boat wreck 7 miles 11 km east of the island lying in 130 ft 40 m of water Recreational divers frequently visit the wreck though at least three have died there 36 37 The Block Island Wind Farm the first offshore wind farm built in the United States is located 3 miles 4 8 km from south east of the island nbsp Offshore Wind Turbines Block Island 38 39 40 41 The five turbines each 600 ft 180 m high commenced commercial operation in December 2016 42 The island has at least 40 restaurants but most are closed outside of tourist season mainland restaurants use New England Airlines to deliver food to the island 43 Parks and recreation edit nbsp Beach waves near the National Hotel on Block Island nbsp Crescent Beach on Block Island July 2015There are 17 miles of beach on Block Island Crescent Beach can be viewed from the Pt Judith Ferry and the New London Express Ferry on the way to the island It contains five smaller beaches Fred Benson Town Beach popularly known as State Beach Surf Beach Scotch Beach Rouse s Beach and Mansion Beach all of which are located on Corn Neck Road North of Mansion Beach are Clayhead and Pots amp Kettles Clayhead is a set of cliffs which can be seen from the ferry in from Point Judith or New London This area is rocky and contains iron rich clay deposits and is a popular area for shell and rock hunting Cow Cove Settler s Rock and Sandy Point make up the northernmost point of Block Island where the North Lighthouse is located Settler s Rock is located at Cow Cove where the settlers landed and swam to shore bringing with them the island s first cows which they pushed off the boats and forced ashore Attached to the rock is a plaque naming the original settlers of Block Island Coastguard Beach or the channel is situated between the Great Salt Pond and the ocean on the north west side of the island Ballard s Beach is on the south side of the Block Island Ferry Dock and jetty Bluffs Beach or Vail is set at the bottom of Mohegan Bluffs Block Island also hosts an office of The Nature Conservancy 44 The Conservancy named Block Island as one of its top 12 sites in the Western Hemisphere and a large portion of the island is legally protected and set aside for conservation Industry editThe island is known for participating in the commercial aquaculture and kelp farming sectors 45 Transportation edit nbsp Ferryboat Carol Jean departing Block Island in July 2015 nbsp New England Airlines Britten Norman Islander at Block IslandThe island is connected year round by a ferry to Point Judith 46 and in summer to New London Connecticut Orient and Montauk New York and Newport Rhode Island with the latter service also offering an extended route to Fall River Massachusetts 46 The traditional ferry takes about an hour to reach the island from Point Judith and is the only way to bring a car to the island as it is able to carry them A high speed ferry on the same route takes 35 minutes but cannot take cars and another high speed ferry from New London takes just over an hour Bikes are a popular form of transportation on the island as cars are generally discouraged Additionally mopeds are quite popular especially with tourists since they are easy to rent and drive This popularity has led to over 6 moped rental shops on the island 47 but the same popularity and ease of use has led to many incidents over 40 years with reckless or bad drivers meaning that moped accidents are a common problem on the island 48 New England Airlines offers regularly scheduled 12 minute flights to Block Island State Airport from Westerly Rhode Island 43 The island airport is officially called Block Island State code BID and the terminal is about one mile from the town center Incidents editAir crashes edit On August 26 1995 a Cessna 185 seaplane carrying four people crashed while attempting to land in the waters off Old Harbor Beach an area not normally used for seaplane landings The plane cleared a dune but hit a power line causing it to crash into a restaurant and hit a car at the island s only gas station All four people on the plane perished as well as a woman who was sitting in her car as it was being fueled The restaurant was destroyed by the impact of the plane and resulting fire On July 5 2006 a plane carrying three people crashed 1 2 mile 800 m west of the airport during bad weather The aircraft had just taken off and was on its way to White Plains New York 49 Shipwrecks edit The area around Block Island has been the site of numerous shipwrecks including the Steamer Larchmont in 1907 50 The 1738 wreck of the Princess Augusta also known as the Palatine ship was later immortalized by John Greenleaf Whittier in his 1867 poem The Wreck of the Palatine In 1877 the freighter Achilles struck a submerged rock off the island and ran aground In 1992 the Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth 2 struck a submerged rock 51 Two submarines also sank off Block Island USS S 51 in 1925 52 and German submarine U 853 in 1945 53 Notable people editKenneth Bacon 1944 2009 Department of Defense spokesman who served as president of Refugees International 54 Tad Devine b 1955 American political consultant Senior adviser in Al Gore s 2000 John Kerry s 2004 and Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaigns 55 Elizabeth Dickens 1877 1963 the Bird Lady of Block Island writer and naturalist 56 Richard Parsons b 1948 an American business executive former chairman of Citigroup and the former chairman and CEO of Time Warner 57 58 Jens Risom 1916 2016 Danish American furniture designer William Stringfellow 1928 1985 attorney and radical Anglican theologianGallery edit nbsp Swimmers in smooth waters at Block Island nbsp Settler s Rock is the most northerly part of Block Island accessible to motorists nbsp Steep bluffs at Block Island nbsp View of the Atlantic Ocean from a cliff on Block Island nbsp This house was formerly the US Weather Bureau Station on Block Island nbsp Long finned Pilot Whales off southeast of Block IslandSee also editBlock Island Wind Farm The Block Island Sound 2020 film set and shot on Block IslandReferences edit Block Island National Wildlife Refuge United States Fish and Wildlife Service Retrieved 2014 10 02 One of the last great places Providence Journal June 9 2005 Retrieved 2007 10 01 Census Geography Profile New Shoreham town Washington County Rhode Island United States Census Bureau History History Blockislandinfo com Retrieved 2021 03 12 The Niantic people eventually merged with the Narragansett people Since Denali got its real name back should Block Island be next 31 August 2015 Block Island island Rhode Island United States 22 August 2023 Providence RI The Islands Archived 2010 04 10 at the Wayback Machine The Pages of Shades Native Americans Archived from the original on 2010 09 26 Retrieved 2010 02 27 The first winters what archeologists have found Rhode Island Office of the Secretary of State Archived 2008 09 12 at the Wayback Machine Rhode Island Office of the Secretary of State retrieved on October 23 2007 See Wm Bradford Of Plimouth Plantation and Mourt s Relation A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth a b Pastore PDF environmentsandsocieties ucdavis edu 2011 Retrieved 2021 03 12 a b Pastore Christopher Between Land and Sea Narragansett Bay and the Transformation of the New England Coast pp 1 5 History of the Mohegans Niantic Sawyer Joseph Dillaway 1 January 1922 History of the Pilgrims and Puritans Their Ancestry and Descendants Basis of Americanization Century History Company pp 18 25 via Internet Archive manisees a b Robert M Downie 2011 11 16 This Week in Block Island s history November 8 1660 A goat tale Block Island Times Retrieved 2021 03 12 P 30 New Shoreham Town Book No 1 G E Burgess Transcription 1924 P 21 New Shoreham Town Book No 1 G E Burgess Transcriotion 1924 Pp 30 31 Zinn Howard 4 February 2003 A People s History of the United States 1492 Present Harper Collins p 16 ISBN 9780060528423 via Internet Archive peoples history of the united states Oddly enough it was in reading an obscure and slender guidebook to Archived from the original on 2018 11 04 Retrieved 2018 11 04 Caulkins Frances Manwaring 1895 History of New London Connecticut p 293 De Kay Tertius 1990 The Battle of Stonington p 293 a b Historic Light Station Information and Photography Rhode Island United States Coast Guard Historian s Office Archived from the original on 2017 05 01 Retrieved October 23 2007 Coni Dubois 30 June 2011 Unveiling of Ancestral Descendant Stone for the Block Island Indian s Part 1 Archived from the original on 2021 12 12 via YouTube The Nature Conservancy in Rhode Island Block Island Archived 2007 10 12 at the Wayback Machine The Nature Conservancy retrieved on October 30 2007 History of Harbor Church harborchurchblockisland org Retrieved July 30 2014 NOAA NCEI U S Climate Normals Quick Access National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Retrieved 2021 11 21 NOWData NOAA Online Weather Data weather gov NOAA Retrieved 8 October 2023 Home Block Island Film Festival Retrieved July 9 2023 About Queer Block Island Retrieved July 23 2023 Block Island South East Lighthouse National Historic Landmark Nomination National Park Service Maritime Heritage Program retrieved on October 23 2007 Daytripper s Guide Block Island Archived October 13 2007 at the Wayback Machine University of Rhode Island Sea Grant retrieved on October 22 2007 Rodman s Hollow nature org Archived from the original on 2007 10 10 Retrieved 2007 10 05 Block Island National Wildlife Refuge fws gov Retrieved 2007 10 05 Robert M Downie 1998 Block Island The Sea page 194 Probe into scuba instructor death could take two months cdnn info Retrieved 2007 07 23 First Offshore Wind Farm In The U S Kicks Off Construction ThinkProgress Archived from the original on 8 July 2016 Retrieved 30 April 2015 Clean energy is just over the horizon Deepwater Wind Retrieved 30 April 2015 Block Island Wind Farm Deepwater Wind Retrieved 30 April 2015 Alex Kuffner Journal Staff Writer Deepwater Wind completes financing for Block Island wind farm providencejournal com Retrieved 30 April 2015 Frangoul Anmar 13 December 2016 America s first offshore wind farm is up and running CNBC a b Passy Charles 2015 08 26 Meet the Pilot Who Doubles as Block Island s Chinese Food Delivery Guy The Wall Street Journal pp A1 Retrieved 26 August 2015 Staff List for the Rhode Island Chapter s Block Island Office The Nature Conservancy Archived from the original on 2015 02 20 Retrieved February 19 2015 Why New England is going wild for wet weeds The Economist London UK 26 June 2021 Retrieved 28 June 2021 a b Block Island Ferry Homepage The Block Island Ferry Rentals Bikes Cars and Mopeds Chamber of Commerce Retrieved 2023 04 19 Milkovits Amanda July 19 2021 Block Island cracks down on mopeds The Boston Globe Retrieved 2023 04 19 New England Airlines users ids net Archived from the original on 2007 11 17 Retrieved 2007 12 12 PROBABLY 150 LOST IN WRECK Joy Line Steamer Larchmont Sunk Only Nineteen Known Survivors MANY DIED IN BOATS Scores Lightly Clad Faced Icy Gale Two Committed Suicide SUNK BY A SCHOONER Coal Laden Craft Rammed Its Bow Deep Into Steamer CARE FOR WOMEN FIRST All Boats Launched Before Captain Left He Blames the Schooner s Men The New York Times 13 February 1907 via NYTimes com British Admiralty The Mariner s Handbook 1999 edition page 23 The Block Island Times permanent dead link The Block Island Times retrieved on October 30 2007 Shipwrecks Northern Maritime Research Northern Shipwrecks Database Famous Shipwrecks of the Last 400 Years Northern Maritime Research retrieved on October 30 2007 Martin Douglas August 15 2009 K H Bacon an Advocate For Refugees Is Dead at 64 The New York Times Retrieved August 16 2009 Freedlander David 15 February 2016 Bernie s man behind the scenes Tad Devine is the Karl Rove to Sanders 2016 populist uprising Salon com Retrieved 18 February 2016 Whitman Herbert S 1982 Elizabeth Dickens The Bird Lady of Block Island Still Pond Press Bernard Sarah 3 June 2002 Travel Summer 2002 Getaways Block Island Rhode Island New York Magazine Retrieved 18 February 2016 Richard Parsons named CEO of Clippers Block Island Times 10 May 2015 Retrieved 18 February 2016 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Block Island Block Island com Block Island Times Newspaper Block Island Chamber of Commerce Block Island Tourism Council Block Island Ferry nbsp Block Island travel guide from Wikivoyage Ratification of the United States Constitution New Shoreham Archived 2018 10 23 at the Wayback Machine from the Rhode Island State Archives Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Block Island amp oldid 1207341006, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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