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S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
CONGRATULATING THE TOWN OF LITTLE COMPTON ON THE JOYOUS OCCASION
OF ITS 350TH ANNIVERSARY DURING 2025
Introduced By: Representatives McGaw, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Chippendale,
Edwards, DeSimone, Craven, Ajello, Shallcross Smith, and Fogarty
Date Introduced: May 15, 2025
Referred To: House read and passed
WHEREAS, Little Compton, a Rhode Island coastal town, was the traditional homeland 1
of the Sakonnet, Wampanoag people, who have lived in Sakonnet (Little Compton) since the end 2
of the last ice age approximately 12,000 years ago. The Sakonnets lived as part of a community 3
of 69 Wampanoag villages in what would later become Massachusetts and eastern Rhode Island; 4
and 5
WHEREAS, The Sakonnets began to encounter European explorers and fishermen in the 6
16th century. When the Pilgrims arrived in 1620, they considered Sakonnet to be the southwest 7
corner of the Plymouth Colony. As more English settlers arrived and desired land, land was 8
sought in Sakonnet and often attained through coercive sales. After a period of tumultuous events, 9
including King Philip's War fought in Sakonnet in 1675-1676, a number of English people from 10
the Plymouth area, and their families, began to settle in Sakonnet. Many were blacksmiths, 11
coopers, surveyors, and farmers, and they began to build the infrastructure to create a Town. Each 12
was given a free ten-acre house lot to settle in Sakonnet, and soon many other English families 13
arrived; and 14
WHEREAS, In 1682, the English Settlers renamed Sakonnet as Little Compton and 15
thanks to a new boundary that had been ordered by King George II in 1747, made most of Little 16
Compton part of the Rhode Island Colony. Tragically, slave labor was a part of the early Little 17
Compton economy; and 18
WHEREAS, Farming was the primary economic engine in Little Compton for more than 19
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1,000 years, from the native foods of the Sakonnet people, the textiles of the first English settlers, 1
the meat and vegetables delivered to nearby cities and communities as well as the Caribbean, to 2
later include the Rhode Island Red Hen, and the Little Compton Goose, to dairy farms throughout 3
much of the 20th century and most recently, specialty farms. Merchants also found great success 4
in Little Compton; and 5
WHEREAS, City dwellers first started to arrive in Little Compton in the early 19th 6
century, tempted by the great fishing and hunting opportunities available to them. Originally, it 7
was sportsmen who were mostly arriving, but soon enough their families started to join them, 8
staying at local farms. Little Compton’s next industry, summer tourism, was soon born and 9
continues to this day; and 10
WHEREAS, In the latter quarter of the 19th century, Azorean immigrants began to arrive 11
in Little Compton in large numbers. They filled the void for laborers left by the end of slavery 12
and indentured servitude. Soon, the Azorean community began to buy many farms and continued 13
the great farming tradition that had always been a part of the Little Compton's culture; and 14
WHEREAS, The 20th Century presented the Little Compton community with great 15
challenges and great successes. The Little Compton community pulled together to face the 16
influenza outbreak in 1918, and the 1938 hurricane, both of which took many lives. World War II 17
had a big impact on Little Compton and its landscape, with the building of a major Army fort at 18
Sakonnet Point named Fort Church; and 19
WHEREAS, After World War II, with cars becoming commonplace and new roads and 20
bridges being built, it became easier for young men and women to seek new work and 21
educational opportunities and living space beyond the urban core of Rhode Island and beyond. By 22
the 1960s, Little Compton became a bedroom community in addition to a farming and summer 23
community, and the town welcomed the new middle-class families that arrived, with most of their 24
children attending the Town’s only school, Josephine F. Wilbur; and 25
WHEREAS, In the latter part of the 20th century, the residents of Little Compton began 26
to push back against over-development. In response, Little Compton supported one of the first 27
land preservation movements in the nation, successfully preserving hundreds of acres of natural 28
habitat and agricultural land, thereby protecting the historic landscape of the town; and 29
WHEREAS, In the 21st century, the Internet has connected the people of Little Compton 30
with the rest of the nation and world, allowing residents the ability to work remotely, advertise 31
their rentals globally, and to once again have products delivered to people right in their homes. 32
The residents of Little Compton came together in unison to fight its greatest challenge of the new 33
century, the recent COVID-19 outbreak, where the town became a safe haven for both local 34
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families and newcomers seeking the safety of open spaces. Little Compton farmers worked 1
tirelessly to ensure that there was a steady, locally-sourced, supply of nutritious food; and 2
WHEREAS, As Little Compton and its residents approach their 350th anniversary, the 3
town celebrates its natural beauty, its well-preserved history and landscape, and the strength of its 4
community ties; now, therefore be it 5
RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby 6
joyously celebrates the 350th anniversary of Little Compton during 2025; and be it further 7
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 8
transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Little Compton Historical Society. 9
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