National Register of Historic Places

Queen's Fort

Exeter, Washington County, Rhode Island
Listed
November 26, 1980
Type
Site
Period
Early Republic
Ref No.
80000024

About this property

Queen's Fort is a historic site in Exeter, Rhode Island. A round, rocky hillock, the site has long been described as the site of a Native American fortification constructed before 1676 by Queen Quaiapen and members of the Narragansett Indian Tribe who survived the Great Swamp Massacre. The fort's layout included an eastern bastion and a flanking wall built amongst large naturally occurring boulders. The fort was described as containing an enclosed chamber as well: Within the fort a chamber – six square feet with a seven-foot ceiling and a sand floor – was perhaps built for the Narragansett queen Quaiapen (also called Matuntuck). She supposedly hid out at the site during King Phililp’s War before moving somewhere else, where she died. Some have also suspected that Quaiapen and Stonewall John were lovers." The fort was known for the skill of its design, which used naturally occurring boulders connected with laid stone walls. Admiring colonists created the mistaken rumor that Stonewall John was an escaped English engineer. The fort was described in conflicting Victorian-era accounts, and the rocky nature of the site prevented its reuse. The site has been owned by the Rhode Island Historical Society since 1931 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Location

Exeter, Washington County, Rhode Island
41.59217, -71.52015

Categories

HISTORIC - ABORIGINAL
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
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Literature
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Spotlight
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Points of Interest
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Timeline
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Nearby Historic Sites

Briggs, Richard, Farm
Colonial
1.3 mi
Six Principle Baptist Church
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1.5 mi
Rathbun House
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1.6 mi
Tillinghast Road Historic District
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2 mi
Rose, Benoni, House
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2.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Queen's Fort listed on the National Register?

Queen's Fort was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 26, 1980.

What type of historic resource is Queen's Fort?

Queen's Fort is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Queen's Fort?

The period of significance for Queen's Fort is recorded as the early_republic era.

Can I research the history near Queen's Fort?

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