Photo by Kevin Bruff
Along the western shore of the Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island is an area known as Cocumscussoc, which is part of the ancestral homeland of the Narragansett People. Cocumscussoc was also the location of trading posts established by Roger Williams and Richard Smith in the late 1630s. Nestled among the cattails and holly trees at Cocumscussoc is a handsome house that has existed on the site since 1678, known for centuries as Smith’s Castle. Although not a castle by today’s definition it was given that name due to its size and sturdy construction. It was home to the Smith family, their heirs- the Updikes, and dozens of enslaved people for over a century-and-a-half. Smith's Castle is the oldest surviving plantation house in America and is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places. The site on which Smith's Castle sits, Cocumscussoc, is also identified independently as a National Historic Landmark. The historic property is also part of the Rhode Island Slave History Medallion program, which promotes public awareness about slavery at historic sites across Rhode Island.
Preserve ri impact award
Smith’s Castle Trustee Jen Suellentrop also works with the East Greenwich Historic Preservation Society. The EGHPS won a Preserve RI Rhody Award for their new historic interpretive signs. Congratulations! Preserve Rhode Island | Rhody Awards for Historic Preservation
Ri pbs treasures of the museum
Featuring smiths castle
Smiths castle featured in world atlas article
