Lincoln Woods State Park

Lincoln Woods State Park
Rhode Island State Park
Named for: Abraham Lincoln
Country United States
State Rhode Island
County Providence
Town Lincoln
Elevation 308 ft (94 m) [1]
Coordinates 41°53′55″N 71°25′53″W / 41.89861°N 71.43139°WCoordinates: 41°53′55″N 71°25′53″W / 41.89861°N 71.43139°W [1]
Area 627 acres (254 ha) [2]
Dedicated 1909
Management Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Division of Parks & Recreation
Location in Rhode Island
Website: Lincoln Woods State Park

Lincoln Woods State Park is a 627-acre (254 ha) state park surrounding Olney Pond in the town of Lincoln, Rhode Island, located 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of Pawtucket.[3] The park serves as a popular destination for the people of the nearby city of Providence, Rhode Island.

Name

Named in honor of President Abraham Lincoln, the park traces its origins to the state's purchase of Quinsnicket Pond and 71 additional acres in 1908 and had its official founding on the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, February 12, 1909.[2] Until around the 1940s, the park was popularly known as Quinsnicket, a faux Indian name commonly said to mean something like The Domain of Many Rocks. Quinsnicket was actually a name invented by white settlers, and the original Indian name for the area was Caucaunjaivatchuck.[4] But there are many giant glacial boulders in the park, and the stony and difficult nature of the terrain prevented most of the present-day parkland from becoming farmland or being developed from the mid-1850s onward.

Activities and amenities

The park offers two freshwater beaches, extensive picnicking facilities (176 tables, 134 fireplaces) and three game fields plus boating, ice skating, and fishing areas as well as equestrian, mountain bike, snowmobile, and hiking trails. Kayak, canoe, and stand-up paddle board rentals as well as kayaking lessons are offered by a concessionaire.[2]

In popular culture

The park was a favorite haunt of the author H.P. Lovecraft in the 1908-1937 period, and he would often spend whole summer days in the park writing long letters and walking.[5] Lovecraft records many vivid accounts of the park's landscape and ambiance in his letters. In 2011, part of the film Moonrise Kingdom was filmed at the park.[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Lincoln Woods State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Lincoln Woods State Park History". State of Rhode Island Division of Parks & Recreation. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Lincoln Woods State Park". State of Rhode Island Division of Parks & Recreation. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  4. ↑ Thomas Williams Bicknell. The History of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (Volume 5). ISBN 1152956353.
  5. ↑ "Quinsnicket Park by H.P. Lovecraft". Hearthside House Museum. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Upcoming filming locations for ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ in Rhode Island". OLV. May 1, 2011. Retrieved 2012-12-11.

External links