Little Compton, Rhode Island

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Little Compton is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 3,593 at the 2000 census.^GR2 Little Compton is located in southeastern Rhode Island, between the Sakonnet River and the Massachusetts state boundary. It is the birthplace of the Rhode Island Red hen.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Education 4 Rhode Island Red 5 Stores & Restaurants 6 Demographics

[edit] History

The original settlers in Little Compton were Englishmen who sought to expand their land holdings and settle further on the periphery of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts. They petitioned the Plymouth Colony, which granted them their land. There were thirty-two original "owners" of the land, of which one was Colonel Benjamin Church, well known for his role in the Indian Wars of the late 17th century. Church built his homestead in Little Compton by 1675, just prior to King Philip's War. Presently, a plaque on the side of West Main Road details the location of Church's original homestead. Little Compton itself originally belonged to the Wampanoag tribe led by Awashonks, the sister of Metacom (commonly known as King Philip.) The land was called alternately Sakonnet, Sogkonate, Seconit, Seaconnet, and many other variations of the same throughout its existence. Today it is commonly spelled Sakonnet.

The town itself was incorporated in 1682 by the Plymouth Colony, and renamed Little Compton (possibly a reference to Little Compton in Warwickshire, England; however at present there is no direct evidence to substantiate their relationship.) By 1746/7, however, Little Compton had secured its own royal decree and was annexed to Newport County as a part of Rhode Island along with Tiverton and other towns. Because Little Compton was at one point part of the Plymouth Colony, all probate records prior to 1746 can be found in Taunton, MA, United States.

Sites of historic interest in Little Compton include the Wilbor House, built in 1692 by Samuel Wilbor, now the home of the Little Compton Historical Society. [1]

The only town common in Rhode Island is located in Little Compton.

Additionally, the Quaker Meeting House on West Main Road, Number 8 Schoolhouse (now used as part of the Town Hall), Town Hall, Wilbur's Store, and United Congregational Church all predate 1900 and are centered around the town Commons. Additional historic homes are scattered throughout town and include the Asa Gray house, Slicer house, Oldacre, and the C. Brownell house on West Main Road, the Brownell house on Meetinghouse lane, the Whalley farmstead on Burchard Ave., and the Brownell Library on the Commons.

Colonel Benjamin Church and his family are buried in the Commons cemetery, as is Elizabeth Pabodie, the first born child of John and Priscilla Alden of Mayflower fame. The stones in the cemetery reflect a style of carving that is similar to that found both in Newport and in Boston during the same time periods.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 74.9 km² (28.9 mi²). 54.1 km² (20.9 mi²) of it is land and 20.8 km² (8.0 mi²) of it (27.79%) is water.

[edit] Education

There is only one school in Little Compton. It is called the Josephine F. Wilbur and McMahon school, which teaches Kindergarten through 8th grade. Located in the center of town, called the Commons, the school is known by those who live in Little Compton simply as "Wilbur School." There are approximately 350 students. High school students are sent to Portsmouth High school on Aquidneck Island. Prior to 2001, they were sent to Middletown High School which is also on Aquidneck Island.

Earlier in Little Compton's history,

"Local men and women served capably as superintendent though with little or no professional training. High school was conducted for a few years in what is today the Town Hall. The high-school had two teachers and a well respected head teacher by the name of Josephine Field Wilbur.

In 1923, a special survey commission was appointed by the state commissioner of education and a subsequent recommendation was made to build a single building to educate the town's youth from 1st grade through high school.

In 1925, the first of two bonds to construct the central school was overwhelmingly voted down. It wasn't until the second bond introduced a year later and 40,000 dollars less would the voters give approval for the town to issue the bond to build the central school. In 1928, the Consolidated Central School was completed and later named the Josephine F. Wilbur School.

The year 1930 would see the arrival of a new superintendent by the name of Miss Katherine B. McMahon. Over the next 43 years many changes in education would take place, namely the advancement of the sciences and technology. Consequently, this lead to a demand to see more complex science courses offered and to see opportunities for students to obtain vocational training." [2]

[edit] Rhode Island Red

The Rhode Island Red is a breed of chicken which was originally bred in Adamsville, a small village which is part of Little Compton. In 1925, the Rhode Island Red Club of America donated funds for an elegant monument to the Rhode Island Red in Adamsville, near the baseball field and across the street from The Barn restaurant—the monument is now on the National Register of Historic Places. A competing monument to the Rhode Island Red, claiming its creation not for the poultry fanciers, but for the farmers who grew them commercially in great numbers in Little Compton, was erected by the state, in 1954, a mile or so south of Adamsville.

       One of Little Comptons claims to fame, so to speak, is that it is the only place in the country with a monument to a chicken.

[edit] Stores & Restaurants

The majority of stores in Little Compton are in the center of the town, the Commons. This includes Wilbur's general store, Art Cafe, Corner Cones ice cream, Coming Attractions video store, dry cleaners, thrift shop, and A-1 Pizza. Also on the Commons is a Sovereign Bank, which exists in a building that used to be the Post Office, and before that, Simmons store, which is now located in Adamsville. One of the more famous restaurants in Little Compton is the Commons Lunch, known for its johnny cakes. It burned down in 2004, but has now reopened. Other restaurants in town include Crowthers on Pottersville Rd., and the Country Harvest on West Main Road. During the summer, many farmstands open up to the public too, most of which are on West Main Road. These include the Country Stand, Walkers Roadside Stand, and Young Farm. Peckham's Greenhouse attracts customers for its plants and gardening supplies. In Adamsville, Gray's claims to be the oldest continually operating general store in the country; it is now an antique store.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 3,593 people, 1,475 households, and 1,041 families residing in the town. The population density was 66.5/km² (172.1/mi²). There were 2,103 housing units at an average density of 38.9/km² (100.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.75% White, 0.06% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.86% of the population.

There were 1,475 households out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the town the population was spread out with 21.7% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 29.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $55,368, and the median income for a family was $62,750. Males had a median income of $43,199 versus $28,676 for females. The per capita income for the town was $32,513. 3.4% of the population and 3.7% of families were below the poverty line. 1.0% of those under the age of 18 and 2.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Most people who live in Little Compton commute to out-of-town to cities like Providence and Boston for work. Additionally, many of the homes in Little Compton are summer homes only, allowing for the population to almost double in the summer due to tourism.

	State of Rhode Island
Topics	Culture · Geography · Government · History · Images
Capital	Providence
Regions	Blackstone Valley · Block Island · East Bay · Newport County · Providence · South County · Warwick/West Bay
Counties	Bristol · Kent · Newport · Providence · Washington
Cities	Central Falls · Cranston · East Providence · Newport · Pawtucket · Providence · Warwick · Woonsocket
Towns	Barrington · Bristol · Burrillville · Charlestown · Coventry · Cumberland · East Greenwich · Exeter · Foster · Glocester · Hopkinton · Jamestown · Johnston · Lincoln · Little Compton · Middletown · Narragansett · New Shoreham (Block Island) · North Kingstown · North Providence · North Smithfield · Portsmouth · Richmond · Scituate · Smithfield · South Kingstown · Tiverton · Warren · West Greenwich · West Warwick · Westerly
Reservations	Narragansett Indian Tribe