Welcome to the Barrington Preservation Society
Founded in 1965 as the successor to the Barrington Historic Antiquarian Society, which began in 1885, we are the central resource for those with an interest in the history of Barrington, Rhode Island. Here you can learn about the artifacts and historical collections in our museum; our historic structure plaquing program and awards for historic preservation; and our various exhibitions, social, and educational events held each year. Please join us and support us as we celebrate, study, and preserve Barrington’s past!
Some Key Events in the History of Barrington, Rhode Island.
1620
When the English first arrive, the Wampanoag people, then led by Massasoit Ousamequin, have lived here in “Pokanoket country” for hundreds of years.
1632
Plymouth’s English settlers establish a trading post in the area.
1653
English settlers sign an agreement with Massasoit Osamequin for the Sowams territory, making it part of Plymouth Colony.
1667
John Myles and his followers establish the first European settlement in the Sowams territory near Nockum Hill. They name it “Swansea.”
1673
William Cahoon establishes first brick-making operation, near Nockum Hill. Brick-making continues in various parts of town, including Brickyard Pond, for over 200 years.
1691
1691 A new royal charter merges Plymouth and Massachusetts colonies, making Swansea part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
1717
Massachusetts incorporates Barrington as a Town separate from Swansea, naming it for John Shute Barrington, brother of Massachusetts’ governor.
1746-47
Barrington is transferred to colony of Rhode Island, which makes it part of the town of Warren.
1770
Rhode Island’s government recreates the town of Barrington by separating it from Warren.
1774
First Colonial Census records a population of 601, including 57 enslaved persons.
1775-1781
During the Revolutionary War, four men from Barrington lose their lives while serving in the military.
1800
Population of Barrington: 650
1830
Population of Barrington: 612, including the last person still enslaved in town subsequent to Rhode Island’s Gradual Emancipation Act of 1784.
1842
Town residents take both sides in the Dorr War, a dispute over expanding the right to vote. “Dorrites” protest the continued use of the 1663 Royal Charter as the state’s constitution.
1847
Nathaniel Potter founds Nayatt Brick Company, using steam-powered machinery to mine clay deposits at Brickyard Pond. Workers are often French-Canadian. In the 1880s, Italian immigrants join the work force.
1851
The “White Church,” originally built in 1717 and already Barrington’s most visible landmark, expands its profile, especially “vertically,” and becomes the prototypical “New England church.”
1855
Providence, Warren, and Bristol Railroad links Barrington and the rest of the East Bay to Providence, encouraging industrial and residential development.
1860
Barrington population: 1,000. During the Civil War (1861-65), 62 Barrington men fight for the North; 11 are killed.
1868
First plat is laid out in West Barrington, where development features smaller lots and more room for manufacturing than in Nayatt and Rumstick.
1888
Barrington Town Hall is completed and contains the offices of government, a library, and the high school. The high school moves next door and becomes the new Leander R. Peck High School in 1917.
1897
O’Bannon Mills, the town’s first textile factory, opens in West Barrington.
1900
Barrington population: 1,135
1904
Rhode Island Lace Works founded in West Barrington, one of several textile manufactories in the area. It closes in 1990.
1911
Rhode Island Country Club founded, with golf course designed by Donald Ross. It replaces hotels used mainly by summer vacationers.
1917-1918
Over 150 men from Barrington serve in the US military during the Great War. Six lose their lives.
1930
Barrington population: 5,162
1933
21st Amendment ends prohibition, but Barrington stays “dry” until 1993.
1938
In September, Hurricane of 1938 devastates Barrington’s beaches and coastal areas. Summer homes and cottages, hotels, vacationers’ “tent villages” are swept away or knocked to pieces. Barrington is no longer a summer resort.
1940
Barrington population: 6,231. During World War II (1941-45), 27 Barrington men serving in the military lose their lives.
1950
Barrington population: 8,246. Rhode Island widens the Wampanoag Trail, making it much easier for suburbanites to commute daily. A farming community no more, Barrington is fast becoming a commuter suburb.
1951
Barrington builds several new schools to accommodate its growing population of Baby Boomers. The new high school opens in 1951, doubles its size in 1964, and has expanded several times since.
1960
Barrington population:13,826.
1980
Barrington population: 16,174.
2020
Population of Barrington: 17,153
2021
Town Council adopts formal “Land Acknowledgment” recognizing the long history of Indigenous peoples who have lived here for centuries.
Interested in Volunteering?
BPS is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization. We are currently looking for one or more Social Media & Outreach Coordinators to maintain an up-to-date membership and mailing list, and to keep members and the public informed of our news, activities and events.