Hi, Fort Butts is located on the south side of Sprague St. between Rt 138 and 114 in the Northern part of Portsmouth. There have been attempts to restore the area but the kids always destroy what is left. I live within canon ball distance.( We found one in our back fields!) nightsong@worldnet.att.net -----Original Message----- From: Raelinjo@aol.com <Raelinjo@aol.com> To: RINEWPOR-L@rootsweb.com <RINEWPOR-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Wednesday, April 11, 2001 10:41 AM Subject: [RINEWPOR] Revolutionary times... >Hello fellow listers, >Can anyone tell me if there was/is a place called "Butts Hill" or "Fort >Butts" near Portsmouth on Newport's island? I have a copy of an old map, >presumably drawn up for an old text of the Revolutionary War, showing on the >north end of the island, a place called Quaker Hill and north of that, Butts >Hill. The map shows the line where the Patriots took up position against the >Brits between these two hills. >Also, a booklet entitled "The American Ancestry of John Wood Butts," by >Francis Bannister Butts, November 15, 1896, accompanied this map. The >following excerpts were taken from the aforementioned booklet. >[John Butts-1, born about 1692 in Little Compton, then Massachusetts] "He >moved to Portsmouth, Rhode Island where he engaged in farming, and purchased >the wind mill and a considerable extent of land surrounding what has been >since known as 'Butts Hill.' There he erected a house where several >generations of the family have been born. The house was a typical one of the >period, having a great chimney and narrow windows. It was taken down in 1878 >having stood about 150 years." >[John Butts-2, born 1733 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island] "The war of the >Revolution was a great disaster to him, the British soldiers having pillaged >the farms and dwellings of all who were loyal to their country. He was >greatly respected by the people among whom he lived and the soldiers of the >Patriot army. To his honor and patriotism the fort they struggled to defend >August 9, 1778 was named, and from that time has been known as Fort Butts." >Does anyone familiar with Newport's island know if any of this is true? >Did/do these two places really exist under these names? Any input would be >appreciated. >Linda Jones, Raelinjo@aol.com > > >==== RINEWPOR Mailing List ==== >General Family History Resources >http://w3.trib.com/~dsaban/genreso.htm > >============================== >Join the RootsWeb WorldConnect Project: >Linking the world, one GEDCOM at a time. >http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com >