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Narragansett/Wakefield Although few people realize it, the Narragansett of more than a century ago was a society resort rivaling Newport. The New York Times commented in 1877 that Narragansett was "an American watering place in the truest sense of the term." A writer for Harper’s Weekly added in the late 1800s: "The habitues of the place are, in general, people of the same social standing as those of Newport and have in the main less money." Aristocratic vacationers from New York, Philadelphia and points south frequented no fewer than ten major hotels, built summer "cottages" only slightly smaller than Newport’s, and reveled in the recreational and social goings-on at the Stanford White-designed Narragansett Casino. They enjoyed what they considered a simplicity and lack of pretension, as opposed to the more affluent Newport visible across Narragansett Bay. A fire in 1900 destroyed the large Rockingham Hotel and the adjacent casino. More fires, financial difficulties and changing vacation patterns wiped out the other hotels in the first part of the 20th century. The hurricanes of 1938 and 1954 left standing only a few reminders of the resort’s colorful past. The landmark granite Towers spanning Ocean Road at the entrance to the old Casino and the high-rent districts along Ocean Road and Gibson Avenue remain as symbols of the Narragansett that was. So do a number of oft-hidden mansions of modern-day Newport proportions. Today, with less of an identity and "less money" than Newport, as the Harper’s writer put it, Narragansett is often overlooked by out-of-staters. It’s a mecca for Rhode Islanders who cherish its beaches, its boating and its fishing and the kinds of tourism that accompany them. Narragansett actually encompasses several areas, each quite different from the others: There’s the historic and busy Pier area, which passes for downtown Narragansett. The mansion and beach area along Ocean Road to the south toward Point Judith and along Boston Neck Road north toward Wickford. The working fishing village of Galilee – "tuna capital of the world." And the outlying commercial areas and highway maze bordering adjacent Wakefield, the area's biggest town.. Amid nature’s splendors are remnants from the area’s 365-year
history. The Narragansett Indian Statue, the Old Narragansett Church,
the Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Snuff Mill, the 1750 Casey Farm, the
Point Judith Lighthouse, the quaint living-museum village of Wickford
and the fishing harbor at Galilee are reminders of another era. Material excerpted from Waterside Escapes in the Northeast, by Nancy and Richard Woodworth. Copyright 2005. Wood Pond Press E-mail feedback to: Home
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