Warwick’s Villages and Historic Places - Introduction
By Don D'Amato
Today, Warwick, with a population exceeding 86,000, is Rhode Island's second largest city. It is conveniently located near all the major business, cultural and recreation centers of New England. Providence is only ten minutes away; Boston but one hour. Cape Cod can be reached in about seventy-five minutes and the Connecticut Casinos in less than an hour. With the airport, interstate highways and rail service New York is easily reached, as are the ski slopes of the northern states. Warwick is at "The Crossroads of New England."
Warwick's natural beauty along Greenwich Bay, its historical significance and modern potential continue to attract tourists, business, movie producers and those looking for the serenity of a suburban area with the advantages of a modern city. Warwick provides that and more as it has made a dynamic impact on Rhode Island in the late 20th and 21st centuries.
A large part of the city’s significance and charm can be traced back through its more than 370 year history. Thanks to many spirited leaders in both the community and City Hall, Warwick has come to realize that its heritage mirrors that of the state and the country. Warwick, probably more than any other community in Rhode Island, has had many trials and tribulations in its fight to establish the freedoms we so dearly cherish today. Much of the struggle and the success can be found by studying the history of its villages and their impact on the city.
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Pumham's Fort (1644 - 1676) was a Narragansett Indian fort built by the colonial militia for mutual protection. Tradition locates this fort on the east bank of Warwick Cove nearly opposite the Oakland Beach grounds on the estate of John Holden Esq. What are supposed to be the remains of it may still be seen there (Paine and Fort Streets). It would command the entrance to the cove while in the rear there is said to have been an almost impenetrable marshy thicket to protect it from that direction.