"Early Days Along the Watch Hill Road"
[As appeared in Seaside Topics, No.3, 1925,
and I added appropriate pictures from the Gallery]
(This interesting account of the early days at Watch Hill is part of a paper written by
Mr. Albert P. Pendleton, "The Watch Hill Road," delivered before theWesterly Historical Society in 1915.
Many changes, of course, have been made since this account was written, notably the destruction of the
Larkin House to make ways for cottages and the [destruction of] the Watch Hill and Atlantic Houses in the fire
1916. The trolley road is also now but a memory, the remains of its rolling stock constituting
an eyesore along the road. -Ed. Note).
The first lighthouse was a round wooden tower with shingled covering. Built in 1808, it stood for nearly fifty
years, but the gradual wearing of the point by the action of the waves made it necessary to construct one
further back, and in 1855 the present granite house was put up. A wall of massive granite was built around the
point, which effectively kept the sea at bay. The heavy granite blocks were transported there by Capt. Jason
P. West from Millstone Point in his scow Jason.
The first light keeper was Jonathan Nash, who was followed by Enoch Vose, Gilbert Pendleton, Daniel
Babcock, Ethan Pendleton, Nelson Brown, Dan iel F. Larkin, Jared S. Crandall, Mrs. Crandall, Joseph Fowler
and Julius Young. The only life saving apparatus was an old whale boat, which was manned by a volunteer
crew when the occasion demanded its use.
Thsi volunteer crew was of great aid in saving life from the Steamer Metis, which was wrecked off Watch
Hill, August 20, 1872. Two boats put out in the stormy waters and succeeded in rescuing
thirty-three persons. The names of the brave men who composed the crews were as follows:
Frank Larkin, Jared Crandall, Byron Green, Daniel Larkin, Albert Crandall, Edwin Nash, John D. Harvey,
Eugene Nash, Courtland Gavitt and William Nash.
The following February Congress passed a resolution authorizing the President to have made and
presented to each of the above named persons, a gold medal, in appreciation of their heroic efforts
in saving life.
Watch Hill in the early days consisted of a small cluster of houses, and was noted for its cool breezes
and its excellent fish and lobster dinners, the said dinners being had for the small sum of twenty-five cents.
The principal occupations of the inhabitants was that of fishing and boat building.
The Watch Hill House, built in 1845, was the only public hotel on the Hill in the early fifties and
was kept by George M.Nash, who was as good-natured as he was fat. It was a quiet resort and was
patronized mostly by middle-aged people, who wished to enjoy a few weeks away from the bustle
and drive of the city.
The people within a radius of a few miles went there when they wished a good dinner served
in a homelike manner. The old house has been moved across the road and in its place has been built a
large and up-to-date hotel. Mr. Nash sold the old house to Mrs. Burger, who sold it to Chapman &
Campbell. Later, landlords were Hale & Wallace and Col. Dick.
In 1869, Daniel F. Larkin retired as light keeper and built the Larkin House, which at the time was the largest
hotel at the Hill. Mr. Larkin conducted it practically all his life. A few years ago it was torn down and its
site is occupied by cottages.
In 1856 Dickens & Taylor, who had conducted a small boarding house, had constructed for them a hotel,
west of the Watch Hill House, and named it the Atlantic House.
A few years later it was purchased by Orrin S. Spencer, who, with his son-in-law, operated it for many years.
At present, it is owned by the heirs of Walter Price, who built the Columbia House, near the bay shore. Several
years after George Nash had retired, he again embarked in the hotel trade, and put up the Ocean House.
After a brief period he gave it up and sold it to Edward Brewer of Springfield, Mass., who let it to
Champlin & Stone, and after to J. Frank Champlin.
In 1866, A. S. Plympton of Hartford, Conn., built the Plympton House and ran it for a few years.
Since he gave it up, it has had numerous landlords and proprietors.
Away over near the bay shore, is the Misquamicut Inn, which is the William Potter farm house greatly
enlarged. This is a very popular house and is managed by J. Herbert Segar. There were hardly a dozen
houses on the Hill in the early fifties. Albert Crandall lived in the outskirts of the hamlet. He was noted
for his good wines and cider and his fat porkers, and was generally high hook at ten pins. When
he moved to Westerly he sold his place to ex-governor Julius Catlin of Hartford, who was about the first
cottager on the Hill.
Capt. Nathan Fitch lived down near the bay shore. Harvey Dickens dwelt in a long, low house near
where now is the Plympton. Nathan and Winston Nash lived nearby. These, with Joseph, Jonathan, Nathan
and Winston York, constituted about all the population.
Compare this with the Watch Hill of today, with its large hotels, hundreds of cottages (many as large
as small hotels) stores of all kinds and various places of amusements. Joseph Nash accomodated
a few bathers in small houses on the beach, which would look lost along side the plant conducted
by the Larkins. About the only public mode of reaching Watch Hill was by water. A few sail boats ran
from Westerly. These were Fanny Golden, Capt. Abe Coon; Mohigan, Capt. George Wilcox; and a
few others, including Capt. Ned Clark in the Washington.
The small steamboats, which ran from Westerly to Norwich, called morning and evening. These
boats were the Novelty, Martha Jane, John R. Vinton, Water Lily, Tiger Lily, and Liberty.
Later the Belle was put on the route. At times smaller boats steamed up and down the river.
After the Westerly and Watch Hill Ferry Co. was incorporated, a larger class of boats was put
into use.
With the advent of the trolley, the boat business was killed. In the summer time there were a
few trips made by Oliver Buddington, with his omnibus, and by Dennison Wills, with his stage;
but these vehicles were not to be depended upon.
In 1894, a company was formed for the purpose of building and operating an electric
railway to Watch Hill. The incorporators were Samuel H. Cross, Nathan F. Dixon, William
Hoxsey, Charles Perrin of Westerly, Solomon Lucus, E. P. Shaw of Norwich, and E. P. Shaw, Jr,
of Newburyport, Mass. Under the name of the Pawcatuck Valley Street Railway Co., they
petitioned the Town Council for a franchise. After much backing and filling and some junket trips
over the road, given the Council by the members, a franchise was granted May 12. A power
house was built on Margin Street and a car barn on Beach Street. Work was immediatedly
begun on the road-bed and on July 4, the first car with passengers was run to the Hill.
On board were the Town Council, road officials and many invited guests. At the Hill, through the
courtesy of H. L. Pierce, president of the construction company, a collation was served at
Larkin's shore dinner house.
There were two turnouts on the road, one at the Foster Farm and one at Avondale, and trips were
made under a forty-minute headway. The rolling stock consisted of four open cars, one closed car, and
one passanger and baggage car combined. They were small, single-truck cars and had a habit
of jumping the track quite often. Later, more cars of the same variety were obtained and finally
the Yellow Peril made its appearance. At first the service was not very satisfactory, trips being
missed or delayed. As the franchise called for only six months service each year, transportation
in cold weather was abandoned.
In 1908 a branch of the road was constructed from Mastuxet to Pleasant View, and in 1912
extended to Weekapaug. Recently the SHore Line Electric Railway Co. took over all the
trolley roads in this section. This company rebuilt the Watch Hill branch and put up-to-date
cars on the road. A regular schedule was maintained and good connections were made to
the four points of the compass.
When the trolley first started, the fare on the river steamboats was twenty-five cents for
the round trip between Westerly and Watch Hill, as against twenty cents on the trolley. In order
to compete, the boat people advertised their fare at twenty cents and no dust. A few days
later on coming up the river, the boat ran aground and detained the passengers quite a
while. The next day the road officials advertised the fare twenty cents with no detention
and no mud.
In the early days there were not many walls and fences on the road, and between farms a gate
was placed across the road to keep a farmer's cattle from encroaching on his neighbor. The
first gate (although beyond my recollection) was on the brow of the hill beyond Thompson's
corner, while the third was a few feet below Mastuxet Brook. Next in order was one at
Lotteryville, as you turn east for Watch Hill. From there on there were gates which divided the
farms of William Chapman, Benjamin Thurston, and Samuel Vose.
All told, there were perhaps eight gates. They were quite an impediment to travel, although
the neighboring children would rush to the gate at the sight of the approaching team to
open and close the gate for a few pennies given them by the driver. As pennies in those days were
of the copper variety (nearly as large as our present half-dollars) no doubt the children
thought they had a bonanza. It is said that even the older members of the family were not
averse to picking up the pennies.
From time to time as the road was fenced and walled, the gates were taken out, and in
the early sixties the last one (which was at the top of the hill beyond Thompson's
corners) disappeared.