portsmouthhistorynotes

Today we took a gentle mile walk through Oakland Forest. On the walk you see a beautiful meadow and an old growth forest. This 30 acre area was saved for public enjoyment by the Aquidneck Land Trust through the generosity of local people. A developer was buying pieces of the property and building condominiums. Before the last section was sold off, forest scientists realized that the woods had the classic characteristics of old growth. Some of the trees were estimated to be 200-300 years old. The American beeches were 10 feet in circumference and 85 feet tall. There are white oaks in the forest that are 5 to 9 feet around and 70 to 80 feet tall. Considering that during the British Occupation of Aquidneck Island from 1776-1779 just about every tree was chopped down, having an example of “old growth” remaining is a treasure. Walking through the woods gives us an idea of what the land on Aquidneck Island was like when our first settlers arrived. There was a push by local people to preserve this forest instead of cutting it down for more house lots. Aquidneck Land Trust was able to buy this wooded area in 2000 for $1.5 million dollars.

The whole Oakland Farm property has quite a history to it. In the early 1800s Oakland Farm was the summer home of Sarah Gibbs and her sister Ruth Gibbs Channing. Ruth was the wife of William Ellery Channing, a famous Unitarian minister, and Oakland Farm was Channing’s treasured summer retreat. Sarah Gibbs is best known for her founding of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Portsmouth. Known as “Aunt Sarah” by her family, she was famous for her hospitality. Sarah never married, but at Oakland Farm she was surrounded by loved ones. Sarah was an integral part of the Channing family and wrote about the Channing girls as “my children.”

Later the property was owned by the Vanderbilts and was a magnificent Gentleman’s Farm with elegant stables and riding rings. Sarah’s home was expanded to suit the Vanderbilt needs.

To access the woods: From the end of Union Street toward East Main Rd, turn onto Carriage Drive. Toward the end of Carriage Drive there is a small parking lot which marks the entrance.

The early part of the trail is through a meadow. The access to the wooded part of the walk will be to your left. Follow the trail around the “Loop” and come back out where you began. In the wooded sections there are many tree roots and I would recommend using hiking poles for safety. Through the trail you will notice that part of the Oakland estate Rhododendron plantings are still there.