Apponaug is a neighborhood in central Warwick, Rhode Island, situated on Apponaug Cove, a tributary to Greenwich Bay and nearby Narragansett Bay. The name Apponaug is a derivation of the Narragansett Indian word for "place of oysters". Indeed, Apponaug Cove holds one of the richest shellfish beds in the United States and was, for many centuries prior to the arrival of European settlers, densely populated by the Narragansetts.
Apponaug consists of what is effectively a large rotary. In the 1960s the Rhode Island Department of Transportation was in need of a faster way to feed the increasing number of cars en route to West Shore Road and other locations through Apponaug. In what was supposed to be a temporary solution, traffic patterns were rerouted, creating a one-way hub in the center of the village.[1]
Apponaug is located at the confluence of three of Warwick's primary streets: Post Road (U.S. Route 1), Greenwich Avenue (R.I. Route 5), and Centerville Road (R.I. Route 117). It is considered downtown or central Warwick as Warwick City Hall is located here as well as police and fire headquarters, the Apponaug branch of the Warwick Public Library, a museum, and post office. The cluster of municipal buildings in the center of Apponaug is designated as the Warwick Civic Center Historic District, while a cluster of stately homes in the southern part of the neighborhood is designated as the Apponaug Historic District.
Apponaug is the birthplace of George S. Greene, Union Army general and noted engineer.[2]