Chepiwanoxet Point facts for kids
Chepiwanoxet is a cool neighborhood in Warwick, Rhode Island. It has a special island-like area that sticks out into Greenwich Bay, which is part of Narragansett Bay. The neighborhood is split by the Amtrak train tracks. It's bordered by Neptune Street to the north, Alger Avenue to the south, Post Road (Route 1) to the west, and Greenwich Bay to the east. The only way in and out by car is through an underpass called Chepiwanoxet Way, which goes under the train tracks.
Long ago, Native Americans fished around this island and its shores. They gave this area the name "Chepiwanoxet." In the early 1700s, it became a colonial farm. Later, around 1837, a train station opened here, and Chepiwanoxet turned into a popular beach resort with a hotel. People from other parts of the state bought small plots of land for summer cottages. Workers from nearby Cowesett Hill Estates also built homes here in the late 1800s. Before World War I, a company called Gallaudet Aircraft Company built a path (a causeway) to the island for their seaplane factory. Today, a sign at the entrance says that the city of Warwick bought the island in 1994 to make it a city park.
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What's in a Name?
The name Chepiwanoxet comes from the Narragansett language. You might also see it spelled "Chepinoxet" in older writings, like the book A Key into the Language of America.
The word might mean 'Little Separated Place.' This makes sense because it was once an island. Another idea is that it means 'Little Place at the Northeast.'
Chepiwanoxet has also been called other names, like Chepi, Devil's Island, and Gallaudet Seaplane Factory.
How the Land Was Formed
Chepiwanoxet sits on top of very old rocks. These rocks are from the Coal Age, also known as the Pennsylvanian period, which was about 300 million years ago! This rock area is huge, stretching about 60 miles long and 18 miles wide. It's under all of Narragansett Bay and many rivers. Chepiwanoxet is right on the western edge of this large rock formation.
The island itself was mostly shaped by the last great ice age. Huge sheets of ice, called glaciers, moved across the land. They acted like giant bulldozers, pushing and grinding rocks. When the Earth warmed up about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, the glaciers melted. This melting left behind huge piles of sand and rock, which created much of the land we see today. The sand and gravel that make up Chepiwanoxet are from these ancient glaciers.
The soil at Chepiwanoxet Point is called "Hinckley gravelly sandy loam." This type of soil lets water drain through it very easily. It's not the best for growing plants.
How Chepiwanoxet Became an Island (and Then a Peninsula)
The original island was formed by sand that was washed down from higher hills by melting glaciers. This created a small river mouth called Arnold's Cove. Small boats could use this cove, especially at high tide. Old maps from the 1700s and 1800s clearly show Chepiwanoxet as an island, separated from the mainland by water.
In 1916, the Gallaudet Aircraft Company built a causeway (a raised road or path) to the island. This allowed trucks to reach their new seaplane factory. This causeway blocked the water flow around the island. As a result, Arnold Cove slowly filled with silt and is no longer deep enough for boats. Today, the cove is being taken over by a tall reed grass called Phragmites, which is an invasive plant.
The shores of Chepiwanoxet used to be long, sandy beaches. But as people built along the coast, they added rock walls and other protections. This stopped the natural sand from reaching the beaches. Now, much of Chepiwanoxet's sand has washed away, leaving rocky shores.
A Look at Modern History
Chepiwanoxet Island became a peninsula in the early 1900s when the Gallaudet Aircraft Company built America's first factory just for seaplanes there in 1916. They filled in the southern channel with sand and gravel to create the causeway for trucks. This causeway is still there today.
During the time of the Gallaudet factory, the Bostitch Corporation was allowed to dump many truckloads of waste metal staples along the eastern shore. This was done to help stop erosion. The staples rusted into large piles. In the early 2000s, after the area became a city park, most of these rust piles were removed. But you can still find small rusty pieces on the beach!
The Gallaudet factory built seaplanes for the U.S. Navy during World War I, including the Gallaudet 'Battlecruiser' D series. After the war, in 1923, the company was sold. The factory buildings were left empty for many years. Today, all the factory buildings are gone. However, you can still see two concrete floors. One was for the metal boiler plant, and the smaller one was for a brick kiln used to dry wood for the seaplanes.
In 1946, the Amtrol Company started on Chepiwanoxet Island. They made water pressure control tanks in one of the old seaplane buildings. But in 1954, Hurricane Carol hit Rhode Island and flooded the factory. Amtrol quickly moved their business to higher ground in West Warwick.
A few years after the hurricane, the Chepiwanoxet Marina was built. It used a large building for storing boats indoors during winter. This marina was one of the first in Rhode Island built just for pleasure boats. It lasted for less than 10 years.
In 1994, the City of Warwick bought the island. It is now Chepiwanoxet Park and is open to everyone. There is limited parking, but visitors can walk along the shore, especially at low tide. You can also walk on several sandy trails across the island. Shellfishing is allowed on the north and east sides of the island, which face Greenwich Bay. However, it is not allowed on the south shore, which faces Greenwich Cove.
Where is Chepiwanoxet?
You can find Chepiwanoxet Point on the East Greenwich map. The U.S. Geological Survey and the Rhode Island State Geologist have made detailed maps of the rocks and surface materials in this area.
