The old Bristol Ferry landing (now known as Mt. Hope Park) was once the transportation center for Portsmouth. Ferry boat service to Bristol and back began as early as the 1650s. The Old Colony Railway had a train station there and steamboats docked at that spot for travelers on the Fall River and Providence steam boat line. In the early 20th century, the electric street railway came to Bristol Ferry from Newport. Passengers could proceed to a ferry to cross to downtown Bristol were they could take a train to Providence. When the Mt. Hope Bridge opened in 1929 and the ferries stopped running, the area lost much of its importance as a transportation center.
Through the years the area became the site of Mount Hope Marina, a restaurant. When it closed the land was vacant and cut off from the public with fencing. In January 2016, the Aquidneck Island Land Trust and the Town of Portsmouth formed a partnership to purchase the waterfront property. The Town of Portsmouth owns the property subject to a conservation easement with the the Land Trust. Mount Hope Park opened for public use on August 30, 2019.
Mt. Hope Park is considered a public access to the shoreline. The beautiful view is open to all because of a guaranteed right to access the shoreline that dates back to the Royal Charter granted to the colony of Rhode Island by King Charles II in 1663. Mount Hope Park is just one of the state’s more than 220 designated coastal rights-of-way, including more than 65 on Aquidneck Island.
It is a beautiful spot to enjoy the sun setting behind Mt. Hope Bridge. It is also recreational with access for kayaks and fishing available
I am always on the look out for primary sources related to the Rhode Island Campaign. I recently came upon two such sources. One is a letter to home from the Portsmouth camp and the other is an orderly book that records orders, events, etc. for a militia regiment from Connecticut. A conversation at a reenactment of the Bristol and Warren raid led me to a letter home from a soldier in the Massachusetts militia. Thankfully the owner of the letter shared both the image and the transcription. The orderly book is in the collection of the Henry Ford Museum, and the museum graciously sent me scans. Historian John Robertson had already transcribed the book so I benefited from his work. The letter was written on a date covered by the orderly book and the two sources together can give us some added details of the early days in the camp before the Siege of Newport.
The auction advertised that the letter was written by John Bettey of Chelmsford, Massachusetts to his father, on August 11, 1778, from the American camp near Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
Bettey wrote: “We march onto Rhode Island on Sunday last about at 11 oClock and we remain on the island yet..” The Sunday would have been August 9th. He is hopeful that they can remain on the island “as long as we please for Continental State Regt. Militia and Volunteers are very numerous on the island.” …”But we have not had a site at them (the enemy) yet.”
Conditions were very poor. Bettey says he is “well at present” although “I have nothing to lay on but the ground and the open heavens to cover us but I am in hope we shall fare better before long.” He complains that it is very expensive at camp and he could like some money. He also wanted his family to send some shoes.
The Orderly Book of Col. Samuel Chapman’s Connecticut Militia Regiment gives us a similar view. From headquarters on August 10th General Sullivan had “Directed to send over all the spare Tents and Destribute them among the Troops that are destitute of Covering also the Volunteers…. Those men that cannot be furnished with Tents are to build Huts and Bush houses …..Comders of Regts and Corps who have Tents on the other side of the River will Immediately send a Detachment from their Companies to bring them over.”
It is hard for me to imagine the soldiers having to build huts and bush houses around Butts Hill just to have shelter. When the storm (hurricane like) hit over the next several days, that lack of shelter would be a major issue.
The letter and the orderly book are small pieces of the puzzle of what happened during the Rhode Island Campaign. However, these small pieces bring the events to life. I will continue to gradually share the events listed in the orderly book as time goes by.
Bettey LetterMissing tentsConnecticut Orderly Book
For a number of years I have been gathering stories of Portsmouth women. Their stories can be forgotten when history is generally written about the men. In presentations I tell the story of Mary Paine Tripp, but John and Mary Tripp’s combined story gives us a glimpse of what was happening in the early days of Portsmouth. It also helps us to focus on what was happening in the Bristol Ferry neighborhood of our town. It was one of the first neighborhoods to be developed.
A story about Mary:
I came across an interesting story from Edward West’s 1932 article in the journal of the Rhode Island Historical Society on the “The Lands of Portsmouth, Rhode Island”. How much would you give for a glass of wine? Back in 1666 Richard Searl sold a three acre lot just above the Bristol Ferry to Mary Paine. Mary was the barmaid at Baulston’s Tavern and the land was exchanged for a “pint of wine.” Mary later married John Tripp who used the land for a ferry house. Although this deed wasn’t registered, the Town Council accepted the deposition of William Collinge as to how the land was transferred. Mary officially owned the land.
Note Searl Property on Land Grant Map. Marked with star.
John Tripp, early settler
An article by Tripp Family genealogist Janet Tripp Andrews provides us with information about John Tripp, 1611 – 1678, as well as the conditions in Portsmouth for the first settlers. John started life here as an indentured servant – perhaps to a ship’s carpenter. He was admitted as an “inhabitant” at Portsmouth’s founding. That allowed a settler to own land but not to vote or hold office. He must have paid off the indenture because a year later he was admitted as a freeman.
Early Records of the Town of Portsmouth show that the community developed quickly. The first house lots were assigned and an inn, brewery and general store were established with William Baulston in charge. Like all men between the ages of sixteen and fifty, John would have trained with the militia. To keep order a pair of stocks with a whipping post was ordered. To enable easier home construction a water mill was proposed. Meanwhile, that first summer settlers lived in caves or dugouts covered in branches. As wood was processed for construction more permanent one and two room structures with lofts and thatched roofs were considered permanent housing. Regardless of what their occupation had been in Massachusetts, the people of Portsmouth became farmers tending to hogs, goats, sheep and cattle. John Tripp, like the other Portsmouth settlers, would have been fencing property, digging wells, and planting orchards.
Although disagreements led to many residents leaving Portsmouth to establish Newport in 1639, John Tripp was among the thirty who signed the second Portsmouth Compact. He signed his own name. This was about the time that John Tripp married Mary Paine.
John Tripp would later become associated with boats and ferries, but Thomas Gorton was appointed ferryman to the Howland Ferry to Tiverton when it was established in 1640. Cattle were ferried across to graze in the Tiverton grasses. Early records show that in 1650 John had the approved weights to measure as the standard for the town. John took on other positions in town. In 1656 he was appointed to inspect cattle moving on and off the island. Tripp must have been able to read and write to do this job.
Meanwhile the Tripp family was growing. In 1640 their first son (John Jr.) was born. By 1650 their thrid daughter was born. Altogether Mary and John had ten or eleven children.
The process of becoming a “ferryman” was gradual for John. The shoreline around Bristol Ferry was owned by the town, but John Tripp, Ralph Earle and John Borden owned land that could add a pier. In 1658 the town treasurer was ordered to pay “Goodman” Tripp “for going into the Bay.” This could mean that Tripp was using his boat to deliver people and/or items like documents or goods.
In 1670 John Tripp had the honor of serving on the Governor’s Council. In 1673 John served as Town Moderator. With this service to the town and colony, Tripp was also serving as a ferryman. Captain Church’s writings have the first mention of “Tripp’ s Ferry” in 1676. After King Philip’s War Tripp’s son Abiel, William Earl, John Borden, and Joseph Anthony were given permission to build or finish wharfs on public land in 1682. Belore the Revolutionary War, the ferries were known by their owners – (Tripp’s Ferry, Borden’s Ferry). After the war it became know as the “Bristol Ferry” and was one of the most important ferries because it was a direct route from Newport to Providence. Washington, Lafayette, Rochambeau and other notables crossed to Bristol by way of this ferry.
Mary’s story continues
Mary Paine Tripp inherited John’s boats at his death in 1678. At a town meeting April 23, 1679 Widow Tripp was granted a license to sell food and drink to travelers. Perhaps she turned her house into a tavern. That would be full circle to her days at Baulton’s Tavern were she exchanged wine for a land grant.
Sources used:
Andrews, Janet Tripp. John Tripp, 1611-1678, A Glimpse into our Founder’s Life, Nov. 2016. In the collection of the Portsmouth Historical Society.
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.
This weekend ( August 18) there is a loosely based re-enactment of Campbell’s Raids on Warren and Bristol. The lectures, demonstrations and battle scenes were interesting and well done.
I’m going through Elmhurst memorabilia as I prepare for a special program at the Portsmouth Historical Society on September 8th – Going to School in Portsmouth. Each year my students worked on a different local research project.
What was it like to go to a one or two room school? In 2005 Elmhurst 3rd graders interviewed Portsmouth residents who had that experience. Here is a sample of some of the questions and answers from those interviews.
Interview of Mr. Douglas Wilkey Quaker Hill School and other schools in the district
What did you wear? They wore knickers that went right under the knee and socks that pulled up and folded at the end.
How many students were in your class? There were from 32 to 36 students in the class.
How many classrooms were in your school? There were three classrooms at Newtown School. There were two rooms at Quaker Hill School. Anthony School had ten rooms. Anne Hutchinson and Coggeshall had four classrooms.
How were kids punished? We were whacked with rulers.
Mrs. Joy Schuur went to Coggeshall School
What were your teachers like? The teachers were single and when they got married they weren’t teachers.
What subjects did you have? We had more music than you do. They didn’t have library or gym. They had math, spelling and language.
What kind of holidays did you have? We had no spring break. There was a long Christmas and Easter break.
Miss Fay and Mrs. Powers went to Bristol Ferry School
What games did play at recess? We played hopscotch, jump rope and jacks. They had a morning recess which was fifteen minutes and afternoon recess after lunch which was an hour long.
How many grades were in your school? They had grade one to grade eight.
What did you wear to school? Girls wore dresses and cotton stockings. Boys wore pants or knickers.
What was the discipline like? If you got in trouble you would get sent out of the room, sent to the principal’s office or had to sit in the corner. The first thing they would do was have you sit in front.
What were the bathroom’s like? There was one outhouse.
Mrs. Wilkey went to Newtown School Some information the students learned.
Newtown School had three classrooms. The oldest students might have been 16 years old. They had spelling bees and Mrs. Wilkey did well. They had an art teacher and a music teacher, but no library or physical education class. Ten or twelve students might not pass on to the next grade. Girls were not allowed to play team sports. If students were bad, the principal would call the parents and they were in trouble at home.
As librarian at Elmhurst School, I liked to teach research skills by having my students work on a local project. Elmhurst is gone now, but the setting of our school offered spectacular subjects for study. In 1996 through 1997 my students worked on an Elmhurst/Glen Nature Walk. Today my husband and I revisited that walk and found that we can still enjoy the variety of habitats along the way.
The walk is about 3/4 of a mile long and is easy going most of the way. The path is not quite the same as it was over 20 years ago.
Starting Point: This is the new parking lot for “Elmhurst Park.”
Follow Frank Coelho Drive towards the Manor House.
As you approach the old Elmhurst Circle, take the old Elmhurst Playground walkway toward the left.
At the end of the walkway turn right. There are remains of a carriage path that was the way to the old Fogland Ferry. This was the “Along the Path” section of our booklet.
Most of this is grass now, but throughout the warmer months it is a nice place to see some wildflowers. My students used to take pictures of them so we could identify them with field guides. Now you can identify them through a google information setting.
Toward the water there are still some of the old trees from the days when the Taylor family lived at the Manor House. Mrs. Taylor was very particular about where each of these trees were planted in the 1920s. Our students studied the old trees as habitats in themselves. We called this “Up a Tree” in our guide.
“By the Rocky Shore” explored the dock and rocky shoreline. We can see Sandy Point Beach in the distance to the right. Our town beach was a gift of the Taylor family. To the left is an oyster farm. Life along this shoreline depends on the constant cycle of the tides. The current dock is a replacement for the original “L” shaped dock that the Taylors used. You may see fishermen on this dock and it is a good place to watch for marine birds.
Heading back to the trail we see the Glen Manor House and its gardens. Landscaped gardens are a different kind of habitat. The Olmsted Brothers did the original landscape architecture. Mrs. Taylor loved fresh flowers and varieties were selected that would bloom while the Taylors were in residence during July and August. The “In the Garden” section suggested that as you look at the gardens from a distance, you can look for geometric shapes in landscape designs.
A walkway of stones leads you “Through the Woods.” Where there are stones in the paths is easy walking, but as the path heads up the trail it is narrower.
You have to watch for tree roots, but the woods habitat is full of interesting things. My students suggested a scavenger hunt for types of fungi, bark beetle tunnels, woodpecker holes, green moss, and tree holes that were homes for animals.
You come out of the woods to “Over in the Meadow/Field.” When we did our habitat study the fields were allowed to grow tall so we could find flowers and seeds and look for signs of animals. Today it is mostly mowed. This field is a reminder that it used to grow crops to feed the 25 families who lived and worked on the farm.
Cross the Meadow/Field towards the Trail sign that marks a longer Brown House/Glen Farm Trail. That trail is over 2.5 miles and is a good one for a longer hike. To the left of the sign is a rocky cut in the stonewall that leads you to the old Elmhurst parking lot. Cross the lot to the North entrance.
Outside the parking lot entrance, notice the stonewalls. “Around a Stone Fence” was our last natural neighborhood. The rock walls and fences are a reminder of the way this land was used in the past. They are a sign of cleared land and they were used as boundaries between pasture and cropland. The Glen area was used for farming from the 1640s (Thomas Cook) through the 1950s (Taylor family).
Stonewalls are man-made, but nature takes them over. Look for lichen (a crusty fungus growth over the rocks), and evidence of spots were animals might hide.
You are back at the parking lot.
Up a treeAlong the PathIn the GardenAround a Stone FenceOver in the Meadow/FieldThrough the WoodsElmhurst WalkwayStone walk leading to WoodsBy the Rocky Shore
If you would like to take a long and beautiful walk, try the Brown House/Glen Farm Trail. This route was developed as an Eagle Scout Project by Chace Little and is about 2.7 miles in a loop. Hikers describe it as “fairly easy, some small hills.” There is parking off of Linden Lane after the Brown House and near the entrance to the Sakonnet Greenway Trail and the kiosks for the two trails are close together. The Brown House/Glen Farm Trail is mostly paved, but there are sections over grass. The trail is not well marked so I am trying to give some visual clues as trail markers.
You will be walking down Linden Lane passing the polo fields and beautiful stone walls. You continue straight pass the Red Cross House where the women of Glen Farm would meet to roll bandages and support the war effort in World War II. The trail leads you to Glen Farm Road where you will turn left.
On your right is “The Glen” – a favorite spot to enjoy nature during the early 1800s. That is private property, but from the road you can view the mill stream. Through the years waterpower from mills ground corn, washed and pull strands of wool (carding and fulling) and even produced a course fabric called “Negro Cloth” in a factory. Up a hill and to your left is the Glen Barns complex.
Down Glen Farm Road you view the Gardener’s Cottage to the left and on the right by the gateposts is a house that dates from the 1700s.
Turn right through a cut in the stone wall to the Glen Park area. In a short distance find your way across the brook on a bridge built by another scout as his Eagle project. (Jameson Harding did the bridge and his friends did the other trail markers).
Walk up Barker Road through to Glen Park. There are picnic grounds here and the area is used for special events like the 4H fair. Continue south to the stalls used for the livestock and head South along the tree line.
Turn East with the tree line and skirt around a field that holds the foundation to the old sheep shed. Turn North with the tree line until you come to a cut in the stone wall. You will see a second kiosk for the trail. Once you have reached that, head back up the field and past the ball field until you come to the livestock stalls again.
Turn right down Barker Lane and retrace your steps across the bridge and out the stonewall cut to Glen Farm Road.
As you head back, take a right turn through the barn complex. From the 1880s to the 1950s, Gentleman Farmer H.A.C. Taylor, his son Moses Taylor and daughter-in-law Edith Taylor Nicholson raised championship horses, sheep and cows. Glen Farm was a self-sustaining farm with 25 families, its own electricity, telephone and fire department. This is still a working equestrian area, but you can carefully explore the barns. Most of the stone barns date from early 1900.
Follow the dirt road to the left to come back to Linden Lane at Red Cross House. This should take you back to the trailhead and parking.
In 1989 the people of Portsmouth made a bold move. They voted to purchase the Glen Farm barns complex and what is now the Gardner Seveney Sports Fields. Together with the 1973 purchase of previous Glen Farm land around the Glen Manor House and Glen Park area, this gave the town a remarkable piece of open space for recreation. It also gave the town a special piece of Portsmouth history to enjoy and to preserve.
What were the beginnings of Henry Augustus Colt -“H.A.C.” Taylor’s famous Glen Farm? Taylor was one of the wealthy bankers and railroad owners who came to summer in Newport. The Vanderbilts and others had their Portsmouth farms, but Taylor was sincerely interested in breeding the best animals. On September 28, 1882 Halsey P. Coon sold his “Glen Farm” to H.A.C. Taylor. The land evidence records note that it was a parcel of land with “two dwelling houses, a grist mill, two barns, two cribs and other out buildings” The tract of land was about 111 acres of land. The “Glen” is a traditional name for the area and Taylor continued to call it “Glen Farm.” In the hands of the Taylor family, the farm grew in value, prestige and land area.
Below is an older birds eye view of the barn complex. Note some wooden barns have been torn down.
Pump House: This was home to the equipment that pumped water from the stream to supply the farm with water.
Stone Horse Barn: Built in 1911. During World War II the stalls were removed and it was outfitted as a field hospital.
Silo: This stone silo is attached to the stone barn with a stone passageway. It was probably built before 1926. There was a wooden silo, too, but it has been removed.
Stone Cow Barn: Built in 1907, this barn was for dairy cows. This is where the Glen dairy was located.
Stone Bull Barn with Bull Pen: This barn is dated 1910. There was a fire in this barn in 1926, but no animals were injured.6. Frame Cow Barn: The is one of the oldest of the barns and is the model for the barn architecture.
Frame Horse Barn: Built in 1902, this barn may have had a fire at the south end in the 1940’s.
Tool House: Wooden barn built before 1907.
Wagon Shed: Wooden structure built before 1907. The Wagon Shed has now been removed.
Garage: Stone structure built after 1907. Held Taylor cars until a garage was constructed at Stanton Farm.
Slocum-Cundall Cemetary: Slocum graves from 1713 on are on the northeast corner. Cundall stones beginning with Joseph in 1811 are on the west side. Slocums and Cundalls had mills in the Glen.
Mill: This mill is in the same spot as the original grist mill. It was probably built on the old mill’s foundation and was used as the carpentry shop for Glen Farm. This building has been restored as a single family home.
The barns are arranged to provide courtyards of shelter from bad weather.
This blog is one of a series on historical and recreational lands owned by the Town of Portsmouth. We (the Portsmouth Conservation Commission and I) hope that October will be a month when Portsmouth residents will visit and enjoy the properties they own as taxpayers.
As you drive down Linden Lane through the Gardner Seveney Sports Complex, you will notice a golden yellow house at the end of the row of trees. This is the Brown House, the Leonard Brown House. It is newly restored and is the home of Portsmouth’s Parks and Recreation Department. It is a useful house, because twenty years ago an organization (Friends of Leonard Brown House) worked to save it and the town finished the process to restore it.
These recreational fields were once part of the property grants of John Cooke. It was passed down to Cook Wilcox who was part of Portsmouth’s militia in the Revolutionary War. After Wilcox died the property came into the ownership of Leonard Brown through his wife, Sarah Wilcox Brown.
Who was Leonard Brown? Brown was considered one of the best farmers in Portsmouth. He raised poultry and pigs and brought them to market in New Bedford. Along with farming, Brown served as a wheelwright and a blacksmith. Leonard Brown represents the Yankee farmers, the descendants of the original English settlers. Brown and the farmers like him were the backbone of Portsmouth. They served in political offices, farmed and were the skilled craftsmen of the town.
When Leonard Brown died in 1896, the Brown farm was sold to H.A.C. Taylor and became part of the Glen Farm. It was always painted yellow because the Taylor’s chose that color for their Glen Farm buildings.
Location: From East Main Road take a turn onto Linden Lane. There is a new traffic light at that corner. There is parking by the soccer fields to the right as you drive down Linden Lane and also parking by the Brown House.
Activities: For the casual walker or dog walker, Linden Lane is ideal. The trees provide shade in summer and the road is paved. The walk from the top of Linden Lane to the “Red Cross” house and back is a little over a mile. Right now you can watch the reconstruction of the stone walls along the way. The setting at Brown House – house, stone wall, flowers and trees – is ideal for sketching or painting.
Continue south to the stalls used for the livestock and head South along the tree line. 
Turn North with the tree line until you come to a cut in the stone wall. You will see a second kiosk for the trail. 
Once you have reached that, head back up the field and past the ball field until you come to the livestock stalls again.
From the 1880s to the 1950s, Gentleman Farmer H.A.C. Taylor, his son Moses Taylor and daughter-in-law Edith Taylor Nicholson raised championship horses, sheep and cows. Glen Farm was a self-sustaining farm with 25 families, its own electricity, telephone and fire department. This is still a working equestrian area, but you can carefully explore the barns. Most of the stone barns date from early 1900. 
portsmouthhistorynotes 