Thank you for your letter and interest in our island of Jamestown. Jamestown is a small island that sits in the middle of Narragansett Bay in the state of Rhode Island. It is approximately 9 miles long by 1 mile wide. Our island was originally called Conanicut Island after the chief Conanicus, a Narragansett Indian Chief. The Narragansett Indians used Jamestown as a sacred burial site, burying their dead on the west side of the island facing the setting sun. The Indians sold Jamestown to the English settlers in 1657 and they mainly grazed sheep, cattle and horses here. It is rumored that the famous pirate, Captain Kidd buried treasure on the island and it has yet to be found! By 1818 the population grew to 504 people, today it stands at about 6500 with a higher population during the summer months.

Jamestown became a popular tourist spot at around the turn of the 20th century. There were several large hotels and many wealthy summer people. The major form of transportation were ferries that would take people to and from Newport or North Kingstown. With the hurricane of 1938, several buildings along with hotels were destroyed and never built again. In 1940 the Jamestown Bridge was built connecting North Kingstown with Jamestown. In 1969 the Newport Bridge was opened connecting Jamestown with Newport. The ferries were phased out and became a thing of the past. In 1992 the new Jamestown Bridge was opened and the old bridge still stands next to the new one, the State has yet to dismantle it! The ferries started to make a come back in 1999 and now people have the choice of taking the ferry or driving to Newport.

Jamestown, today, has several restaurants, an elementary and middle school (high school children are bused to North Kingstown High School, approximately 8 miles away), a video store, a doctor's office, a dentist, a vet, 3 churches, a pharmacy, a hardware store and some gift shops. We also have several lighthouses with only one officially working and several State parks and a campground.

Hope you learned something about Jamestown from this note. If you need anything else, please email the Town Clerk's Office.