>From the book "History of Washington and Kent Counties, Rhode Island" by J.R. Cole, published 1889, New York, W.W. Preston & Company. Beginning on page 554. [xxx] respresents either notes or the page number. NARRAGANSETT PIER. – One of the most important factors in the prosperity of the town has been the Narragansett Pier railroad, which was opened in July, 1876. The only means of access to the pier before that date was by stage coaches from Kingston. The railroad now connects with the New York, Providence & Boston railroad at Kingston Depot, and is about nine miles in length. Every possible facility is furnished by the management of the road for the convenience of the summer travel. Mr. George T. Lanphear has been superintendent of the road since the start, and has labored hard to secure for the Pier guests suitable accommodations to and from New York and beyond. The Stonington railroad was laid out in 1837, and it also runs through the town. The following sketches of Narragansett Pier and its surroundings were taken principally from the Narragansett Times: Rowland Robinson came to this country from England in 1675. He purchased lands of the Narragansetts soon after coming here, and purchased also large tracts in the Pettaquamscutt and Point Judith lands. He died in 1716, leaving two sons and several daughters. To the eldest son John he willed land bought of Samuel Hopkins and John Crowder, and the house occupied by William Dunkin and the grist mill. To William Robinson he gave three hundred acres in Boston Neck. As was the custom in those days the daughter was given only money. But John Robinson left only daughters, and so the real estate passed back into the hands of Governor William Robinson, who, at his death [555] (1751), willed to Rowland Robinson, the father of the beautiful Hannah Robinson, the farm in Boston Neck, one hundred and sixty acres; to William, the farm bought of George Mumford one hundred and sixty acres; to Christopher, the present Shadow farm in Wakefield, with farms adjacent; to Thomas, eighty acres, bought of Samuel Allen, and a part of the Brenton farm; to Sylvester and James, he willed the farm in Point Judith, bought of Martha Church and Benjamin Brenton. As their land ran south to that of Francis Bourland, it must have included a large part of Point Judith. To John, the youngest son, and the founder of Narragansett Pier, he gave the farm bought of Joseph Mumford. On the division between Sylvester and James, the former took the north end with the house upon it, built by Governor Robinson (Canonchet), and the latter the southwest part. The farm given to John also had a house upon it (Mansion house). The Sylvester Robinson house passed to his only son James, better known as "Jimmy Robinson," who died in 1841. He married Mary Attmore of Philadelphia, and was the father of Attmore Robinson, afterward so prominently identified with the interests of Narragansett Pier. John Robinson was born in 1742, and died in 1801, and was the pioneer of the mercantile interests of Narragansett Pier. He married Sarah Peckham in 1761. His eldest son was Benjamin Robinson, grandfather of B.F. Robinson of Wakefield. He must have built the wharf in the latter part of the last century; not before about 1780, as the story comes down to us on good authority, that while the pier was being built a son of his was swimming outside the breakers when his father observed the fins of a shark moving from seaward toward the boy. Mr. Robinson called to his son to see in how short a time he could swim to the shore and thus save him. These man-eating sharks are not now, and were not then, indigenous to our shores, but followed in the track of slave ships from the Guinea coast; a number of Bristol and Newport ships then being engaged in the slave trade. As Benjamin Robinson was born in 1763, he could not have been an expert swimmer before 1780. John Robinson some years before his death move to Newport and engaged in mercantile pursuits, and just before his death, in 1801, he deeded to his eldest son, Benjamin, one-fifth of his pier property, and Benjamin bought out the other heirs. In this deed he mentioned a dwelling house, store and pier wharf. [556] The land was bounded east by the sea, north by James Robinson and south and west by Samuel Congdon; so that it is evident that John Robinson began the store business at the Pier. Benjamin Robinson sold twenty-four acres with two stores an two pier wharves to Rowland Hazard January 30th, 1810. The sale included the sloop "Sally." Mr. Hazard leased the pier to Joseph Congdon, and Captain John Aldrich Saunders built for Congdon and others, forming a stock company, the "Commerce," in 1815. The vessel was built on the training lot near the Narrow River Middle Bridge. She was a center-board vessel. At that time the pier had just been destroyed by the gale of September 23d, 1815, and it is said that Mr. Hazard rebuilt the pier with cabbage palm posts brought from Charleston, S.C. These posts were said to be proof against being worm-eaten. During the gale the "Sally" was at the pier loaded with cheese, and was carried up high and dry. Mr. Hazard, October 23d, 1817, exchanged the pier of Robinson Potter, of Newport, for a part of the ship "Frederic Augustus." Joseph Congdon afterward bought the vessel and sold it to the Narragansett Pier Company. But it is probable that Congdon sitll continued in business, and December 28th, 1818, he bought the property of Robinson Potter. George C. Brown, a son of Peleg Brown, purchased the pier of Robinson Potter January 1st, 1822. In 1822, March 25th, James Anthony and Jerry Whaley commenced running the "Commerce" for Brown, and continued to do so until September 25th, 1827. Samuel S. Eldred was storekeeper for Brown. They were both single, and kept bachelors' hall over the store that stood nearly on the site of the Pier Cottage. The only other house at the Pier was the long house, on the site of Doctor Hitchcock's cottage. Brown afterward built a house on the present site of the Casino. It is said by some that Brown took boarders in this house prior to 1845. Benjamin Robinson, the eldest son of John Robinson, lived at what has since been changed into the Mansion House. He died in 1830. His wife was Elizabeth Brown, a daughter of Governor George Brown. The farm was sold to John T. Bentley after his death. James Robinson lived at what is now Canonchet. He died in 1841. His wife was Mary Attmore, of Philadelphia. George Congdon, who lived at what is now the Congdon House, owned [557] all the land at what is now South Pier, as far south as Stephen Champlin's farm, now occupied by Samuel P. Allen, his land extending most to the estates of Benjamin and James Robinson. Further west was the brick house owned by Nathaniel Mumford (Sprague's farm house), and Gideon Sweet lived on the present Anthony place; and going still further west, Kit Robinson (Shadow farm) and Rowland Hazard's "Dale Carlia." A brook ran out of the pier pond where the McSparran stands, and the point was resorted to by herring fishermen in the springtime. Brown built the wharf now called Billington's wharf, but previous to that time the wharf had been two box locks filled with stone. John A. Saunders, the pioneer ship-builder of Narragansett, was born at Shadwick Weir, now Niantic, in 1786, and died at Tower Hill in 1832. His first vessel, a fishing sloop, the "Catherine," was built near Dorrville. His second vessel was the "King Fisher," built at Newport. He removed to this town in 1813, where he built the "Dolphin," the first center-board vessel ever built in Rhode Island. He also built the "Eagle," for John J. Watson. The "Commerce" was his fifth vessel. She was constructed with a water-tight casing, or sheath, that extended from the deck downward to and through the keel of the vessel. In this sheath a sectional center-bard was suspended, that required no further attention than to lose the rope that held it entirely within the sheath, excepting when head winds required its use as a temporary keel. This movable keel was made in three different portions, so that either or all could be lowered; but it was soon discovered that the three united in one would work better, and by the aid of "Nailor Tom," the change was made. Captain Suanders also built for hi sown use the "Rising Sun," a sloop of sixty tones, at the Pier, in 1819. Captain Saundes built in all twenty-two vessels, among them the "South Kingstown," built in 1824, for E.R. Potter and the Gardners, that was afterward lost on the shore at Seaside. George C. Brwon in 1832 sold the Pier property to Attmore Robinson, who took as a partner George C. Knowles. They bought the "Commerce" with the business, and Robinson put the sloop "Emily Ann" into the concern. Knowles sold out to Samuel Rodman, and afterward the Narragansett Pier Company was formed by taking in other partners. The company was chartered. The north wharf was built uner the direction of Attmore Robinson. [558] He built the first bathing house at the Pier for his own private use, and Benjamin Hadwen, who lived on the present site of the Hotel Gladstone, commenced taking a few boarders about 1845. In the year 1848 Joseph H. Dulles, a resident of Philadelphia, and the owner of a cotton plantation in South Carolina, visited the Pier. He was a customer of Rowland G. Hazard, who manufactured cloth for slaves at his mill at Peace Dale. Mr. Dulles came to Peace Dale on a visit and Mr. Hazard took him to the Pier to see the beach where people sometimes bathed. There was but one bathing house, and the few boarders Mr. Hadwen had were from Providence. Mr. Dulles was charmed with the beach and engaged all the rooms Mr. Hadwen had for the coming season. In 1856 Mr. Dulles and his friends took up their abode at "Uncle Esbon's," now the Narragansett House. James H. Rodman had, however, the year previous (1855) commenced taking Southern boarders, as they were called, and these two men were the only original proprietors of Pier hotels now living. Jonathan N. Hazard about this time became manager of the Narragansett Pier Comapny, and finally leased the property and conducted the business himself. A planing mill was built and a steam engine put in. Mr. Hazard continued to carry on business in a random sort of way. At one time he bought an entire cargo of pain-killer, at another a load of white hats, and upon one occasion he went to New York, and being pleased with the price of a sample of matches, offered to buy all the dealer had, and was surprised to receive a dray-load. And the story goes that he made several voyages with Abram Perry, to New York, on board the "Point Judith"; but one trip, being too busy to go himself, he marked out a chart of the sound on the cabin floor but let out Fisher's island, and that Perry ran down the island and the "Point Judith" was lost. Hazard built a planing mill in the building now used as a store by James D. Caswell. It was afterward changed into a store and let to William C. Caswell, who finally bought the property, that had been taxed to the Narragansett Pier Company until 1855; and again at a later period (1868) Mr. Caswell bought the pier. On February 9th, 1836, Samuel Rodman and Attmore Robinson sold to Christopher P. Stedman one half acre commencing eight feet from the southeast corner of a lot occupied by the grantors as a buttonwood nursery. On the site of the present blacksmith ship, Stedman built a tin ship and established a foundry. As will be seen from the fact [559] that a deed is made of an addition to this lot January 16th, 1838, from Narragansett Pier Company to Christopher P. Stedman, yeoman, alias founder. On August 15th, 1836, Stedman mortgaged to I.P. Hazard and others this same lot, etc., naming furnace, patterns, tools, etc., and finally Stedman made an assignment to Henry M. Holley, who took in John P. Sherman, Jr., as a partner, and carried on the foundry business for a short time. Holley had a store on the corner now north of the Delavan. Mr. Caswell built a new wharf and bult the sloop "Evelyn" at Saunderstown, and bought the schooner "Josephine"; also built a planing mill and a steam grist mill, the first in the town. April 23d, 1836, Joshua Champlin, of Charlestown, purchased of George Congdon twenty acres of land at what is now South Pier, for fifteen hundred dollars. About 1845 he built a wharf and mortgaged the property several times, and finally sold it January 21st, 1851, to Stephen A. Wright, Erasmus D. Campbell and Amos P. Rodman, as the firm of S.A. Wright & Co., for six thousand dollars, nineteen acres of land with a dwelling house, store and wharf. James P. Peckham hired of Champlin about 1850 the right to land at the wharf, and hired Jonathan Sheldon to run the "Rocky Brook," and in this boat Captain Sheldon brought the lumber that was used by Stephen A. Wright in building Wright's meeting house, Wright's store and the houses on High street, Wakefield, Peckham having a contract to erect the buildings. The first craft to run regularly from the Pier was the "Susan and Mary," built by S.A. Wright & Co., and named after Mrs. Wright and Mrs. Rodman. She was commanded by Captain Sheldon. The story goes that Amos P. Rodman once went to Nova Scotia and ordered a cargo of lumber for I, Wright & Co. Rodman afterward leased the peir of Wright and E.S. Taylor was taken in as a partner, and the firm was carried on as Rodman & Taylor. Daniel Sherman and Jason P. Hazard were lessees one year, Hazard retiring before the expiration of the year. And December 1st, 1855, the pier was sold at auction and purchased by N.C. & J.G. Peckham, and business was carried on by the latter gentleman. Peckham ran the "Justice," woned in company with R. Hazard, Samuel Rodman and Captain Sheldon, who commanded her; the "Susan and Mary" and "Rocky Brook." The next year J.G. Peckham bought out N.C. Peckham.