Smith's Castle

Modern Dairy Farming

In 1919 the Fox family transformed the former plantation into a modern dairy farm. They developed a purebred milk-producing cow registered as the Cocumcussoc [sic] Ayrshire and operated a Wickford retail milk route and an ice cream and milk bar. 
      After Mr. Fox's death in 1937, the herd was dispersed and three hundred years of Cocumscussoc agricultural enterprise came to a close. 
      The historic home soon fell into neglect and suffered vandalism. Its remaining lands were subdivided and development loomed. The Castle was threatened with demolition. 
      In 1948, a group of concerned citizens established the , which purchased the property in order to preserve and assure its use for public education. Because of their foresight, Smith's Castle remains today a Rhode Island and American treasure.