Westerly is a town on the southwestern coastline of Washington County, Rhode Island, first settled by English colonists in 1661, and incorporated as a municipality in 1669. The Town of Westerly is a beachfront community on the south shore of the state with a population of 23,359 as of the 2020 census. The western and northern borders of Westerly are defined by a natural border of the Pawcatuck River, with the bordering town of Hopkinton defined by the Pawcatuck River, while holding a straight border to the east with Charlestown.
The Pawcatuck River flows on the western border of Westerly, and was once renowned for its own species of Westerly salmon, three of which are displayed on the town's official seal. The Pawcatuck River flows from inland, emptying into Little Narragansett Bay. It also serves as the boundary between Westerly and Pawcatuck, Connecticut. Three large salt ponds lie along the coast, with sand bars of white sand such as the Misquamicut State Beach. From west to east, these ponds are Maschaug Pond, Winnapaug Pond, and Quonochontaug Pond. The Town of Westerly was known historically for local important granite mining and stone-cutting industry, which ran until the quarries stopped operating in the 1950s.
Westerly is a notable tourist destination from May through October, when the population nearly doubles. Its well-known beaches include Weekapaug Beach, Westerly Town Beach, Misquamicut State Beach, East Beach, and Watch Hill Beach. Westerly is also a popular surfing spot for those from the region. Due to its south-facing geography, large southerly swells often occur during late summer and fall as tropical storms pass off the East Coast.
History
Early History and European settlement
It is believed that Aboriginal people arrived in Rhode Island 5,000 years ago, based on sites located in what is now Washington County. Westerly would be known as Misquamicut, home to the Narragansett people up until 1637, when the English built an outpost, forcing the Narragansett people out of the region by 1661, allowing for the permanent settlement on the coast line. The English village was the home of Elder John Crandall (–1676), one of Westerly's founding fathers. Crandall settled in Westerly in 1661, and the early history of Westerly contains many references to him and his sons.
The Town of Westerly was founded on May 13, 1669, on the eastern shore of Pawcatuck River. There was no defined border between Connecticut and Rhode Island until 1720. It is believed that Westerly was named for the settlement's location respective to Rhode Island's geography, being the westernmost town in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. On May 18, 1669, the newly founded Town of Westerly in the southwest portion of the colony would host its first official town meeting with four elected officers to manage the town, alongside a town clerk.
In 1738, the Town of Charlestown was partitioned off from Westerly, encompassing modern day land of both Charlestown and Richmond, while Hopkinton would remain a part of the Town of Westerly until being partitioned off 19 years later as its own town. Bradford, a village built in 1732, following the partition of Hopkinton, would remain shared between both Hopkinton and Westerly with the Bradford Village Historic District. Slavery had existed in the small town of Westerly by the wealthy.
Revolutionary War and Post-revolution
Physician, American Revolution general, and Rhode Island Supreme Court justice Dr. Joshua Babcock was born in Westerly. Rhode Island Governor and Chief Justice Samuel Ward also lived here for many years. During the American Revolution, Westerly did not play any major battles compared to the nearby Battle of Newport, which happened in Rhode Island. Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Ward Jr was a resident of Westerly, Rhode Island, commanding the 1st Rhode Island Regiment in the Battle of Rhode Island in 1778.
Slavery became illegal in the new State of Rhode Island in the 1770s to 1780s, with in 1784, the State of Rhode Island passed the Gradual Emancipation Act, stating: “children born to slave mothers were to be considered freeborn citizens." However, children of former slaves were forced to work as apprentices until the age of 21, and their earning given to their mothers’ owners.
In the early 1800s, prior to the War of 1812, Westerly had become a shipbuilding center under U.S. Navy Officer Oliver Perry, having built Gunboats.
In 1834, the Crumb Quarry, began operations, the first quarry in Westerly, to produce Westerly White and Blue granite.
The Westerly area was known for its historically important (1870-1950s) granite mining and stone-cutting industry,Civil War Monuments of Connecticut Suppliers & Materials which quarried a unique stone known as Westerly granite. This pinkish granite has been used in buildings in several states on the eastern seaboard. Its quarries produced blue granite, in addition to pinks and reds. The Smith Granite Company employed many granite cutting craftsmen and was one of the town's major employers until the quarries stopped operating in the 1950s. Hundreds of examples of their work can be seen on the battlefields of Gettysburg and in city squares, municipal buildings, cemeteries throughout the United States, and even the Georgia State Capitol.
The four trolley lines of the Groton and Stonington Street Railway, Norwich and Westerly Railway, Pawtucket Valley Street Railway, and the Ashaway and Westerly Railway converged in Westerly and shared track between the railroad station and Dixon House Square downtown. The lines were built in the 1890s and 1900s and ran until the 1920s.
20th Century In 1912, the Westerly Town Hall and Courthouse was built, designed by William Walker & Son in the Academic Revival style, replacing the old town hall. Following the new town halls creation, the district of Pleasant View would be renamed to the Misquamicut in 1928, the original native name of the Westerly region, nearly 260 years after the Town of Westerly was founded. Following the creation of the new town hall, a grass strip would be built by the United States Navy in the 1920s, but would not be activated as an registered airport until the 1930s, when it was registered Westerly State Airport in December 1939 by the Rhode Island Airport Corporation, which would become one of one of six airports managed by the RIAC. The airport continued to serve under the U.S. Navy, allowing for practicing ariel war maneuvers, serving into the 1940s during World War II. On August 2, 1945, a Grumman F6F Hellcat piloted by Ensign Walter G. Davies took off from Runway 32 at the Westerly Auxiliary Naval Air Station, but lost all power and flipped on the runway during emergency landing. The aircraft was deemed a total loss, but there were no injuries or fatalities.
Westerly in 1938 would be struck by the 1938 New England Hurricane, causing severe damage, with the village of Napatree Point being completely destroyed, with buildings being sent into Little Narragansett Bay, and Sandy Point being disconnected from the rest of Napatree to where it remains today. Misquamicut, Galilee, Jerusalem, Green Hill, and Quonochontaug being heavily destroyed, and a storm surge of 12 to 15 ft tall along the coast of Rhode Island. Many factories, mines, houses, and more structures collapsed during the hurricane, and the New Haven and Hartford Railroad was damaged, shutting down transport to Westerly, RI. Following this, Westerly would be struck again six years later in 1944, and again in 1954 by major hurricanes.
In 1966, the Guild Guitar Company, founded in 1952 by Alfred Dronge in New York City, moved production to Westerly, and continued to make their well-respected archtop, acoustic, and solid body guitars there. The Westerly Town Charter, which approved the right to maintain and preserve self-government to the Town of Westerly was approved by the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations on November 5, 1968, and become effective July 1, 1969.https://ecode360.com/12078301#. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
On November 7, 1977, the Potter Hill Mill on the Pawtucket River had caught fire. Built in 1843, Mill had units from Ashaway, Rhode Island being the first to respond, and then Westerly Fire Department arrival. The mill was significantly damaged leading to its collapse, with 75 units on scene, and no injuries reported. Many years following this incident in 2020, the Town of Westerly was given $100,000 in a grant from the NOAA Restoration Center, matched by the Town of Westerly, and other sources, to study fish migration improvements, and flood mitigation improvement, continuing into 2024 with Westerly stating on the town website: "Addressing the dam and the old mill building will eliminate public safety hazards and significantly increase recreation for the community."
21st Century In 2012, Hurricane Sandy left beaches along the Westerly shoreline devastated and nearly unrecognizable, including Misquamicut. Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee stated that Misquamicut, a village of Westerly Rhode Island, was the New Jersey of Rhode Island, referring to the amount of damage that was received in the State of New Jersey, to the amount of damage received by Misquamicut. The damages caused by Hurricane Sandy caused $11.3 million in damages, with almost 100,000 power outages reported in Rhode Island.
In December 2019, a shooting happened at the Babcock Village, in which three women ended up shot. The police identified the shooter, and two surviving victims. The shooting was done by 66-year old Joseph Giachello, who was found dead in his room after taking the life of 47-year old Julie Cardinal, the manager of the complex. During this shooting, all the schools in Westerly managed by Westerly Public Schools were put into lockdown, although Westerly Public Schools stated: “there is no verifiable threat to any of the buildings.”
The Covid Pandemic (2020-2023)
On March 13 of 2020, the Rhode Island Department of Motor Vehicles would close the Westerly DMV office, deeming the closing until further notice because of complaints that it was disruptive for the employees of the Westerly Town Hall, as the Westerly DMV operated in the Town Hall once a week, however the Westerly Drop Box would remain open for all Rhode Island DMV forms, applications, or canceled plates. 15 days after the closing of the Westerly DMV Office, the Governor of Rhode Island on March 28, 2020, issued the lockdown of the entire State of Rhode Island. The Town of Westerly in response cancelled any town council meetings with only few exceptions, and urged residents to use online and mail services. All schools would initially be ordered to remain closed until April 3, 2020, to set up distance learning for all the students.
In August 2021, Tropical Storm Henri made landfall in Westerly, causing significant damage and power outages. Following Henri's impacts, in November 2021, three tornadoes were confirmed in Rhode Island, the first being an EF-1 tornado which went from Stonington, Connecticut to Westerly. On June 22, 2021, the Westerly Area Youth Lacrosse 14U girls won the Rhode Island Youth Lacrosse League Division 2 title.
On January 4, 2022, the Westerly Public Schools system had reopened to the public with mask policies still in place in place, and extended quarantine times for students and faculty who got sick, while many had chosen to remain home due to the ongoing at the time COVID-19 pandemic still infecting many.
Aftermath of the Covid Pandemic